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Weekly Digest

Global Matters Weekly – Defining value

A couple of weeks ago my colleague, Andre Meyer, questioned in his Global Matters piece whether there was still value in value. But what exactly is “value”? A quick “Google” suggests a common theme – buying stocks that are trading below their true worth or appear underpriced on some form

Viewpoint

Viewpoint – August 2024

By the end of August, the big correction in markets in late July/early August seemed a distant memory, with markets quickly regaining most of the ground lost in that sudden and very brief risk-off event. Most asset classes and markets ended August in positive territory, with the MSCI World index

Weekly Digest

Global Matters Weekly – To exclude or not to exclude? That is the question

Excluding cohorts of stocks from an investment universe often sparks debate about how this impacts overall fund performance because, if you remove the best performers you can’t benefit from the strong returns that they generate. Whilst this observation is true at a high level, the reality is that certain stocks

Weekly Digest

Global Matters Weekly – Is there still value in Value?

Since the Global Financial Crisis, value has suffered one of its longest drawdowns against other style factors, most notably growth. Calls for the death of value have been growing. So, let’s explore the arguments against value, seeking answers to why it has underperformed and whether these outcries have been premature.

Weekly Digest

Global Matters Weekly – More bang for your buck

Over the past several weeks, the tone of global equity markets has changed, with several breaking uptrends from last autumn. Many attribute this to a combination of restrictive policies of the Federal Reserve in the face of weakening jobs data, along with the technical unwind of the Japanese carry trade,

Viewpoint

Viewpoint – July 2024

On the surface, markets appear to have been uneventful in July, with few sizeable moves over the month - the S&P 500 index was up 1.2%, MSCI World index of developed markets +1.8%, emerging markets +0.3%, and US Treasuries +2.1%. The most notable moves were in currencies, with the yen

Weekly Digest

Global Matters Weekly – Delicate China

The Chinese consumer, once a major driving force behind global luxury sales, is currently showing signs of weakness. This slowdown is influencing the broader economic landscape and the decline in consumer spending is having a huge impact on the luxury sector. Despite the current challenges, the long-term growth potential for

Weekly Digest

Global Matters Weekly – Interest rate cycles and their impact on asset returns

Interest rates profoundly affect world economies and our personal finances. Monthly mortgage payments, for many their largest single financial commitment, are dependent on either short-term interest rates, set by central banks, or government bond yields (or in bond jargon ‘swap’ rates, which are closely linked to government bond yields). Download

Weekly Digest

Global Matters Weekly – The art and science of investment: Why process matters

In the world of fund selection, picking funds is a blend of science and art. Every investor prioritises their research differently, but the most common framework involves the 4 P’s: philosophy, process, people, and performance. Unlike the marketing mix of product, price, place, and promotion, this framework helps in assessing