Filters
The devil is in the details
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
One Budget announcement that seemed to have been almost universally welcomed was the news that the UK is going to start issuing green bonds. The National Savings & Investments (NS&I) scheme will issue green savings bonds targeted at everyday savers. And at least £15 billion of green sovereign bonds (so-called ‘green gilts’) will be issued in 2021—22. The money raised will help fund Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 10-point public investment plan for a “green industrial revolution”.
Common wealth
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Could a rejuvenated commonwealth be the basis for a wider post-Brexit trading bloc? It would need strong, far-sighted leaders to bring it about, argues head of multi-asset investments David Coombs.
Murder in the middle
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Be unassailable in what you do or be the cheapest in the joint, because if you’re neither you’re nothing, warns David Coombs, our head of multi-asset investments.
Disentangling the social media spider web
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
As social media giants are increasingly forced to reveal how they are using people’s private data, users may start to have second thoughts about the benefits of an interconnected world, argues our head of multi-asset investments, David Coombs.
The other ‘Beast from the East’
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
With cold winds blowing in from the Arctic, and Brussels too, our head of multi-asset investments David Coombs notes that visibility on the UK outlook is getting worse.
Putting up with some insurance
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
You never buy insurance hoping you’ll be able to claim on it, but you buy it all the same argues our head of multi-asset investments David Coombs.
What will the year of the dog bring?
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
As China celebrates the coming of the Year of the Dog, our head of asset allocation research Edward Smith explains why the pace of growth in China matters for investors everywhere. Happily, we don’t expect any nasty bites.
Tariff tangle
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Trade threats and tech troubles have made investors nervous, but economies around the world remain healthy and relatively vibrant. Our chief investment officer, Julian Chillingworth, says markets are likely to remain rocky, but that should provide opportunities.
Summer days
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
It’s been a hot and sleepy summer punctuated by a few small scares, notes chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth. With a bit of luck, the trade-related worries should fade away over the rest of the year.
Automation for the nation: the future of finance
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Artificial intelligence (AI) is infiltrating every area of modern life, from voice recognition devices like Alexa to driverless cars. And financial technology is not immune from the relentless march of AI either.
Vive le domestique
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Tour de France glory for a Welshman gets head of multi-asset investments David Coombs pining for what could have been and also reminds him to be grateful for team players.
Underneath the arches
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
David Coombs, our head of multi-asset investments, has been watching too much EastEnders. But it’s got him thinking about how assets can be dressed up as something else.