Intellectual Capital

In July’s news round-up, we’re focusing on the positive activity in the central London office market as a surge in demand for leasings and strong interest from investors help give the sector a boost.

The frequency of severe natural catastrophes appears to be picking up and yields on catastrophe bonds are near all-time highs. In this article, Ben Hancock from Bedrock’s Research team explores some of the dynamics driving catastrophe bond markets, sharing key insights from a Q&A session with Etienne Schwarz, Head of Investment Management and Insurance-Linked Securities at Twelve Capital.

This month, we discuss the rotation out of Big Tech and into other sectors, the outlook for US rates, and the fast-moving US election.

Resilient global growth data mask divergent fortunes among major economies: the US and some emerging markets are growing strongly while most other developed markets are at a crawl. Still, global inflation is falling and multiple policy rate cuts are expected in the coming months. Upside inflation surprises cannot be ruled out, notably given the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. But there is a clear, if narrow, path to a global economic soft landing. That markets have fully priced in this optimistic outcome nonetheless suggests that risks are skewed to the downside. Bonds and gold are obvious places to take shelter, while pockets of value in equities can also be found.

In June’s news round-up, we look at some of the major trends and transactions that are helping demonstrate growing positivity for the London office market and why this is creating new opportunities for investors.

In this article we explore the opportunity presented by US small-caps, overlooked in recent years by investors who have driven a powerful but ever-narrowing rally in US large-cap stocks instead.

In June’s market update, we highlight the continued rally in Big Tech stocks, the prospects for rate cuts in the months ahead, and the impact of market-moving elections.