Journalists love conflict. It sells newspapers. It gets people tuning in to radio and TV. Which is why we are so quick to frame something as a battle between two diametrically opposed sides.
S&P’s surprise downgrade of Brazil’s credit rating yesterday has added another layer of complexity to the decision facing the members of the Federal Open Market Committee next week.
Strengthened fiscal policy, tax system reforms and infrastructure spending are big promises coming from the Chinese Ministry of Finance this week, but will this be enough to tempt back investors back?
News that John Chatfeild-Roberts is relinquishing the chief investment officer reins at Jupiter to focus solely on managing his £8bn Merlin fund range may be a telling sign of the times.
Generally speaking, when a company announces plans to cut its dividend, sell assets and raise equity, it is not followed by a 10% spike in its share price.
Volatility expectations have been given a shot in the arm by August’s wild swings, but despite this many investors are determined to stay the course.
Data out from the Association of British Insurers and the Office for National Statistics in the past few days should have asset managers rubbing their hands with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
The volatility seen in August has been simultaneously worrying and interesting for anybody involved in the investment industry, particularly active fund managers.
As the dust (hopefully soon) starts to settle on last week’s market carnage, investors are out pointing fingers at the biggest losers, and speculating on whether they could be tomorrow’s big winners.
Being out of the country with very little time spent keeping tabs on the news I have gained a different perspective on the past week’s events than most.
In the current environment, anticipating which way markets will turn next is nigh impossible – so how are the industry heavyweights planning their next move?
Given how many clouds there are around at the moment, silver linings are pretty hard to come by.
