Welcome to this week’s AHR market review for the week ending 19th July 2024.

Stocks saw their worst week since April with major indexes under pressure amid a massive global software glitch that stranded flights, interrupted health care services, and interfered with business around the world.

A major factor in the underperformance of growth stocks was a sharp decline in chip stocks on following news that the Biden administration had told allies it was considering severe export curbs if companies such as Tokyo Electron and the Netherlands’ ASML Holding continued providing China with access to advanced semiconductor technology

The Russell 2000, an index of small cap stocks, surged 7.7% over the last two weeks.

Perhaps the most notable change last week was the CBOE’s Volatility Index which climbed 32% in a week.

European stocks followed their US counterpart and ended the week lower amid rising tensions between the US and China.

The European Central Bank (ECB) kept its key interest rates unchanged at 3.75%, as expected.

In the UK, headline inflation held steady at 2% in June, partly due to a meaningful decline in energy costs compared with last year.

Japan’s stock markets generated negative returns over the week, with the Nikkei 225 falling 2.7%, and the broader TOPIX Index down 1.2%.

In the currency markets, the US dollar index rose week over week against a basket of major currencies.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.

Welcome to this week’s AHR market review for the week ending 14th July 2024.

The U.S. large-cap value stock index outperformed its growth benchmark counterpart for the week, eroding some of the growth style’s wide margin of year-to-date outperformance.

A major factor supporting many stocks appeared to be Thursday’s release of the US Labor Department’s consumer price index (CPI).

A driver of European stock performance in recent weeks has been local elections and during the week the second and final round of voting in France’s parliamentary elections delivered a hung parliament.

US value stocks delivered the strongest returns across US markets for the week posting a return of over 1.5% whilst broad US equities returned just under 1%. European equities ended the week 1.5% higher as investors welcomed lower-than-expected U.S.

Yields of government bonds dropped, as investors took Thursday’s inflation report as an indication that interest-rate cuts could be coming sooner rather than later.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.

Welcome to this week’s AHR market review for the week ending 7th July 2024.

In a week filled with economic and political activity across the globe, global equity markets pushed higher into new record highs.

Two critical pillars of the U.S. economy, the services sector and the labour market, are exhibiting signs of moderation.

The U.S. unemployment rate edged up from 4% to 4.1%, surpassing the Federal Reserve's estimate of 4% for the year.

In the UK, Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won a resounding victory in the UK’s general election, ending 14-years of turbulent Conservative rule.

US Technology and broad US equities pushed their record levels higher again, posting weekly total returns of 3.5% and 2.0%, respectively.

In commodities oil prices have continued their upward trajectory, marking the fourth consecutive week of gains and reaching their highest levels in over two months.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.

Welcome to this week’s AHR market review for the week ending 30th June 2024.

Global equity markets were mixed in a week that saw the end of June and the end of the first half of the year.

The first half of the year witnessed continued enthusiasm for artificial intelligence, propelling mega-cap technology names to deliver exceptional gains.

The technology and communication services sectors were at the forefront of performance, posting first-half returns exceeding 25%.

In economic news, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, decelerated to 2.6% year-on-year in May, marking its lowest annual rate in over three years.

US equities were mixed over the week, remaining near record highs.

Looking ahead, all eyes will be on the forthcoming monthly US labour market report, set to be released this Friday.

As we approach earnings season, which kicks off in mid-July with major banks reporting their second-quarter results, expectations remain buoyant.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.

On this week’s AHR Market review..

Over the week global stock indexes rebounded from a modest setback the previous week, as US equity markets eclipsed record highs set last month.

The U.S. economy saw a substantial boost in May, adding 272,000 jobs, far exceeding the projected 180,000 gain.

Earlier in the week, the Bank of Canada became the first central bank among the G7 nations to cut interest rates in this cycle, reducing its policy rate from 5% to 4.75%.

US equities rose over 1%, whilst US technology rose 2.4% for the week as investors digested softening US economic data.

In commodities, the price of U.S. crude oil fell over 2% for the week to $75 per barrel, its lowest level in four months, after oil-producing countries announced plans for a more gradual phase-out of production cuts.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.

On this week’s AHR Market review.

The major U.S. stock indexes all declined snapping a string of five consecutive weekly gains that had lifted the indexes to record highs.

US inflation held steady in April, a troubling indicator for the Federal Reserve, suggesting that the persistent rate of price increases may endure longer than anticipated and raising doubts about the timeline for potential interest rate cuts.

The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index saw a 0.3% rise last month, mirroring the unchanged gain in March, according to the Commerce Department’s Friday report.

The US economy's growth in the first quarter was revised downwards, showing less robustness than initially estimated.

Meanwhile, headline inflation in the eurozone increased for the first time in five months, with the year-over-year rise in consumer prices ticking up to 2.6% in May from 2.4% in the preceding two months, surpassing a consensus estimate of 2.5%. ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane hinted at a potential reduction in borrowing costs at the forthcoming June 6 meeting.

On the global stage, the International Monetary Fund upgraded its forecast for China’s economic growth over the next two years yet cautioned that consumer-focused reforms are necessary to sustain high-quality growth

US equities fell 0.5% over the week whilst US technology fell over 1%, in part due to a disappointing earnings announcement from cloud software provider, Salesforce.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.

On this week’s AHR Market review.

Equity markets were divergent over the week, as earnings announcements from one of the world's largest chipmaker’s masked further concerns around the future path for interest rates in the US.

One of the main factors behind the market's recent divergence has been the impressive performance of artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia.

As we near the end of this year's first-quarter earnings season, S&P 500 companies are expected to report solid earnings growth of 10%-11% for the year, a big leap from last year's mere 1% growth rate.

Over in the UK, inflation data revealed a slower-than-expected drop in consumer prices

Value areas of the US equity market fell over 2% during the week, though thanks in large to a rally in Nvidia, the broad US market remained flat for the week whilst US technology rose 1.4%.

The price of oil fell 2.3% for the week to its lowest level in more than three months as a report showed an increase in U.S. crude inventories.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.