z-kolkiemz-kolkiem

The week in review

Global markets ended the year in positive territory, but the prospect of rising interest rates in the US and the impact of Omicron remain difficult to predict.
Published 11 January
3 mins

What’s happened in markets?

KEY MARKET MOVEMENTS (% change)
 1WK1MO3MOYTD1YR3YR5YR
FTSE All Share1.001.795.731.0013.378.165.39
Euro Stoxx 500.230.755.380.2321.9015.738.67
S&P 500-1.83-0.096.66-1.8324.7024.5417.59
Japan Topix0.170.423.020.1711.6012.277.54
MSCI Asia Pac.-0.56-0.92-1.70-0.56-7.6912.0710.86
MSCI Emerg. Mkts.-0.47-0.64-1.85-0.47-5.2210.599.62
Jo’burg All Shares0.331.4913.950.3322.2516.4811.28
UK Gov’t Bonds-2.10-5.790.82-2.10-5.642.242.25
US Gov’t Bonds-1.61-1.78-1.13-1.61-2.893.462.70
Global Corp. Bonds-1.40-1.70-1.06-1.40-1.355.974.48
Emerg. Mkt. Local-0.75-0.19-2.05-0.75-8.101.923.30

Figures in the respective local currencies as at the end of trading on 7/1/2022.

According to figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday 7 January, the US economy ended the year with unexpectedly slower job growth, adding just 199,000 workers to the non-farming labour force in December. Economists had been expecting more than double that amount ahead of disruptions from the Omicron variant, which are likely to be felt in January.

However, with Labor Department figures also showing that US unemployment fell to 3.9% in December from 4.2% in November, the closely watched employment report suggests the jobs market still remains on track to meet the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) target for maximum employment.

Minutes from the Fed’s December meeting suggested that the fall in US unemployment may hasten plans to raise interest rates this year, as it tries to put a lid on high inflation. Officials also discussed reducing the Fed’s overall balance sheet as a second brake on the economy, suggesting the central bank will be more aggressive than anticipated in rolling back the economic stimulus policies it has put in place to keep financial markets stable.

Technology giant Apple began the new year on a positive note, becoming the first company to reach a market capitalisation of US$3tn during intraday trading on Monday 3 January – before ending the first trading day of the year just below that milestone. The stock first reached US$1tn in value in mid-2018 and achieved a US$2tn valuation in August 2020, just 17 months before reaching last week’s record valuation, underscoring its position as the world’s most valuable company.

An influential group of some of the world’s largest oil producers, known collectively as OPEC+, announced at its meeting on Tuesday 4 January that it will stick to its target of raising production by 400,000 barrels per day from February, based on indications that the Omicron coronavirus variant would have only a mild impact on demand. The 23-county alliance – which controls around half of global oil production capacity – has been gradually restoring output in monthly increments, aiming to relieve pressure on the global economy and regain pre-pandemic levels by late 2022.

ECONOMICS  
 Latest

Consensus

Forecast

UK GDP (QoQ)1.1
UK PMI53.6
UK CPI (YoY)5.1
EU GDP (QoQ)2.2
EU PMI53.3
EU CPI (YoY)5.0
US GDP (QoQ)2.3
US PMI62.0
US CPI (YoY)6.87.0

What’s happened in portfolios?

Looking across the markets, we continue to see general optimism around COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, with a hawkish turn from the Fed pushing up cyclicals that stand to benefit from a high interest rate environment. Value stocks (+3.67%) outperformed growth stocks (-4.61%) on a 30-day basis, with a number of big lockdown beneficiary technology stocks underperforming amidst a continued rise in Treasury yields.

The energy sector benefited significantly from climbing oil prices (+9.10%), with a pronounced upswing on energy (+6.17%) versus IT (-4.32%) on a 30-day basis. Since the start of the new year, a noticeable upward shift in the yield curve triggered bonds to fall, with safe haven government bonds declining the most.

Looking across our portfolio, towards the tail end of December we slightly increased our equity positioning with a specific focus on value, which has played out well for investment outcomes.

We remain broadly favourable around equities and see a less conducive environment for fixed income assets, where starting yields are at historically low levels and inflation continues to pose a threat to mid- to longer-duration positioning.

Our preference for risk assets continues to play out well in today’s market environment, where we see our focus on equities, real assets and alternative strategies as a means of building in inflation protection, strong earnings and diversification.

What's happening this week?

11 Jan • UK Gross Domestic Product (November) | 12 Jan • US Consumer Price Index (December) | 14 Jan • EU Balance of Trade (November)

Clients of Nedbank Private Wealth can get in touch with their private banker directly to understand how their portfolios are responding to market events, or call +44 (0)1624 645000 to speak to our client services team.

 

If you would like to find out more about how we manage clients’ investments, please contact us on the same number as above. Or you can get in touch using the links to the forms towards the end of this page.

Sources: Nedbank Private Wealth and (1) Bloomberg, (2) Reuters, (3) US Bureau of Labor Statistics and (4) Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

The value of investments can fall, as well as rise, and you might not get back the original amount invested. Exchange rate changes affect the value of investments. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future returns. Any individual investment or security mentioned may be included in clients’ portfolios and is referenced for illustrative purposes only, not as a recommendation, not least as it may not be suitable. You should always seek professional advice before making any investment decisions.

Access more of our insights

Investing

The week in review

21 Mar

   |   4 mins

The week of 13 March 2023 was another volatile week for markets as further upheaval in the banking sector raised fears of a steeper economic slowdown and hopes of an easing of central bank rate hikes.

Investing

The week in review

14 Mar

   |   4 mins

The week of 6 March 2023 saw markets down sharply, as hawkish talk from the Federal Reserve and strong US jobs data early in the week were eclipsed by events in the financial sector.

Investing

February's investment market commentary

10 Mar

   |   2½ mins

February saw a reversal of some of the strong gains made in the prior month, with both global equity and bond markets falling during the period. Simon Watts explains.

Investing

The week in review

28 Feb

   |   3 mins

The week of 20 February 2023 saw stronger than expected inflation and economic growth reports and a more hawkish stance from central banks, leading to widespread declines in markets.

Get in touch

If you are interested in becoming a client, please complete the form via the ‘become a client’ button below. Alternatively, if you are already a client, or if you have a question about how we help clients in particular circumstances, please use the ‘contact us’ button.

 

We will get back to you as soon as we can during office hours, which are Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm (UK time), except for UK public holidays.

Become a Client

Thank you for your interest in Nedbank Private Wealth. Please call us on +44 (0)1624 645000 or complete the requested information and one of our team will get back to you soon. We look forward to speaking with you.  Please note: If you are an EU resident, we are unfortunately unable to offer our services to you at present.

* Required fields

Contact Us

Please call us today on +44 (0)1624 645000. Our office hours are weekdays from 8am to 8pm (UK time), except for UK public holidays.

 

Or please complete and submit the below form and one of the team will get back to you as requested.

* Required fields

Search suggestions