FURTHER GAINS FOR GLOBAL MARKETS WITH EUROPE LEADING THE WAY Stock markets experienced solid gains in January, despite late-month volatility. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 4.7%, the S&P 500 advanced by 2.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.6%....

WEAK END TO YEAR OF US LARGE-CAP EQUITY DOMINANCE “BITCOIN MORE THAN DOUBLED, WHILE GOLD SHONE AS A SAFE HAVEN, RECORDING ITS STRONGEST ANNUAL GAIN SINCE 2010” 2024 delivered another impressive year for asset returns, buoyed by stronger than expected economic growth...

US EQUITIES AND CRYPTO ASSETS SURGE ON TRUMP VICTORY US equity markets continued to rally in November, with the S&P 500 posting its strongest monthly performance this year, gaining 5.7% and surpassing the 6,000 index level. The rally was fuelled by several...

EQUITY AND BOND MARKETS DROP ON US ELECTION JITTERS Stock markets retreated in the second half of October in anticipation of the US elections. In the closing days of the month, the decline was exacerbated by earnings disappointments from...

VOLATILE THIRD QUARTER ENDS WITH BOOST FROM US INTEREST RATE CUT AND CHINA STIMULUS The third quarter ended positively for both equity and bond markets. The heightened volatility of early August – due to fears of a US recession, the unwinding of the yen carry trade...

VALUATION CONCERN BRINGS PROFIT-TAKING IN TECH LEADERS The tide turned for the Magnificent Seven stocks during July as a disappointing start to the tech stock earnings season saw Alphabet, Tesla, and Microsoft share prices slide. This prompted the Nasdaq to fall 10%...

A MIXED QUARTER FOR MARKETS AS RATE CUTS HOPES RECEDE The second quarter was mixed for financial markets. Inflation during the first quarter proved concerningly sticky, and markets factored in a higher-for-longer inflation and interest rate outlook, which saw both...

MARKETS MIXED WITH INVESTORS WAITING ON INTEREST RATE CUTS May was a mixed month for stock markets. Hopes prevailed earlier this year that inflation would already have fallen convincingly enough by now to have paved the way for interest rate cuts in the US. As the...

MAJOR EQUITY AND BOND MARKETS WEAKEN ON STICKY INFLATION AND WEAKER GROWTH April was a more challenging month for stock markets with US equities having a particularly bumpy ride. Investor concerns centred on signs of vulnerability in the US growth outlook and...