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The big squeeze
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Volatility is back. After more than a year of record calm in stock markets, the VIX index of S&P 500 volatility briefly hit 50 as it exploded upwards last week.
Chinese whispers
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
The tone of 2018 will be set by bond markets, we believe. How they react to the monetary tightening (or not) of the world’s largest central banks will have important consequences for share markets and investor confidence.
Looking ahead as central banks look up
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
The relationship between economic growth, inflation expectations and government bond yields is likely to be a dominant investment theme throughout 2018. Already this year financial markets have been spooked by the prospect of higher inflation and higher bond yields. The important question now is how far and how fast will yields rise from here?
Financial planning: estate of the nation
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Passing on wealth has never cost the UK so much. Inheritance tax (IHT) receipts are surging and reached a record £4.9 billion last year. With property prices rising and IHT allowances frozen until 2021, that trend is likely to continue.
Investment Insights Q2 2018
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
The threat of higher inflation and rising interest rates spooked global stock markets in February and pushed up government bond yields. We expect the trend of rising yields to persist and be a dominant investment theme over the coming year, with implications for equities.
Goodbye to all that
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
After almost 18 months without a setback, investors forgot what volatility felt like. That complacency has now been shattered, but sound underlying business conditions remain intact. That’s no bad thing.
Exploring the Rathbones Folio Prize 2018 shortlist
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Original, diverse and international – this year’s shortlist encapsulates what the Rathbones Folio Prize is all about.
Regional renaissance
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
In a post-Brexit world, Britain may have to become less reliant on its financial services sector and the South East.
Read the Rathbones Folio Prize shortlist for free
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Access the first few chapters of all of the Rathbones Folio Prize shortlisted books digitally for free. Read just for yourself or chat online with others about this great selection of books not to be missed.
Inflation: an economic reality of life
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Those who remember the rampant inflation of the 1970s and 1980s may be over-concerned about its return and the insidious effect it has on our wealth. But history offers some comfort too.
Clouded judgment
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Today a huge wealth of information, including some of our most personal material, finds its way to the “cloud”. In the era of hackers and cyber-warfare, is the shift to remote data storage wise?
A new way of thinking about income
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Interest rates and bond yields headed to the floor in the wake of the global financial crisis and have more or less stayed there since. In this “new normal”, generating a sufficient income may require new ways of thinking.