Weekly investment insights

Weekly investment update

What's been happening in markets?

  • Equities: Equity markets were positive last week. The FTSE 100 added +0.5% whilst Europe gained +2.4%. The US advanced +3.3%. Emerging markets added +1.2%. The UK struggled due to AstraZeneca (c7% of index) dropping 9%, Europe rallied on a strong earnings season as did the US, which hit an all time high. EM rallied on a weakened dollar and good performance from index heavyweights (TSMC and SK Hynix).
  • Bonds: UK government bonds rallied +0.9%; 10yr UK yield is currently 4.93%. US treasuries added +0.5%; 10yr US yield is currently 4.65%. Investment Grade bonds gained +0.6% whilst High Yield added +0.5%.
  • Diversifiers: Gold gained +7.3% ($4,355), Brent oil fell -7.2% to $84 and Bitcoin added +1.0% to reach $65,179.

Key market drivers

  • UK Jobs: Services sector has shed jobs for 22 months in a row; joint longest jobs slump in 30 years, along with the 2008 global financial crisis. BoE Chair Bailey also noted AI boosting productivity but leading to some job losses.
  • US Jobs: Surprising 23k jobs lost last month vs expectation of 80k created; led to odds being slashed of a rate hike and provided fuel for stock market rally.
  • US / Japan Currency Intervention: The US intervened in Yen exchange rates via outright purchases for first time in nearly 30 years. Helped strengthen Yen after it recently hit lowest strength against the USD since 1986. Rising oil prices YTD and lack of confidence in funding plans led to the weakened currency.

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 10th August
  • N/A
Tuesday:
  • N/A
Wednesday:
  • US: Inflation (expected to fall from 3.5% to 3.4%)
  • US : Crude oil inventories (previously 2.48m barrels)
Thursday:
  • UK: GDP (forecast 0.4%)
  • US: Initial jobless claims (previously 199k)
Friday:
  • N/A

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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