In this investment update, Lothar Mentel, Cambridge’s Lead Investment Adviser, discusses why bond yields matter to equity markets. 

One year on – who would have thought One year ago, on 19th February 2020, stock markets hit their pre-pandemic high. Over the five weeks that followed, markets plunged in the most extreme global market crash ever known, as the world accepted that COVID-19 was a threat...

No UK double dip, but much talk of bubbles ‘Worst recession in 300 years’ was how UK media framed Friday’s release of UK GDP growth data for the last quarter of 2020. They were also quick to point out that the -9.9% full-year number was far worse than any other major...

In this investment update, Lothar Mentel, Cambridge’s Lead Investment Adviser, discusses January's populist action and Cambridge’s positioning to take advantage of the vaccine dividend during 2021. 

Calming of nerves After January’s misbehaviour – everything from riotous insurrection at the US Capitol to rebellious share speculation – February began with a more predictable return to normality. The share price of now internationally famous US video game store...

Lothar Mentel is again interviewed by Elizabeth Pfeuti, financial journalist, and discusses the year that was 2020, performance and a longer term look at 2021 - with a potentially brighter outlook for the UK economy.

Sigh of relief As Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States last Wednesday, a collective sigh of relief, at the return of civility, decency and a genuine interest in the wellbeing of all citizens, could be felt around the world. Perhaps not...

Fiscal turbo replaces lame duck Trump As we wrote last week, there is a broad consensus that this year will see a strong economic rebound as mass vaccinations finally put an end to the pandemic – even if we have to wait until the second half of the year to see it....

End points and new beginnings Just like 2020, 2021 has kicked off with rather more lively news flow than many will have hoped for when they gladly said goodbye on New Year’s Eve to what many experienced as a truly annus horribilis. Yet even though events of massive...

Goodbye to all that December usually has a ring of ‘Silent Night’ in the investment world and, in a year where practically all else has changed, at least this has stayed the same. In the UK, news that millions more would be placed under tougher restrictions over the...

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Fiscal floundering During a week when global stock markets continued their more gradual upwards trend, government policy was in full focus, but offered little in support. For the UK, it looks like ‘out of the frying pan into the fire’ when official lockdown ends on...

More tunnel before the light The November rally in stock markets finally petered out last week as it felt as if ‘November finally got the memo about 2020’. This was despite further positive vaccine news that bolstered optimism for next year. Last Monday, US firm...

Change is in the air.    Investors have enjoyed another very good week. Optimism had already returned the previous week, with the US election eventually delivering a clear verdict. Last week then brought the news that literally everybody had been waiting and hoping...

Looking beyond the obvious We wrote only last week that markets hate uncertainty. Given that equity, bond and commodity markets were all quite a lot stronger at the end of the week, many investors must have gained clarity, if not optimism. There are a lot of important...