Financial Advice in London Blog

Market Review from Realm Investment Management – week ending 25th November 2022

Stocks rallied for the week helped by some decent US earnings reports and the release on Wednesday of Fed minutes from the last FOMC meeting. A number of Fed members had recently hinted that the size of the next rate hike might be less than previously expected, and this was affirmed in the minutes – “a substantial majority of participants judged that a slowing in the pace of increase would likely soon be appropriate.” A hike of 0.75% next month is no longer the consensus and stocks rallied. Utilities was the best performing Sector with Energy stocks lagging as the price of oil fell sharply (today Crude Oil futures have fallen to their lowest level year-to-date).

Full report
https://realmim.com/fed-minutes-were-encouraging-but-concerns-increase-over-china/

Disclaimer: ‘Where the business has expressed opinions, they are based on current market conditions, they may differ from those of other investment professionals and are subject to change without notice. The information contained within this communication is believed to be reliable but Realm Investment Management Limited does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

This communication is not intended as a recommendation to invest in any particular asset class, security or strategy. Regulatory requirements that require impartiality of investment/investment strategy recommendations are therefore not applicable nor are any prohibitions to trade before publication. The information provided is for illustrative purposes only, it should not be relied upon as recommendations to buy or sell investments.’

Market Review from Realm Investment Management – week ending 18th November 2022

Equity markets were mixed last week following a strong advance the week before. UK and European markets were generally a little higher with US stocks giving back some of the previous week’s gains.

In the US, speeches from Fed officials were quite hawkish including one from James Bullard, president of the St Louis branch, who lifted his view of where the Fed funds rate should be to between 5%-5.25%. His comments that rate rises so far had only had a “limited effect on observed inflation” sent stocks lower on Thursday.

US recession worries increased as the 2-year/10-year yield curve, a much-watched indicator, inverted further to its lowest level in over forty years and consequently a recession is now expected by many investors. This now begs the questions, how long it will last? and how bad it will be?

Full report:
https://realmim.com/fed-hawk-upsets-markets/

Disclaimer: ‘Where the business has expressed opinions, they are based on current market conditions, they may differ from those of other investment professionals and are subject to change without notice. The information contained within this communication is believed to be reliable but Realm Investment Management Limited does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

This communication is not intended as a recommendation to invest in any particular asset class, security or strategy. Regulatory requirements that require impartiality of investment/investment strategy recommendations are therefore not applicable nor are any prohibitions to trade before publication. The information provided is for illustrative purposes only, it should not be relied upon as recommendations to buy or sell investments.’

Market Review from Realm Investment Management – week ending 11th November 2022

In last week’s US Midterm elections, the forecasted “red wave” did not materialise and a surprisingly strong performance from the Democrats saw them retain control of the Senate. They also have a chance that even the House could remain theirs, although that hope looks to be fading today (Monday) with Republicans edging ahead in a tight race. Either way, the outcome mat not be decided for a few days yet.

Last week was also very much about Thursday’s cooler-than-expected US Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. CPI was just 0.2% less than expected and equities responded with a strong rally – the S&P 500 ended the week with its best performance since June. Investors obviously saw much to cheer but some commentators have advised caution saying there remains plenty to be concerned about including the outlook for corporate earnings. It should also be noted that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell reiterated his view that the “historical record cautions strongly against prematurely loosening policy”.

Full report

Disclaimer: ‘Where the business has expressed opinions, they are based on current market conditions, they may differ from those of other investment professionals and are subject to change without notice. The information contained within this communication is believed to be reliable but Realm Investment Management Limited does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

This communication is not intended as a recommendation to invest in any particular asset class, security or strategy. Regulatory requirements that require impartiality of investment/investment strategy recommendations are therefore not applicable nor are any prohibitions to trade before publication. The information provided is for illustrative purposes only, it should not be relied upon as recommendations to buy or sell investments.’

Market Review from Realm Investment Management – week ending 4th November 2022

There were three big events last week. Here’s what happened:

On Wednesday the Fed announced its latest interest decision – which was a further 0.75% hike. The signal from Chair Powell was that the central bank is likely to slow the pace of future increases but the level at which interest rates finally top could well be higher than the market currently anticipates. For those seeking clues as to when the Fed might pivot the message was made clear “it is very premature to think about a pause in our interest rate hiking cycle”…”we have some ground left to cover here — and cover it, we will.” US CPI data for October, due to be released on Thursday will help investors judge how well the Fed is doing in its efforts to tame inflation and the likely path for rates going forward.

Full report
https://realmim.com/hike-for-hike-us-uk/

Disclaimer: ‘Where the business has expressed opinions, they are based on current market conditions, they may differ from those of other investment professionals and are subject to change without notice. The information contained within this communication is believed to be reliable but Realm Investment Management Limited does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

This communication is not intended as a recommendation to invest in any particular asset class, security or strategy. Regulatory requirements that require impartiality of investment/investment strategy recommendations are therefore not applicable nor are any prohibitions to trade before publication. The information provided is for illustrative purposes only, it should not be relied upon as recommendations to buy or sell investments.’

On Wednesday the US Federal Reserve FOMC meeting will announce its decision on rates. There are hopes that the Fed might start slowing the pace of increases after this meeting and Chairman Powell’s statement at the press conference will be closely examined for such clues.

On Thursday, the Bank of England will also be making a decision on interest rates. The market has been pricing in a 0.75% hike, although some analysts have begun forecasting a lower increase of 0.5%.

This Friday will see the release of the US October Jobs Report – a potential market mover.

Full report:
https://realmim.com/an-important-week-coming-up-with-three-big-events/

Disclaimer: ‘Where the business has expressed opinions, they are based on current market conditions, they may differ from those of other investment professionals and are subject to change without notice. The information contained within this communication is believed to be reliable but Realm Investment Management Limited does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

This communication is not intended as a recommendation to invest in any particular asset class, security or strategy. Regulatory requirements that require impartiality of investment/investment strategy recommendations are therefore not applicable nor are any prohibitions to trade before publication. The information provided is for illustrative purposes only, it should not be relied upon as recommendations to buy or sell investments.’

The yield on the UK 10yr Gilt has fallen back below 3.8% today on news that Rishi Sunak will be the new Prime Minister. This chart shows the recent ups and downs of the Gilt yield. This chart gives a long-term perspective. Equities have moved higher today.

Full report

Disclaimer: ‘Where the business has expressed opinions, they are based on current market conditions, they may differ from those of other investment professionals and are subject to change without notice. The information contained within this communication is believed to be reliable but Realm Investment Management Limited does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

This communication is not intended as a recommendation to invest in any particular asset class, security or strategy. Regulatory requirements that require impartiality of investment/investment strategy recommendations are therefore not applicable nor are any prohibitions to trade before publication. The information provided is for illustrative purposes only, it should not be relied upon as recommendations to buy or sell investments.’

Today (Monday) things are calmer in the UK markets with the Pound and UK stocks strongly higher and gilt yields lower after new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced a reversal of nearly all the tax cuts in the government’s recent mini-budget. US stocks are also up following positive third-quarter earnings reports from major US companies including Bank of America.

full report

Disclaimer: ‘Where the business has expressed opinions, they are based on current market conditions, they may differ from those of other investment professionals and are subject to change without notice. The information contained within this communication is believed to be reliable but Realm Investment Management Limited does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

This communication is not intended as a recommendation to invest in any particular asset class, security or strategy. Regulatory requirements that require impartiality of investment/investment strategy recommendations are therefore not applicable nor are any prohibitions to trade before publication. The information provided is for illustrative purposes only, it should not be relied upon as recommendations to buy or sell investments.’

Stock-markets were higher last week despite a sharp sell-off on Friday following a stronger-than-expected (yes, stronger) U.S. jobs report. Positive economic news is not what investors are looking for at the moment because they are focused on the Federal Reserve’s reaction to data rather than the data itself.

full report

Disclaimer: ‘Where the business has expressed opinions, they are based on current market conditions, they may differ from those of other investment professionals and are subject to change without notice. The information contained within this communication is believed to be reliable but Realm Investment Management Limited does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

This communication is not intended as a recommendation to invest in any particular asset class, security or strategy. Regulatory requirements that require impartiality of investment/investment strategy recommendations are therefore not applicable nor are any prohibitions to trade before publication. The information provided is for illustrative purposes only, it should not be relied upon as recommendations to buy or sell investments.’

Equities fell again last week after the UK’s mini-budget 10 days ago sparked turmoil on the global markets.

The Pound fell to a record low against the US dollar, mortgage rates spiked and the Bank of England had to intervene with an emergency £65 billion measure to purchase long-dated UK government bonds and avert a meltdown in the bond market.

Full report

Disclaimer: ‘Where the business has expressed opinions, they are based on current market conditions, they may differ from those of other investment professionals and are subject to change without notice. The information contained within this communication is believed to be reliable but Realm Investment Management Limited does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

This communication is not intended as a recommendation to invest in any particular asset class, security or strategy. Regulatory requirements that require impartiality of investment/investment strategy recommendations are therefore not applicable nor are any prohibitions to trade before publication. The information provided is for illustrative purposes only, it should not be relied upon as recommendations to buy or sell investments.’

The Pound has today (Monday) fallen to an all-time low against the US Dollar after Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, said more tax cuts are likely. Investors are worried this could stoke further inflation. GBPUSD fell to 1.0382 earlier although there has been a recovery back above 1.06 on hopes of emergency action by the Bank of England. A falling Pound is not all bad news – UK investors who hold overseas assets, for example in US Dollars, will benefit.

full report
https://realmim.com/pound-falls-to-all-time-low-against-the-us-dollar/

Disclaimer: ‘Where the business has expressed opinions, they are based on current market conditions, they may differ from those of other investment professionals and are subject to change without notice. The information contained within this communication is believed to be reliable but Realm Investment Management Limited does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

This communication is not intended as a recommendation to invest in any particular asset class, security or strategy. Regulatory requirements that require impartiality of investment/investment strategy recommendations are therefore not applicable nor are any prohibitions to trade before publication. The information provided is for illustrative purposes only, it should not be relied upon as recommendations to buy or sell investments.’