Weekly investment insights

Weekly investment update

What's been happening in markets?

  • Equities: Equity markets sold off last week, in a sharper manner than the previous week. The S&P 500 Index was down 2.4% last week whilst the FTSE 100 Index retracted 3.2%, with four interest rate hikes being priced in heavily impacting sentiment. Europe dropped 3.4% whilst the smallest draw was Emerging Markets, down 0.8%. Across the board interest rate hikes are now being considered and priced in; a material difference to the expectation at the start of the year.
  • Bonds: UK government bond prices fell 1%; not helped by an interest rate hike almost fully priced in for April. 10yr UK yield is currently 4.99%. US bond prices fell due to inflation concerns increasing amid the (still) ongoing Iran War. 10yr US yield is currently 4.42%.
  • Diversifiers: When bond yields rise, gold becomes less attractive as it is a non-yielding asset; resulting in investors selling out. This led to the asset falling 10.7% to $4,499. Brent Oil rose 11.5% as the Strait of Hormuz remains shut and oil infrastructure is targeted with bombs, materially impacting the global oil supply.

Key market drivers

  • Iran War: Over the weekend, US President Trump threatened to destroy Iran’s power plants if the country does not end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Iran has threatened retaliatory strikes should this occur. This is fuelling concerns about further escalation and is weighing somewhat on market sentiment.
  • Central Bank Decisions: Last week, five major central banks held their meetings: the UK (3.75%), US (3.5-3.75%), Japan (0.75%) and Europe (2%) hold rates. Australia increased rates to 4.1%.
  • European Inflation: European Central Bank (ECB) expects inflation to reach 2.6% in 2026; expectations at beginning of the year was under 2%. Three rate hikes priced in for the ECB.

Chart of the week

The Iran war has stock markets on tenterhooks

In this week’s ‘Chart of the Week’ we examine how stock markets have performed during previous conflicts in the Middle East involving the US.

The chart shows the performance of the MSCI World Index over the first 100 days following the start of the war, specifically for
– Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait in 1991
– The Afghanistan War in 2001
– The Iraq War in 2003

The stock markets mostly reacted negatively only in the short term or in the run-up to these conflicts. In all three cases, the global equity index was well into positive territory 100 days after the start of the war. In 1991, the dollar also strengthened significantly, which boosted returns in Pounds somewhat.

Reactions remain limited for now. Measured in pounds, there was a decline of just 3 per cent. Prices have stabilised in recent days.

Upcoming events

Monday 23rd March
  • Europe: Eurozone consumer confidence (March)
Tuesday:
  • N/A
Wednesday:
  • UK: Inflation (Feb)
  • US: Crude oil inventories
Thursday:
  • N/A
Friday:
  • UK Retail Sales (Feb)

This content is for general information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice or a personal recommendation. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Investments can rise or fall in value, and you may receive less than you originally invested.

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