Our Views on the Markets and the Economy
Articles, investment updates and economic analysis
Subscribe to our newsletter
Socially responsible investing (SRI) allows investors to better align their investment focus with any social or ethical beliefs they have. Historically, this way of investing has led some to question whether they are getting their money’s worth – but a modern wealth manager like Netwealth can help ensure you invest according to your values, without compromising on value.
While a pension is a long-term investment in your future, it’s all too easy to set one up and neglect it, assuming it will do the trick. But like any other vital long-term strategy it is worth re-evaluating your retirement plan – to ensure it remains fit for purpose, and on track to give you the retirement you deserve.
The inclination to be more responsible is changing how many consumers are choosing to live their lives, and also how they invest. People want more of a say in how our society is shaped and where their money is directed as they prepare for their future. We now offer investors more choices to help them decide what works best for them.
Where should interest rates settle? It is a key economic issue that has figured even in the Conservative Party leadership debates.
How much longer should investors be misguided by advocates of the active fund management industry? Yet again, the latest research reveals that active fund managers are not justifying their high costs. For most investors, the numbers just don’t add up.
With frequent declines in stock markets around the world this year, and seemingly persistent volatility, it’s only natural for investors to consider alternative options to fund their retirement. Investing in property is popular as it is an easily understood and tangible asset, but we should always be careful of putting all our eggs into one basket – especially if they are starting to show cracks.
The first half of the year has been a tough market environment for investors. Much of the tricky start can be attributed to soaring inflation and central banks belatedly tightening monetary policy across much of the developed world. In the emerging world, many central banks sensibly started raising interest rates in 2021. This has led equity markets to sell off and bond yields to rise. There are reasons for optimism, however, which we will come to.
Inflation has figured prominently in our various webinars and comments since early last year. After the global recession and worries about growth in 2020, in the first few months of 2021 inflation became one of our major concerns.
With such a challenging year for investors it is worth asking whether you should do things differently to stay on track for the rest of the year and beyond. Asking the right questions – and not ignoring difficult implications – can help you determine if you need to change your investment behaviour.
It has been a very difficult first half of the year for most investment markets (some worse than others), with the US S&P 500 Index down 17% and the tech heavy Nasdaq Index down more than 25% in US dollar terms. Stocks in Europe have also fallen sharply, and to a lesser extent, in Asia. Only the energy and resources-laden FTSE 100 has offered resistance, with returns close to 0%, albeit in sterling terms.
Team Contributors
Gerard Lyons
Charlotte Ransom
-
Why transparent investing – and transparent advice – matters
-
Why shouldn’t Investors Expect Greater Transparency, Better Consumer Education, plus Simple Advice?
-
Missed Opportunity: How Investors Counted the Cost of being Overcautious in 2019
-
How a Network gives Families Investment Control and a More Efficient Way to Invest
Matt Conradi
Thomas Salter
Iain Barnes
Simon McConnell
In The Press
-
Read what the press have to say about Netwealth
