Market Commentary Library

page feautered image
Time for the crystal ball to be dusted down

The phrase bad economic news is good news for stocks held true again yesterday as another employment report, indicating further weakness in...

page feautered image
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

Last week finished with a good old-fashioned “beta rally.” All the stuff that had been lagging the year so far was in...

page feautered image
There may be trouble but lets face the music and dance

Having spent the previous three months under something of a cloud, the sun shone on capital markets in November as all asset...

page feautered image
“Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you wake up.” Charlie Munger

As the sad announcement was made yesterday that Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s right-hand man over many years, passed away at the age...

page feautered image
A busy week ahead for economists

As is always the case for Thanksgiving, America takes most of the week off and the Rest of the World uses the...

page feautered image
A fourth week of gains on the cards

Wall Street closed for Thanksgiving and so for the most part do the rest of the trading markets. With half a day’s...

page feautered image
No one likes an I told you so

I was kindly reminded this week that about 6 weeks ago I wrote a piece, with the rhetorical question.“ Why am I...

page feautered image
Fingers crossed we give thanks for the Autumn Statement

The third positive week on the trot for global equities, helped this week by inflation reports that further encourage investors to believe...

page feautered image
That is just the way it is

I was asked yesterday what’s the bear case for equities, now the inflation genie looks like it’s back in the bottle. I...

page feautered image
“There no such uncertainty as a sure thing” R Burns

A better-than-expected inflation report from the US extended the recent rally in stocks, and bonds, the US dollar had its worst day...

page feautered image
I guess that’s why they call it the news

An 8-day winning streak for US stocks was broken on Thursday but that did not stop buyers returning at the end of...

page feautered image
Powell breaks 8 day winning streak

A disappointing US treasury bond auction, a hawkish Powell speech in which he did not rule out further interest rate rises at...

page feautered image
Run for the hills or fill your boots?

I am a bull of stocks always have been always will be, and not ashamed of it, owning stocks is more fun...

page feautered image
A relief rally? Quite possibly

That was the week investors in stocks and bonds became convinced the Fed and other developed central banks had finished raising interest...

page feautered image
And that folks is that

What was described by analysts as a hawkish statement from Powell after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged for the second...

page feautered image
Not tonight Josephine

There was a sense at the end of last week that we could have a bit of bear closing into the month’s...

page feautered image
The week ahead

What happened last week? Bonds rallied, and US stocks continued to fall as market speculators seemed to believe the strong US GDP...

page feautered image
Are we there yet?

Yesterday’s news that the US economy grew at an annualised rate of 4.9% should in theory have been good news for stocks...

page feautered image
Getting it right by getting it wrong

US stocks bounced from a 5-day losing streak, helped as treasury yields fell and earnings reports from several marking names came in...

page feautered image
An uncertain outlook continues to weigh on sentiment

Falling bond prices once again affected equities, as all major indexes fell on the week. An economy that is expanding at a...

page feautered image
Powell speaks the world pays attention

At times like this when the chairman of the Federal Reserve speaks everyone involved in managing financial assets listens. On Thursday evening...

page feautered image
The underlying strength of the US economy remains

The lack of response across asset classes last week to the shocking headlines was possibly surprising. As we pointed out at the...

page feautered image
An eventful week ahead

The renewed conflict between Hamas and Israel is dominating headlines across the world, and understandably so. Aside from the terrible humanitarian costs,...

page feautered image
The IMF remain gloomy, that’s the good news

A modest little run in US equities came to a halt on Thursday as the latest Consumer Price Inflation index came in...

page feautered image
No good news is good news, at present at least.

An oversold stock and bond market combined with little in the way of good news either political or economic has led to...

page feautered image
Geopolitics raises its ugly head again

A stronger-than-expected employment report on Friday had everyone running for the hills, at least initially anyway. The talk of 10-year US treasury...

page feautered image
Its all about the money

Good economic data is proving bad for stocks as it has generally been the catalyst for raising further falls in longer-dated yields....

page feautered image
The Speaker lost his voice, markets their mojo

Economists often speculate should good economic news be good news or bad news for stocks? Bad economic news can be positive for...

page feautered image
A low bar for September was met

Stocks finished the month on a muted note as investors digested a raft of economic data from Europe, the US and the...

page feautered image
Why am I bullish? Because it’s too easy to be bearish

We appear to bending the 3rd quarter on a more positive note as US indexes rallied on Thursday, as bond yields fell....

page feautered image
Reasons to be cheerful

Treasury yields higher, dollar higher, stocks lower is the way of things and so it was yesterday as the correction in stocks...

page feautered image
Plenty to focus on in the week ahead

Another threat of government shutdowns, the possible impact of rising oil prices, striking workers, and the expectation interest rates will stay higher...

page feautered image
Central Banks take a back seat as earnings become the focus

All rather as predicted by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday. After what was described as a dovish statement that accompanied a rate...

page feautered image
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few” Suzuki

Rising 10-year treasury yields, higher oil prices, the OECD coming out with a cautionary message for economic growth in 2024, the threat...

page feautered image
“All roads lead to where we stand” Don Mclean

After what was described as a “dovish” ECB rate hike last week all eyes turn to the Fed this week. Could we...

page feautered image
For tomorrow may rain so I’ll follow the sun

In a closely fought contest, and on a split decision, those voting members of the ECB, won in favour of raising interest...

page feautered image
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

The big news of yesterday was the release of the latest UK employment data, which provided the Bank of England plenty of...

page feautered image
Morning has come with the first rays of Sun

In the first week of September, asset prices acted in a pretty conventional way to what has been the trend over the...

page feautered image
Darkest before dawn they say

The recovery stocks made in the second half of August are looking shaky as higher bond yields are biting into US tech...

page feautered image
Flowers need the rain to grow new buds

Bond yields creeping higher, as is the US dollar, hardly feels positive for stock market prices, as the S&P 500 feels like...

page feautered image
Behind the clouds there is always the sun

The S&P had its best week since early June as stock investors become more convinced the US economy is slowing enough to...

page feautered image
Wake me up when September ends

Another month comes to an end and relative to some Augusts a fairly uneventful one as stock indexes recoup much of their...