Investment update for February 2023 Stocks and bonds both produced negative returns over the month of February as investors reassess their expectations for both the peak in interest rates and the subsequent pace of rate cuts. News headlines are dominated by improving but still high inflation rates, the possibility of [...]

Investment update for January 2023 The first month of 2023 ended positively as stocks and bonds rose in both developed and emerging markets. The rally reflects some positive news after a year of large market movements including market expectations of cooling inflation, the Fed approaching the end of rate hikes, [...]

Investment update for December 2022 The month of December noted a selloff of risk assets. Stocks and bonds took heavy losses amid reignited fear that surging interest rates would spark a global recession. The primary drivers of financial market volatility throughout 2022 were central banks’ battle against inflation and the [...]

Investment update for November 2022 The month of November witnessed swings in market sentiment amid global crosswinds. Stocks and bonds both recovered some of the steep losses from earlier this year. News headlines include inflation rates, the likelihood of a recession, the ongoing Ukraine/Russia war, China reopening, and continued interest [...]

Investment update for October 2022 October witnessed another turbulent month in global markets. With easing on global supply chain pressure, escalated tension between Russia and Ukraine, deepening energy crisis facing Europe, and continued weakness in China, there remains deep uncertainty as to what lies ahead. In the US, the latest [...]

Investment update for September 2022 The month of September witnessed global selloffs in risk assets in response to interest rate hikes, escalating Russia-Ukraine war, deepening energy crisis and European fiscal stimulus. Concerns about the outlook for the global economy continued to weigh on the markets amid worries that the increasing [...]

Investment update for August 2022 The month of August has noticed market volatility intensify in response to interest rate hikes, energy market concerns and geopolitical tensions. High inflation and recession risks are a key focus for investment markets. In the US, reported GDP contracted consecutively in the June quarter, led [...]

Investment update for July 2022 In the month of July, there was further evidence of a slowdown in the global economy as inflation continued to rise while real wage growth stayed negative. July witnessed US equity markets rebound after the dismal end to the last financial year. The S&P 500 [...]

Investment update for June 2022 Global financial markets have experienced heightened volatility over the past financial year driven by the emergence of new strains of COVID-19, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, persistently high inflation, tightening of monetary policy worldwide and strict COVID-19 restrictions in China. While market performance during [...]

Investment update for May 2022 While global equity markets ended the month of May broadly flat, key events such as the ongoing war in Ukraine, monetary policy tightening and COVID-19 restrictions in China continue to have an impact on overall market sentiment. China equities produced a solid positive return in [...]