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1 week ago | 
portfolio-adviser.com | Christian Mayes
The Bank of England has cut interest rates by 25 basis points to 4.25%. Voting was divided among the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members, with two voting in favour of a 50 basis points (bps) reduction, while two voted to hold rates steady. However, with five members electing to cut 25bps, governor Andrew Bailey (pictured) said the decision came due to easing inflation.
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1 week ago | 
portfolio-adviser.com | Christian Mayes
Morningstar has introduced ratings for semi-liquid funds, including Long-Term Asset Funds (LTAFs) and European Long-Term Investment Funds (ELTIFs). The framework builds on the firm’s existing Medalist Rating framework, adapting it for private market vehicles.
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1 week ago | 
portfolio-adviser.com | Christian Mayes
April’s market storm saw UK investors flee bond funds at the fastest rate since the onset of Coronavirus, according to Calastone’s Fund Flow Index. In the worst month of fixed income outflows since April 2020, investors pulled a net £1.24bn from bond funds in the month amid spiking Treasury yields and global market volatility. A net £589m flowed into the ‘safe haven’ of money markets, the asset class’s fifth best month on Calastone’s record.
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1 week ago | 
fundselectorasia.com | Christian Mayes
Latin America and European bond funds made the most of a tariff-induced storm for global markets in April. IA Latin America was the top-performing fund sector in the month, returning 3.3%. Ben Yearsley, director at Fairview Investing, said LatAm’s strong month was a surprise, given that commodities other than gold suffered a poor month for returns.
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2 weeks ago | 
portfolio-adviser.com | Christian Mayes
The US economy contracted for the first time in three years in the first quarter of 2025, falling an annualised 0.3%. Companies rushing to build up inventory before the 2 April tariffs announcement contributed to the contraction as the trade deficit surged. US GDP grew 2.4% in the previous quarter. “Today’s figures are at once revealing and inscrutable,” Jochen Stanzl, chief market analyst at CMC Markets said.
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2 weeks ago | 
portfolio-adviser.com | Christian Mayes
Future Growth Capital has launched two global and UK-focused long term asset funds (LTAFs). The firm is a newly-launched private markets business established by Schroders and Phoenix Group. The FGC Global LTAF will invest in private markets assets in the US, Europe and Asia, while the UK LTAF will aim to invest in a blend of privately-owned assets, including those involved in the UK’s energy transition.
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2 weeks ago | 
portfolio-adviser.com | Christian Mayes
India, Brazil and Japan are among the only major markets so far to recover from the global market sell-off triggered by Trump’s ‘Liberation day’ tariffs announcements on 2 April. While major markets plummeted in the days following the announcement, India’s S&P BSE 100 has recovered from the shock and is now up 4.2%, ahead of the Brazil Bovespa’s 2.7%. See also: Iboss: Why fund selection matters more than everIn Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 has also crept up 0.3%.
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2 weeks ago | 
portfolio-adviser.com | Christian Mayes
UK company dividends exceeded expectations in Q1 despite a 4.6% decline, according to Computershare’s latest Dividend Monitor report. The headline fall to £14bn reflected lower one-off special payments. Excluding those, dividends fell 0.2% on an underlying basis. Cuts from Vodafone, Burberry and Bellway Homes reduced the total, causing a five percentage points drop. However, the median company reported a 3.3% increase in payouts.
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4 weeks ago | 
portfolio-adviser.com | Christian Mayes
The FCA has set out a further Consumer Composite Investment (CCI) consultation, aimed at simplifying rules around fee disclosures. Among the key points of the second consultation, the regulator is consulting on removing the requirement for firms to calculate and disclose implicit transaction costs.
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4 weeks ago | 
future.portfolio-adviser.com | Christian Mayes
Donald Trump’s transactional style has ushered in a new era for geopolitics and markets alike. Discussions over a US-Ukraine mineral deal, which the US president claims would provide security to Ukraine at the cost of access to its deposits, has been a feature of Trump’s rhetoric since beginning his second term. The deal could have a significant impact on global commodity markets, with Ukraine home to various mineral deposits, including titanium, lithium, uranium and graphite.
