Too Early for a New Dawn in the UK

Mar 18, 2021 | UK

The UK’s successful vaccination programme has fuelled speculation of a rapid recovery. However, barriers to post- Brexit trade and a slow easing of lockdown restrictions pose serious risks. It is premature to suggest UK underperfomance is over After a wobbly start to...

Stay Cautious on UK Stocks

Feb 11, 2021 | UK

UK equity valuations are among the lowest in DM, but caution is still warranted. We wait for an upturn in our LEI before considering longs in UK domestic stocks UK-specific risks subsided sharply following the conclusion of a bilateral trade deal with the EU at the...

UK optimism has room to run

Jan 9, 2020 | UK

Weak sentiment and rising leading indicators combined with a supportive central bank is the best combination for asset markets. Sentiment towards the UK has been dismal, but with the ruling Conservative party’s much larger than expected victory at the General...

Outlook stable for Europe and UK consumer

Dec 4, 2019 | European Economy, UK

With global trade headwinds intensifying and many governments still reluctant to turn on the spending taps (for now), the burden of growth remains with the consumer. In the eurozone, consumer conditions appear relatively mixed. There is a divergence between soft and...

Time to Take Profits on UK Miners

Aug 15, 2019 | UK

UK miners have performed well over the last year, returning 13.4% against the FTSE-All Share’s meagre return of 1.5%. Accelerating iron ore prices this year has driven this outperformance and the top chart illustrates that this relationship holds over long periods. In...

Real-Estate excesses building in UK

Apr 26, 2019 | UK

Net capital issuance (gross issues less repayments) in the UK has been relatively bumpy since the financial crisis as deleveraging in the financial sector has resulted in prolonged negative net issuance. However, net issuance has turned positive since the beginning of...

Use Risk Rally to buy Default Protection

Mar 22, 2019 | Emerging Markets, UK

This post was taken from our March 5th weekly report. In line with rebounding equity markets following the 4Q18 correction, credit risk-premia have compressed sharply. This is particularly notable for the big political risk plays of 2018. UK CDS spreads have narrowed...

Room for UK Consumer Staples to Catch Up

Feb 8, 2019 | UK

This post was taken from our January 22nd weekly report. In line with the global rebound, UK equities have regained considerable ground in January following the fourth-quarter sell-off. However, consumer staples have underperformed, creating a sharp divergence with...

Foreigners’ Confidence in UK Remains

Oct 19, 2018 | European Economy, UK

The politics of Brexit have enveloped the UK, and have negatively affected UK growth. However, as recent current-account data shows, things are less bad than originally feared. The top-left chart shows that net investment into the UK has continued to rise. The total...