Knowledge and Insight

We spoke to Ian Bennet, Adaptive Surf Coordinator at The Wave Project, about how the charity is working works to make surfing as accessible and inclusive as possible.

This week has seen harrowing atrocities committed by the terrorist group Hamas against Israeli civilians. With so far more than 1,200 people reported to have been killed, this is the most serious cross-border attack Israel has faced in decades.

As the inflationary shocks caused by the pandemic and war in Ukraine finally begin to unwind, we take a look at how the world has changed profoundly, and the opportunities available to us as investors along with it.

Central bankers in the US and UK decided interest rates shouldn’t go higher in September; bond investors disagreed.

Everyone has questions about their retirement. How much will I need to save? When can I start drawing an income and how much will I get? Is my pension pot big enough?

In hindsight we underestimated the resilience of the global economy in 2023 and could have advocated taking more risk. But as Rathbones’ Co-CIO Ed Smith explains in this video, global earnings have been falling since January and equity markets have been largely driven by sentiment.

The darkest hour for economic indicators is still approaching; then comes the dawn.

What does the future hold for your wealth? It’s never a bad time to consider ways to protect and maximise it. This festival will unpack areas of wealth management that could be key to meeting your financial goals.

Last week’s round of central bank meetings sent a mainly consistent message. Most held interest rates on hold and suggested rates are now at (or very near) their peaks.

Breakthroughs in AI are exciting for investors, but we also see irrational exuberance.

Will the big central banks making significant interest rate announcements this week follow the ECB’s lead and signal that rates have now peaked? And where might rates settle longer term?

Like virtually everything else, the cost of energy is much higher than it used to be. Combined with higher interest rates, it should keep squeezing economic growth in the coming months.