In the second week of June, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (more commonly just the OECD) published an alarming report. The headline writers seized on it. ‘UK economy set to flatline next year,’ was the Mail headline, pointing out that the OECD had predicted the UK would do worse than every other country in G20 […]
The UK is far from alone as it struggles with soaring inflation, as fiscal policymakers in Europe are also looking at keeping rising costs under control. The European Central Bank (ECB) recently confirmed that it plans to increase interest rates for the first time in more than a decade. At the moment, the main policy […]
Introduction June was the month in which the war Vladimir Putin thought would last 100 hours passed its hundredth day – with all the attendant problems for food supply and the global economy. In the UK, Boris Johnson won his confidence vote by 211 votes to 148 – but the dark mutterings continued as the […]
Overall Market Backdrop, May Global markets had a mixed month and even with mass amounts of volatility and some regions ending on negative returns, most markets ended the month flat. Central banks are now seen to be walking on a tightrope, causing concerns for investors as they tend to balance the pressure of inflation with an […]
As inflation soars to a 40-year high, many analysts, households and businesses are asking just how much higher could it go? The rate of Inflation jumped from seven per cent in March to nine per cent in the 12 months to April, and according to the Bank of England, it’s likely to keep going up […]
Last month, house price growth hit its highest level in nearly two decades, with figures from Nationwide showing an annual increase of 14.3 per cent in March, up from 12.6 per cent in February. On the face of it, this appears to be great news for everyone in the housing sector, from estate agents to […]
As the cost of living crisis bites, the very real human impact of rising rates of inflation is becoming alarmingly stark. According to a report by the Food Foundation, surging prices are now forcing millions of households to significantly cut back on food. Figures showed that in the last month, more than two million adults […]
Introduction The war in Ukraine, worries about food supplies, worries about the global economy… May was another month where all the themes we have become used to were to the fore. Despite this, it was a reasonable month for the stock markets we report on in the Bulletin. China led the way with a gain […]
Overall Market Backdrop, April Almost all equity markets sang to the same tune in April and saw negative returns, the only outlier being the UK market which saw very marginal positive returns. Central banks are now seen to be walking on a tightrope, causing concerns for investors as they tend to balance the pressure of […]
April began with a stark headline in the Mirror as the paper proclaimed it April Cruel Day. ‘Energy bills up,’ ran the accompanying text. ‘Council tax up. National Insurance up. Water bills up. Stamps up. Broadband Charges up.’ The threat of inflation and the accompanying cost of living crisis have been well documented, and unsurprisingly, […]