Our Views on the Markets and the Economy
Articles, investment updates and economic analysis
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Our Chief Economic Strategist, Gerard Lyons, and our Head of Portfolio Management, Iain Barnes, look at the events that are impacting the global economy and financial markets, and what this means for your investments.
We don’t need a crystal ball to tell us that the future is inscrutable. Whether we are talking about economic or market crises, social upheavals or so-called black-swan events, commentators seem to utter the words “We didn’t see that coming” with remarkable regularity. But if the future is so unknowable, should we embrace caution and not invest at all?
In our latest investment update, our Chief Economic Strategist, Gerard Lyons, and our Head of Portfolio Management, Iain Barnes, look at the events that are impacting the global economy and financial markets, and what this means for your investments.
The investment environment has been rather quiet in recent weeks and months. Few market-moving events have occurred, which is not always the case in summer months as liquidity tends to dry up somewhat and markets can become slightly more volatile. So let’s take a closer look to see what’s going on.
May 31st 2021 represented a milestone for the seven sterling Netwealth portfolios, as they reached their fifth anniversary since launch. Alongside other key aspects of our service, it feels like a good time to look back at what the investment experience has been like for our clients, as well as highlight some areas of interest for the future.
While inflation is still a concern, the underlying environment for investors now is one of relative stability. That said, as previous events have shown, and because the outcome of interconnected factors can be hard to quantify, it is never a time to be complacent.
It is natural for us to favour the familiar, and when investing we may also be drawn to the brands and companies we use and recognise the most, often in the country where we live. While the effects of this ‘home bias’ may be minimised by the impact of globalisation, we should recognise we may have a bias towards certain investments, and manage this effect.
In recent months, we've highlighted the inevitability that inflation would rise and likely be volatile for some time. Now we are reiterating the message that we need to take this inflation risk seriously, but at the same time, we should not panic.
The US equity market typically sets the mood and drives the tempo for the global investment environment, but it is not always our first choice as an investment destination. Now, however, we would like to share our thinking on the world’s largest market and why we think it offers potential over the coming months, relative to other markets.
Just as the investment environment is not static, neither is our response to the changes that occur. Our thinking adapts, our actions allow us to adjust to the inevitable challenges and help us to seize the opportunities. This is a summary of our latest thinking, and what that means for investors.
Team Contributors
Gerard Lyons
Charlotte Ransom
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Why transparent investing – and transparent advice – matters
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Why shouldn’t Investors Expect Greater Transparency, Better Consumer Education, plus Simple Advice?
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Missed Opportunity: How Investors Counted the Cost of being Overcautious in 2019
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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
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Read what the press have to say about Netwealth
