The COVID-19 narrative continued throughout May, as it is likely to for some time yet, with the focus of most market commentators, and indeed markets, on the efficacy of the vaccine rollout and the global economic reopening.
The fact that global equity markets rose by 1.1% over the month of May belies the truth of what was a relatively volatile period for riskier assets as the topic of inflation moved from meaningful discussion to reality. Higher than expected inflation out of the US, reported mid-month, saw the S&P500 swing down as much as 4%, despite eventually posting a modest gain month-on-month. Concerns over inflation rippled across markets, in particular those areas that are closest to mass vaccination. The key challenges remain: how transient is inflation likely to be and how accommodating will central banks remain with their economies running hot?
While inflation was the headline grabber for equity markets, it was the continuation of leadership from value oriented sectors that really provided the engine of returns. It was the more cyclically sensitive areas that saw the greatest gains, with energy (+5.8%), financials (+5.2%) and materials (+3.8%) all worthy of note.
But sticking with the inflation theme, it is no surprise to report that commodities were the stand out asset class on the month, up 2.1% in May based on a broad basket of assets. Gold was up 7.7%, which is an asset that is considered to provide some inflation protection, and oil up 4.5% for the month and continuing its strong appreciation. This is an indication of an uptick in economic activity.
Turning to fixed income markets, the main surprise was just how sanguine the asset class remained with such an inflationary story leading the charge. There was a slight steepening of the yield curve further out (a fall in price being the other side of this move) suggesting slightly higher rate expectations, but it was not meaningful and returns were broadly flat to slightly stronger on the month for both sovereign and credit markets.
Finally to currencies and of particular note was the continued softening of USD, following on from April. This was particularly apparent against Sterling with the US Dollar down 2.7%, although a shift of -1.7% against the Euro on the month is also worthy of a mention as this now wipes out any gains in the currency for the year.
| INDEX | END APRIL VALUE | END MAY VALUE |
| FTSE 100 | 6969.81 | 7022.61 |
| DJ Ind. Average | 33874.85 | 34529.45 |
| S&P Composite | 4181.17 | 4204.11 |
| Nasdaq 100 | 13860.76 | 13686.51 |
| Nikkei | 28812.63 | 28860.08 |
| £/$ | 1.3822 | 1.4212 |
| €/£ | 0.87011 | 0.86036 |
| €/$ | 1.202 | 1.2227 |
| £ Base Rate | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Brent Crude | 66.76 | 69.32 |
| Gold | 1769.13 | 1906.87 |
This month’s values quoted as at 31/05/2021. The above values are sourced from Bloomberg and are quoted in the relevant currency.
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Investments can go down, as well as up, to the extent that you might get back less than the total you originally invested. Exchange rates also impact the value of your investments. Past performance is no guide to future returns. Any individual investment or security mentioned here may not be suitable, and is included for information only and is not a recommendation. You should always seek professional advice before making any investment decisions.
Tom was appointed in March 2021 and brings to the table over 20 years’ investment experience. Prior to joining, he was at Santander Asset Management in London for nine years, where he was, most recently, the chief investment officer for its UK business, having previously been the global head of the multi asset division. Tom also spent several years as head of multi manager and fund selection at LV Asset Management.
Tom sits within Nedgroup Investments, a sister company, which provides investment advice, research and portfolio modelling solutions to Nedbank Private Wealth. Here, he heads up the London-based investment team. It is in this capacity that he is a member of Nedbank Private Wealth’s investment committee.
Tom was appointed in March 2021 and brings to the table over 20 years’ investment experience. Prior to joining, he was at Santander Asset Management in London for nine years, where he was, most recently, the chief investment officer for its UK business, having previously been the global head of the multi asset division. Tom also spent several years as head of multi manager and fund selection at LV Asset Management.
Tom sits within Nedgroup Investments, a sister company, which provides investment advice, research and portfolio modelling solutions to Nedbank Private Wealth. Here, he heads up the London-based investment team. It is in this capacity that he is a member of Nedbank Private Wealth’s investment committee.
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