Markets were up last week, led by the US which finished up 3% having been down 2% earlier in the week. Other markets were less volatile but were mostly also in positive territory for the week.

Markets suffered their biggest one day fall since the height of the pandemic provoked market crisis in March 2020, with the US Nasdaq down 5.5% and the S&P 500 down 4.3% after the latest US inflation numbers showed core inflation still on the rise even though energy prices have been on the wane.

Markets continued to fall last week, touching the lows seen in mid-June and leading many to question whether the buy on the dip trade was finally dead. Not coincidentally, long-term bond yields also pushed through the highs seen in June, as the US Fed raised rates another 0.75% and Jerome Powell reiterated the Fed’s commitment to fighting inflation via interest rate policy.

Markets finished the month with another down week (about -3% for most markets), leaving equity markets down around 10% for the month and around 5% for the quarter.

It felt like we had a full business cycle last week with market euphoria earlier in the week give way to more worries about rising interest rates later on, leaving markets up a percent or so after a 6% round trip.

The volatility continued last week, and when the roulette stopped at the end of the week the US was down by almost 2% and the Nasdaq by a bit more than 3% along with emerging markets (mainly weighed down by China).

With 2021 bringing cryptocurrencies into the spotlight for both retail and institutional investors, is there a place for these currencies within client portfolio's?

Join InvestSense Director Jonathan Ramsay and Andrew Hunt of Hunt Economics as they discuss the markets ‘breadth’ problem and how strong liquidity should keep things afloat until February.

Join host Toby Potter of IMAP with Nick Kirrage of Schroders and Jonathan Ramsay of InvestSense as they discuss value as a style, and as a driver of conviction when investing.

With inflation appearing to be on the way up again, what are some of the possible scenario’s for 2022? Where does inflation go from the zero bound we’ve reached?

Join InvestSense Director, Jonathon Ramsey to reflect on the price action seen in markets in 2021 and what this might mean for 2022.

With valuation still being the lightening rod for when markets react to external forces, the most expensive things tend to move the most. What does this mean for global asset allocators, and what is InvestSense’s position?

Nathan Fradley explains how the ethosesg technology can help you assess and design an ethical portfolio that aligns to an investor’s personal values.

ETFs that invest in carbon credits are now available. Why should we assume that their price will go up over time? And does buying a carbon credit ETF actually contribute positively to emissions reduction? Will it actually generate the outcome investors are expecting? This article explores the issues around investing in carbon credits.

There are many direct assets and funds that contribute positively to climate action within the InvestSense Better World Portfolios. Meridian Energy is one of the stand-out direct assets in the portfolio with a climate energy focus.

In recent years professional investors have got increasingly used to the fact that good news is bad news for markets because higher interest rates are likely to be necessary, and of course vice-versa. However, last week the effect was stronger than ever and stocks rallied mid-week amidst reports of widespread lay-offs and expectations of a weak US jobs report.

The US market finally market caught a bid last week. Early in the week the market was down few percent after an earnings miss by ad dependent social media platform Snap (of Snapchat fame) combined with weak guidance raised more doubts about the economy and economic resilience of tech companies.

The seventh negative week in a row for the US sent it briefly into official bear market territory before it recovered slightly late on Friday. The world’s largest stocks (Apple, Microsoft Amazon and Google) are all down 25%.

Mark Lewin was a financial planner, but is now the Director of Back Office Heros. In his planning business he gained significant efficiencies by recommending and implementing managed accounts for his clients. He tells us how...