Summer showers As investors bid farewell to a volatile third quarter, now is a good moment to put some of the recent fearmongering into context. The data was never going to look rosy; and, sure enough, when the figures came in, they reflected the impact of
Shakes not quakes As the volatility typical of the height of summer extended to September, investors could understandably be unnerved by the series of small tremors that has continued to rattle markets. Yet the factors driving market uncertainty – rising US interest rates and lower Chinese
Playing safe The most important event of the week was, in fact, a non-event – the US Federal Reserve chose not to raise interest rates. The downbeat comments which accompanied the news prompted some rotation out of equities and into bonds. After weeks of anticipation and debate,
Last week, members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) found themselves once again to be largely of one mind on the question of interest rates, as members voted 8–1 for no change to the Bank of England rate of 0.5%. The pound rose slightly after
Finely balanced The volatility of August overlapped into the first days of September, as uncertainty persisted over when the US Federal Reserve would raise interest rates. Markets are likely to remain uneasy until the timing of that decision becomes crystal clear. The best course of action
Market rebound? After the shock of ‘Black Monday’, the sea of red across dealing screens had largely turned blue as calmer conditions returned to global markets at the end of a dramatic week of wild swings for equity and commodity prices. The FTSE 100, S&P 500
Ripple effect Equity markets went into full retreat last week, as falling Chinese and US production indicators increased worries about a global economic slowdown. The reverse has continued in this morning’s trading, with the impact of investor fears exacerbated by typically thin trading during the holiday
Halting the slide The week saw equity markets struggle to gain traction, while oil prices came under pressure as traders remained cautious in a week dominated by China’s decision to devalue its currency. However, towards the end of the week, the volatility abated as the Chinese
Dousing expectations For markets that remain ‘data-dependent’ – jittering in response to any and every signal of the health of the global economy – the end of the week offered the chance of some definite answers to the questions of when the US and UK would
Marching on Despite it being a week when all major equity markets (and many bond markets) posted positive returns, the underlying sense was one of far greater caution as the focus, once again, turned to events at the Fed and the ongoing question of when –
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