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Truth is stranger than fake news
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
For all the talk of fake news, it would be hard to dream up something stranger than the actual events of the past week in the US. And, weirdly, the markets barely shrugged.
Empire for the advertising
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
An obscure British shopping trolley company can be turned into the world’s largest media giant, and then be eclipsed by an upstart tech company toting the motto, “don’t be evil”.
Here we go again
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
European politics is back to its old tricks. Just when you thought the Continent was settling down, two governments started disintegrating over a weekend.
A recent market mantra has been the muted effect of politics on asset prices. That always seemed a bit of a stretch, considering the movements in currency markets and the bull-run of US equities set off by a change in US taxes. It could be said that the steady rise in US Treasury yields were driven in large part by this change in the US political environment. Now ructions in Europe have put the “end of politics” claim to bed.
The good oil
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Shrugging off steadily worsening economic data, the FTSE 100 hit a record high of 7,779.5 on Thursday. It has since gone higher this morning and has eclipsed the intra-day record notched up in mid-January, too.
Good cop, bad cop
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
After months of playing hardball with China over trade, President Donald Trump has offered to intervene in a Commerce Department ruling that has crippled a Chinese telecommunications giant.
Spring is sprung
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
The Bank of England is expected to hold interest rates at 0.5% when its monetary policy committee meets on Thursday. For the past few weeks, Governor Mark Carney has backpedalled on a May hike following a run of poor economic data. With the committee gun-shy about pulling the trigger when economic data are glum, it could be some time before we see another rate rise. GDP growth has been trending downward for a year now, posting a paltry 1.2% annual expansion in the first quarter.
The unreliable boyfriend
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
There is a school of thought that says monetary policy has to shock to be effective.
Hot-rodding NAFTA
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Donald Trump hammered out a new trade deal with Mexico last week, but negotiations with Canada have been less fruitful.
Layman’s hate
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
A decade ago the bottom fell out of Lehman Brothers and the global financial crisis well and truly got going.
Merger of the Rathbone Blue Chip Income and Growth Fund into the Rathbone Income Fund
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
This note is to inform you of a proposed merger of the net assets of the Rathbone Blue Chip Income and Growth Fund into the Rathbone Income Fund.
Rathbone UK Opportunities Fund
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Rathbone Unit Trust Management Ltd confirms that the Rathbone Recovery Fund has been renamed to the Rathbone UK Opportunities Fund.
Thought leadership initiative of the year
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
In June last year Rathbones published an investment update following the EU referendum. We are delighted to announce, it was one of twelve campaigns that has been shortlisted in the 'thought leadership' category at Headlinemoney Awards 2017