Paul O’Connor, Head of the UK-based Multi-Asset Team, considers the potential impact on global economic growth as concerns grow about the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus beyond China.
Ainslie McLennan, Co-Manager of the Janus Henderson UK Property PAIF, explains why the UK commercial property investment team feel vindicated in moving early to diversify the portfolio away from traditional areas of the retail market.
Paul O’Connor, Head of the UK-based Multi-Asset Team, considers the potential impact of the Wuhan Novel Coronavirus from an asset allocation perspective.
Chinese recovery hopes were boosted by a rise in the Markit manufacturing PMI to a 35-month high in November. A post here in December linked the PMI pick-up to stronger real narrow money growth in early 2019. With money trends deteriorating from Q2, the suggestion was that the PMI would show renewed weakness in early 2020.
Paul O’Connor, Head of the UK Multi-Asset Team, considers whether or not markets can continue to defy gravity in 2020, as we move into a post-stimulus era.
The modest revival in the global manufacturing PMI in late 2019, on the view here, partly reflects a bottoming out of the global stockbuilding (inventory) cycle.
The baseline scenario in our previous quarterly commentary was that global economic momentum, having bottomed in Q3 2019, would remain weak in early 2020 before strengthening towards mid-year.
The forecast here a year ago was that the MPC would cut Bank rate to 0.5% during 2019.
Paul O’Connor, Head of the UK Multi-Asset Team, gives his reaction to the UK election result and what it means for the Brexit process.
UK monthly GDP / gross value added (GVA) for October will be released on 10 December, two days before the election. GDP is currently estimated to have fallen by 0.16% in August and 0.07% in September, with the September level 0.10% below the Q3 average.
Oliver Blackbourn, a portfolio manager on the UK-based Multi-Asset Team, comments on the departure of Mario Draghi as ECB President on 31 October 2019, as the central bank itself potentially reaches the limits of what can be achieved using the levers of monetary policy.
Paul O’Connor, Head of the UK-based Multi-Asset Team, comments on the market reaction to the last minute plot twist emerging from the Brexit negotiations.
Euroland September flash PMI results were disappointing but monetary trends continue to give a hopeful signal for economic prospects.
Paul O’Connor, Head of the UK-based Multi-Asset Team, discusses the continuing trade war between China and the US, possible trade conflicts among other countries and how this has shaped his global outlook.
Oliver Blackbourn, a portfolio manager on the UK-based Multi-Asset team, discusses the abrupt escalation in hostilities between the UK Parliament and a bellicose Prime Minister.
UK labour market trends remain consistent with the view here that the economy has entered a recession.
Equity analysts returned from holiday and slashed earnings estimates.
August PMI results are consistent with the long-standing expectation here that global industrial momentum would bottom around Q3 2019 but narrow money trends have yet to signal an economic recovery. Turning points in industrial momentum are usually associated with a rotation in financial markets but the still-weak economic outlook suggests that any such change will be muted or delayed.
Nick Watson, a Fund Manager on the UK-based Multi-Asset Team, observes the hidden risks and relationships lurking in quality investment styles and the potential benefits of adding some complementary (but unloved) value styles to a UK portfolio.
Narrow money trends have been signalling US economic weakness but a stabilisation of momentum in Euroland, with no recession – see, for example, here. August flash PMI results are consistent with this scenario.