All the signs point to a continued pivot away from the threat of a global recession, writes Charles Bathurst-Norman, Investment Director in his latest market commentary.
World equity markets rebounded in the final quarter of 2023, says James Godrich, Fund Manager of the JM Finn Coleman Street Investments Service in his quarterly market commentary.
Investment Director Simon Temple-Pedersen dissects the ongoing influence of the Magnificent Seven stocks on portfolio performance in his Q4 market commentary.
Investment Director Charles Bathurst-Norman reflects on the global macroeconomic and geopolitical environment in 2023 and explains his cautious optimism for the year ahead.
Investment Director Andrew Mann considers the unbridled success of the US tech giant group in 2023 and asks if other stocks could replicate their growth levels over the year ahead.
The latest market analysis from Investment Director Andrew Mann: robust employment data and higher oil prices are leading to inflation rates stubbornly above target levels.
From an investor’s perspective, the first half of 2023 has been dominated by the same market dynamics experienced during 2022, with inflation and interest rate hikes dictating the direction of all…
After a tough 2022 for investors, investment director Charles Bathurst-Norman, suggests that while the short term outlook remains gloomy, it is worth remembering that markets tend to rebound quickly.
After a challenging year, James Godrich reports stronger performance in the fourth quarter, both on a relative and an absolute basis, in the CSI funds.
Most wealth professionals are predicting a difficult and turbulent 2023. However Brian Tora provides some reasons why we should perhaps be a bit more optimistic.
Inflation, interest rates and unemployment have taken a back seat amongst many media outlets in November, as the Football World Cup, amongst some controversy, has gotten underway.
There have only been six occasions since the index launched when the S&P 500 has fallen by 7.5% in one month and regained at least the same amount the month after.
The second quarter has seen major equity and bond markets continue to sell off sharply, as UK and US Central Banks tightened monetary policy in the face of spiralling inflation.
The non-stop appearance of new crises over the last 15 years has been akin to doing battle with the mythical Hydra! Investment Director, Paul Tyndall discusses the importance of staying true to an…
It is unclear exactly how much the war in Ukraine will cost the global economy. Read below for insight on how the markets have recently performed and what we think the other impacts might be.
James Godrich believes that investing in high quality businesses that can survive the current challenges is the optimum strategy for long term investors.
In the light of the recent market activity in response to the Ukrainian situation, John Royden suggests a measured approach can help ensure sensible decision making when it comes to managing a…
James Godrich reviews the fund returns in the context of the long term performance, discusses the actions undertaken to achieve that and reminds us that our decision making can never be without flaw.
Whilst the interest rate tune might be changing, James Godrich suggests it is still inflation expectations that provides the greater risk for equity markets.
Inflation affects all aspects of the economy. Read below to find out what inflation looks like at the moment and what we can potentially expect in the coming months.
In this article, fund manager James Godrich provides the insight on the current financial markets and reviews some of the recent activity in the CSI funds.
The overwhelming view among senior scientists is that coronavirus is here to stay. Brian Tora provides his views on what we can expect in terms of a recovery in the next couple of months.
The summer doldrums may not be as much of a concern for investors this year with summer holidays abroad still seeming unlikely. Brian Tora provides his views on what we can expect from the next few…
For decades, the idea that you should sell in May has been an important part of stock market folklore. Brian Tora gives his views on why markets in May have performed better than expected.
As investors look towards the rest of the year, this resilient economic backdrop coupled with positive vaccine news has brought another pillar of economic forecasts into focus — pent-up demand. Brian…
The economic outlook for the remainder of 2021 remains uncertain. James Godrich provides his insight on what investors should consider as we return to our new "normal".
There has been a remarkable dearth of hard news in recent weeks. It’s not that nothing is going on – rather that such stories as hit the headlines are having little impact on investor sentiment.
James Godrich discusses what criteria businesses will have to possess in a new environment of potential rising interest rates, in order to be included in his investment picks.
At the end of the year, the scoreboard looks good and we are pleased with the performance of the funds but one year performance numbers tell only a fraction of the story and this is no time for…
The news that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has found it necessary to cancel the autumn budget underscores the difficult situation in which we find ourselves.
We are, of course, in high summer, with fund managers on bucket and spade duty and the first half reporting season for companies pretty much at an end.
The news that BP, one of the income paying stalwarts of the FTSE 100, had announced it was halving its payout to shareholders as a consequence of the fall in the oil price reinforces the comments I…
James Godrich reviews the quarter in the context of the three multi-asset portfolios he manages, as part of JM Finn’s Coleman Street Investment service.
February and March saw torrential downpours, April scattered showers and May blistering sunshine; the British weather appears to have correlated remarkably well with the mood of the markets in 2020…
Head of Charities, Mark Powell reviews the infrastructure sector as an asset class, which the JM Finn charities team have been increasing exposure to over the last ten years, as they sought to…
The news that our economy took a near 6% hit in March, resulting in a contraction of 2% in Gross Domestic Product for the first quarter of the year, was sufficient to bring the recent run of rises in…
The stock market is a discounting mechanism and following the sharp moves in February and March, investors used April to take a step-back and ask whether ‘enough’ discounting had been done.
One of the most discussed themes recently has been the impact of the coronavirus on dividends, with nearly £20 billion of upcoming payments in the UK cancelled.
While we are all doubtless getting a little tired of coping with lockdown, the way in which the coronavirus pandemic develops is still driving market sentiment.
During this incredibly volatile period, we feel it is particularly important to keep you, our clients, updated with our latest thoughts on the Coronavirus pandemic.
As the recent period of market volatility kicked in, I was in the fortunate position that all three funds that I manage had a small overweight cash position.
In his 1987 letter to shareholders Warren Buffett told the story of Mr Market, your partner in a private business that every day appears with a price at which he will either buy your interest or sell…
Markets were rocked by the potential disruption to global growth that the coronavirus could deliver, though the recovery, particularly in the US, has been remarkably swift.
Traders are often told to ‘sell in May and go away’, to ‘ride the Santa rally’ or to consider the Super-bowl Indicator; that is, when a team from the old American Football League wins the Super-bowl,…
Shares have been in a rather subdued mood recently, though sterling and the more domestically focussed FTSE 250 Share Index were a little perkier initially.
Markets have become unsettled recently. Perhaps this is because there are so many issues unresolved that could have an impact on investor sentiment, of which Brexit is just one, though disappointing…
The drone strike on Saudi oil facilities and subsequent wild fluctuations in the oil price served as a timely reminder that geo-political risks remain as a potential upset to sentiment.
Shares have held up reasonably well recently, helped by President Trump cancelling the proposed tariff on Mexican goods and expectations of more central bank easing.
With a short week of trading for both us and the Americans and little of note on either the results or the economic front, is it any wonder markets have been relatively quiet.
The combination of that terrible fire in Paris, the fact that Prime Minister May has succeeded in gaining a further extension in our leaving the EU process...
I don’t know about you, but I am becoming increasingly bored with the way in which the talks on how we are to leave the European Union – or not – dominate the media at present.
It’s worth remembering that good businesses adapt to their environment and successful investors tend to be natural contrarians that relish moments when all around are despairing.
With meaningful news somewhat sparse at present, Brexit aside of course, the last Budget before we leave the European Union has given us something to think about.
There is a “back to school” feel about the City right now. Parliament has reassembled and commuting has the added pressure of schoolchildren returning to their studies.
The summer doldrums are well and truly upon us. Company news is thin on the ground and, as for economic data, it seems all the statistics compilers are on holiday too.
Perhaps it is a consequence of the heatwave or of England’s early impressive showing in the football World Cup, but our stock market has really held up rather well this summer.
Hardly a day goes by without a story from one of those familiar names that can be found in our beleaguered High Streets, demonstrating just how tough life has become.
Trading weeks starting with a multi-billion pound takeover are not that common. The news that Sainsbury is to shake up the supermarket world caught everyone by surprise.
At the beginning of February the question on the lips of investors was whether the return of volatility presaged an end to the bull market or was merely a correction, following a sustained period of…
Markets have continued in a quietish mood, despite much going on in the background. The recent UK inflation figures had little impact, other than on sterling.
Markets continue to enjoy something of a spring-like quality. US and European shares have been hitting new highs, as have some of those in the Emerging Markets arena, while our own market is not in…
Volatility returned to global markets as Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un squared-up to each other in the late summer and, at the point of writing, neither leader is showing much willing to compromise.
Given the heightened tension on the Korean peninsular, you might have thought that those traders back from their summer holidays would be heading for the hills.
Markets are enjoying more of a holiday mood now we are into August. While it is not a one way street, generally any overall setbacks are made up for fairly swiftly.
Markets seem to be taking their summer holidays early this year. With corporate and economic news thin on the ground, there isn’t a great deal to get one’s teeth into.
May was another month of low volatility and generally positive returns for equity investors continuing what has been the consistent trend so far in 2017.
With our own FTSE 100 Share Index breaking above 7500 for the first time and the US S&P 500 Index having hit new highs, before White House shenanigans sent it into reverse, investors are doubtless…
The second quarter of 2017 has begun in generally positive terms for global equities, with the three main US indices continuing to push towards new highs and European markets rallying after both…
May has got off to a more comfortable start than might have been expected, given the sabre rattling taking place on the Korean peninsula and some disappointing economic growth numbers coming out of…
It has been a steady start to the year, as the positive economic and wider market momentum that began last summer has persisted through the first quarter of 2017.
Markets have been understandably quiet recently. With the Chancellor of the Exchequer about to announce his Spring Budget as I put pen to paper (and on the day of our Investment Conference, too!),…
With a budget just around the corner, the direction the Trump administration is likely to take still far from clear and more doubt over the Brexit negotiations as the House of Lords debates the…
‘Ceteris paribus’ is a favourite phrase amongst economists that is often laughed off as having little utility in the real world. Its meaning is ‘all other things held constant’ which we all know is a…
I can’t say the last of the autumn statements impressed me over much. Much of the important stuff was leaked in advance. And the expectation of an economic slowdown is hardly new.
This year has been full of surprises. Who seriously thought we would be heading out of Europe ahead of June 24th? And who really expected the 45th President of the United States to be a billionaire…
Donald Trump’s victory in the US Presidential Election has overturned the opinion polls’ prediction and financial markets expectation of a narrow victory for Hillary Clinton.
Thursday 3rd November was termed by some as Super Thursday in the UK as markets were shaken each way by a raft of news and data pointing towards the health, both past and future, of the domestic…
Despite the excitement being generated the other side of the Atlantic, to which I will return later, it has been the Brexit negotiation timetable that has dominated markets recently.
In 2013 the markets suffered what became known as the ‘taper tantrum’ when Ben Bernanke, the then Federal Reserve Chairman, announced that the Federal Reserve would be tapering back its more than $80…
Summer has arrived late this year for we home dwellers. At last it is possible to enjoy the hot and sunny weather – and to do so without having to worry too much about what is taking place in markets.
With significant news and data out of China, the UK and the US, last week offered plenty of food for thought much of which could have been introduced with the question, ‘do you want the good news or…
The Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England will meet this week to decide upon the most appropriate monetary course for the UK following the decision to leave the European Union.
Things didn’t quite turn out as expected. We are to leave the European Union, but the FTSE 100 Share Index is higher at the time of writing than it has been for months.
One of the key events driving the markets this month has been the EU Referendum and with swinging expectations of the outcome, last week was no exception.
Markets have steadied in the last week or so, with a strong one day performance for the FTSE 100 Share Index at the end of the week resulting in a positive return for the week overall.
As the days have been lengthening, so markets have developed a rather different feel to that which had been established as spring blossomed, following a difficult start to the year.
Markets have been behaving in a better way than many feared, given recent weakness in Far East markets and the ongoing wrangle over what leaving the European Union might mean for our economic…
Spring somehow seems brighter with the world a less worried place and focus returning to the core economic debate of where low or negative in terest rates take the economy.
With a deal now sealed and the battle lines being drawn for June’s referendum, Europe looks like being the focus of attention for the foreseeable future.
Since the start of the year, the world economy has undergone severe financial market volatility, marked by sharply falling prices for equities and other risky assets.
Asian markets have been having an uneasy time of it recently, though the FTSE 100 Share Index is developing a steadier tone after a relatively poor start to the year.
The New Year got off to a tricky start for investors. Not that 2015 could be viewed as the easiest of years. The FTSE 100 Share Index closed around 5% lower than at the start of the year, despite…
Far from being a season of goodwill to all men, investors have had a lot to put up with since the doors on their Advent Calendars started popping open.
We are definitely seeing an increase in the seizing up of the property market here in the UK’s capital for several reasons. The Yuan devaluation has hit the Chinese investor base, whereas oil related…
Now that we are in the meteorological winter, which weather forecasters claim runs from the 1st December to the end of February and Advent, what is important for investors is whether we will enjoy a…
With the weakness in Emerging Market currencies and commodities well established, the likelihood of China having a hard landing has increased. Inventory de-stocking is clearly underway as is the…
Our first ever investment conference was held recently – and most successful it was, too. The background was a subdued market where the FTSE 100 Share Index had lost a little over 1% in the week…
With China’s President on a state visit to the UK, what better time could there be to look at the most populous nation on earth. Given that our leading steel maker has just laid off over a thousand…
I am old enough to remember the first crop of state sell-offs under the Thatcher government in the early 1980s. Actually, I am sufficiently old to remember the de-nationalisation of the steel…
With the weakness in Emerging Market currencies and commodities well established, the likelihood of China having a hard landing has i ncreased. Inventory de-stocking is clearly underway as is the…
Greece is back in the news again, though fortunately not for making waves in markets. The fact that prime minister Alexis Tsipras is back in power does not augur well for future negotiations, though.…
While today’s rate hike decision leaves markets poised internationally in a perfect storm, the Treasury futures market is forecasting a lower probability at 30% than are the various camps of eco…
The financial press has been crammed full of bad news since late summer. Whether it is China slowing, oil prices continuing to slide or thousands of miserable refugees flooding into the EU, it is…
China is proving slow to go away as a perceived problem for investors. While the shock announcement of its, admittedly modest, currency devaluation against the US dollar did not produce the mayhem in…
The UK Industrials sector is an eclectic mix. Businesses included under the Industrials umbrella range from building merchants, to laundrettes, to submarine manufacturers. It is probably more useful…
This is the time of the year when hard news stories are in short supply – when the silly season rules in earnest. Perhaps this is just as well as market pro fessionals are more likely to be taking…
The focus has shifted from Greece to China over recent days. Shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange have continued to give investors a rough ride. While the problems stem mainly from the speculation…
Since the 2008 GFC, or Global Financial Crisis, the Fed has attempted to stem a deflationary spiral with loose monetary policy. A deflationary spiral is where consumers and businesses stop buying…
When last I shared my thoughts on what might be in store for markets, investor confidence was being assailed from a variety of directions. Yet somehow we seem to have managed to survive. Greece has…
There is a saying, purported to be an old Chinese curse (though no real evidence exists to give credibility to this), which goes “may you live in interesting times”. Investors certainly have more…
Markets have continued to move at the whim of the Grecian discussions over how to pay the next instalments due on its bail out repayments. Some bad tempered exchanges between the negotiating parties…
Faced with an inability to service its debt levels, the Greek economy faces the traumatic and unprecedented possibility of leaving the Eurozone. With its banks already having seen deposit outflows…
There have been some interesting developments recently, with rumours abounding that drinks giant, Diageo, could be on the receiving end of a bid. Rather than another beverage firm seeking to…
Markets have proved remarkably quiet in the weeks since the general election. Shares in the UK have been hopping either side of the 7000 level on the FTSE 100 Share Index, with seemingly little…
While there is an old adage in the investment world that you should never believe anyone who says this time is different, it is fair to say that nothing is truly certain. The same is equally true for…
Our domestic market has failed to surrender any of its recent positive momentum, despite a lack of progress in a number of important areas, such as Greece and Ukraine. This could all change soon, of…
The market seems to be taking the continuing focus on how the country might be run after next month’s general election in relatively good heart. Perhaps the message is that it doesn’t really matter…
Last month I took the view that the 2008 loose monetary policy had left a raft of “zombie” companies who would usually have gone bust in a proper recession with higher interest rates.
With shares having convincingly travelled through 7000 on the FTSE 100 Share Index and some more encouraging noises emerging from the Federal Reserve Bank over in the United States, investors must be…
Well, we eventually made it. The December 1999 peak for the FTSE 100 Share Index has been finally topped – not by much, though, nor for too long. I had rather hoped we might have seen the Footsie…
Closing above 6900 at last, our own FTSE 100 Share Index came the closest it ever has to establishing a new high. Indeed, it briefly rose above the previous closing peak, though not above the…
Given, the rather dusty response received by Germany and France’s leaders over possible cease fire plans in Ukraine, continuing bad news coming out of Syria and adjacent regions in the Middle East…
There is an old stock market saying which I have doubtless referred to before. As goes January, so goes the rest of the year, it says. If the start of this New Year is anything to go by, we could be…
December has been an unusually tricky month for investors. The week following my suggestions a fortnight ago that markets were entering a quiet phase saw shares plummeting as geo-political and…
With the end of the year fast approaching and efforts increasingly being diverted into matters festive, it seems an opportune moment to reflect on the past twelve months and consider what the New …
Certain times of the year appear to enjoy particular characteristics. October has been the month of market upsets – the Great Crash of 1929, Black Monday in 1987, even this year was not without its…
The calmer conditions that were ushered in as the clocks changed have continued. The FTSE 100 Share Index has posted modest weekly gains recently and remains in a positive, if quietish, frame of…
Last month we said that we were worried that the global yield curves would flatten. We were “worried” because a flat yield curve is thought to be the harbinger of low economic growth.
While markets have at last calmed down a little, there is little doubt that sentiment has softened since the highs that were achieved back in the summer. While the FTSE 100 Share Index managed to…
Markets have faltered over October amidst concerns ab out the global economy. The slump in global oil prices, weaker German data and the IMF’s recent downward revisions of growth forecasts were among…
It is remarkable what a difference a couple of weeks can make. It was not so very long ago that it looked as though our benchmark FTSE 100 Share Index had a chance to break through into new high…
The now immortal Draghi line of July 2012 was “whatever it takes” … to save the euro. The less understood undercurrent behind that comment and indeed the multitude of now forgotten but similar…
When last I shared my thoughts on markets, the Scots had enjoyed a last minute injection of good sense and committed (just) to the maintenance of the Union. Shares had been volatile ahead of the…
Shares had run out of steam ahead of the Scottish referendum vote - hardly surprising given the disruption a Yes vote would have generated. Continuing uncertainty in the Middle East and Ukraine did…
Now we are in September – the start of autumn, according to the Met Office - everyone is getting back to work. Included in those stating a new job has been Dave Lewis, who took the helm at Tesco…
Just as the weather took a turn for the worse after a prolonged period of exceptionally summery conditions, so markets succumbed to the worsening situation in the Middle East. Shares have slid lower,…
Our own stock market has been winding down. Volumes are low and there is a definite sense that the summer holidays have arrived. Yet much is happening on the world stage that would probably have a…
The quest for wage inflation continues. Consider the virtuous cycle of consumers spending more, enabling companies to make greater profits and then both (a) investing more for productivity gains and…
Early July was not a comfortable time for UK investors. The FTSE 100 Share Index fell by close to 4% in just five days - the biggest drop in a single week since last March. It is difficult to see…
Markets have entered into holiday mode early this year. Volumes are subdued and little overall progress is being achieved. In some measure this should be viewed as good news, given the level of geo…
What we have seen recently is that governmental housing loan initiatives have pushed up house prices and taken negative equity out of the regional areas. I think that makes a huge difference to how…
In the jargon –ridden world of investment, many terms and phrases conceal the real meaning of events to the casual observer. Describing a market upset as down to “Geo-political concerns” is not…
While US markets have moved into new high ground, our own FTSE 100 Share Index still remains below the peak level of nearly fourteen and a half years ago – but not by a great deal. At one stage…
Markets have retained their more positive stance, despite little sign of any resolution in any of the world’s trouble spots. The FTSE 100 Share Index moved tantalisingly close to its all time high of…
Despite the situation in Ukraine remaining worryingly volatile, shares have regained some of their composure. In a way this is a little surprising. First quarter profit figures coming out of America…
Shares have been in a risk-off mode recently,primarily as a result of the worsening situation in the Ukraine. After shrugging aside these concerns and pushing towards new high ground, our own FTSE…
Growth in the UK and the US, with the latter affected by weather patterns, is picking up very fast. This has increased interest rate expectations and short sterl ing futures are now discounting 0.7%…
US M&A activity is picking up steam. Deal volume in the first quarter of this year was the highest since 2007 (in dollar terms). The total of $278bn of transactions includes high profile deals such…
Although markets have not succumbed to the downward pressure the continuing unrest in Ukraine is generating, they are not making much positive prog ress either. Given that Asian markets got off to a…
Despite a lift for markets, arguably helped along here in the UK by the Vodafone demerger, shares have become somewhat lacklustre of late. The situation in the Ukraine is undoubtedly weighing on…
Market Commentary
This week's commentary from Investment Director Andrew Mann.
Rising cocoa prices are having wider effects in the supply chain, writes Andrew Mann, JM Finn Investment Director in his latest market commentary.
All the signs point to a continued pivot away from the threat of a global recession, writes Charles Bathurst-Norman, Investment Director in his latest market commentary.
In his latest market commentary, Investment Director Andrew Mann questions what next week's Spring Budget may bring.
This week’s market commentary from Investment Director Andrew Mann.
UK consumer confidence is high despite weaker December retail figures, writes Investment Director Andrew Mann.
World equity markets rebounded in the final quarter of 2023, says James Godrich, Fund Manager of the JM Finn Coleman Street Investments Service in his quarterly market commentary.
Investment Director Simon Temple-Pedersen dissects the ongoing influence of the Magnificent Seven stocks on portfolio performance in his Q4 market commentary.
Investment Director Paul Tyndall shares his latest thinking on inflation, interest rates and the wide-reaching impact of AI.
Investment Director Charles Bathurst-Norman reflects on the global macroeconomic and geopolitical environment in 2023 and explains his cautious optimism for the year ahead.
In his latest market commentary, Investment Director Andrew Mann questions whether a UK recession could yet be on the cards.
Investment Director Andrew Mann considers the unbridled success of the US tech giant group in 2023 and asks if other stocks could replicate their growth levels over the year ahead.
In his latest market commentary, Andrew Mann offers his thoughts on the death of Berkshire Hathaway's Vice Chairman.
Karen Lau shares her thoughts on the global investment landscape for the year ahead.
If you like this article, follow us for more insights.
To receive more content like this subscribe today.
Our London office:
25 Copthall Ave,
London EC2R 7AH
Search by name:
Or tell us what service you need: