The pressure on wages in the US is evident throughout the latest NFIB report: small business compensation plans rose to their highest since January 1986, up from 26 to 30….
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The energy crunch has provided the US$ with a lift in recent weeks. Compared with most other industrialised countries, the US is better protected from the squeeze in natural gas…
Oil prices jumped on Monday, as OPEC+ agreed to stick with existing production plans, resisting calls, including from the US, to ramp up output. US shale producers cannot be relied…
The correction in US equities has accelerated this week. Central banks threatening higher interest rates are only one half of the story. China’s energy crunch is a window into how…
The number of high-profile supply bottlenecks appears to be rising. Outages at Chinese manufacturing hubs are threating to further disrupt global supply chains, including for semiconductors. Brent crude topped $80/barrel…
Covid-19 continues to stalk the US economy. The number of daily new infections rose for the virus to an average of 169,709 on Thursday/Friday last week. This compares with a…
September is typically a tough month for stock markets. October can be even more difficult. And there are plenty of reasons why investors should be wary. After a stellar run,…
Sceptics of the rally in the US equity market worry that valuations are misaligned in relation to earnings. Valuations have become stretched, they fear. Last week’s second reading of US…
IT upgrades in response to Covid-19 appear to have run their course. However, Google (or Alphabet) provides a good insight into the innovation that could ignite a new wave of…
‘Old economy’ stocks were in the ascendency again last week, pushing the S&P 500 up to new highs. Materials, consumer staples, financials, utilities and industrials were all strong. The stock…
