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Having a Swedish partner meant that this weekend was spent eating a whole load of pickled herring and drinking unsweetened flavoured schnapps. For those who are unaware, this means it was Midsommar, an annual celebration in Sweden which celebrates the middle of summer. The festivity consists of a never-ending lunch party which involves flowers in your hair, dancing around a maypole, singing songs and enjoying the acquired tastes of the above-mentioned food and drink. This year we spent it in Hyde Park and were lucky enough to be close to The Rolling Stones Hyde Park concert. So, whilst Gimme Shelter was playing live in the background, we were dancing around the maypole singing Små Grodorna, which translates to The Little Frogs. You can make your own mind up, but I know where I would have rather been…

Just over a month ago the United Kingdom (UK) reversed years of embarrassment to finish second place in the Eurovision Song Contest. Sam Ryder’s ‘Space Man’ impressed but was pipped to the post by Ukraine’s entry, ‘Stefania’ by Kalush Orchestra.

The brutal sell-off in markets this year finally stabilised Performance of major markets 2022 to date (local currency terms) during May, although the rally was by no means uniform, and investor sentiment remained nervous in the face of intense uncertainties about inflation, growth, and the unfolding impact of the war in Ukraine. No single catalyst triggered the rally, rather a combination of factors: signs of a consumer squeeze and economic slowdown ahead, leading to a sense that inflation is nearing a peak and the Fed’s hawkish policy shift could be enough to bring it under control; improved valuations leading to some dip-buying and a short squeeze in some of the big tech stocks which have been hammered this year; a weaker dollar; and China’s support for its ailing economy and loosening of covid restrictions in major cities.

While we generally do our best to avoid home bias here at Momentum, I propose to break that rule today in recognition of last week’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Whatever your views on the monarchy, no one can deny that to serve one’s country as Head of State for 70 years is truly an impressive feat. Since her ascension to the throne on February 6th 1952, Queen Elizabeth II has lived through seven recessions, met 13 US Presidents and outlasted 14 UK Prime Ministers.

While we generally do our best to avoid home bias here at Momentum, I propose to break that rule today in recognition of last week’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Whatever your views on the monarchy, no one can deny that to serve one’s country as Head of State for 70 years is truly an impressive feat. Since her ascension to the throne on February 6th 1952, Queen Elizabeth II has lived through seven recessions, met 13 US Presidents and outlasted 14 UK Prime Ministers.