Posts Tagged FTSE

Data to 23 January 2026 Bond markets have started 2026 in a way that total return investors will recognise: income…

2025 was another reminder that defensive investing isn’t about avoiding risk altogether, it’s about choosing the right risks and…

Data to 23 January 2026 2026 has begun much as 2025 ended: markets outside the US have taken the lead,…

August followed a familiar path with stocks rising for the fourth month in a row. A number of factors are supporting the market, including interest rate cuts from the US and UK, a massive increase in US fiscal stimulus through President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and a significant decline in the value of the US dollar

Risk appetite remained strong last month with the US and UK stock markets achieving new record highs. The first days of August have been a little more muted, with economic data proving mixed, but interest rates are on a declining path once again and may provide a lift.

2025 has been a mixed year, so far. The winners of 2023 and 2024 are not currently faring so well, with US stocks lagging behind Europe and the UK as the “Magnificent 7” technology companies decline in value.

We are at a point in time where US stocks are dominating all others, in terms of both their outright size and the strength of their returns. In 2024, the MSCI USA index gained 24.6%, almost double the 12.4% return achieved by the rest of the world (MSCI World ex-USA). However, 2025 does bring a mixed outlook for unemployment and inflation, in the US and elsewhere, therefore it will be interesting to see if investment returns can remain so strong in the coming year.

Although April was a relatively quiet month from a financial markets perspective, despite market concerns, stocks have generated good returns so far in 2023.

March 2023 was a month to remember. It started strongly, then the largest bank failures since 2008 created panic.

For investors, February proved something of a mixed bag following very strong performance from risk assets in January.

In what was a poor year for investors, the fourth quarter saw gains for stock markets led by Asian and European markets. Read more of our investment insights for the last quarter of 2022.

The year so far has been tough, certainly one that will have tested the stamina of many investors. Our summary of 2022 provides an overview of markets so far.