UK house prices hit an all-time high this week as pent up demand fuelled the largest monthly rise in 16 years. The average home in the UK is now worth over £224,000, 3.7% more than they were last August.

Equity and fixed income markets sustained their remarkable recovery last month thanks to continued government funding. But as prices rose, potential returns fell, and value became harder to find.

Volatility in the tech sector continued this week, taking the froth out of some rich valuations. Investors are
grappling with the recent market turbulence, assessing whether the pullback for equities is a sign of market
health or the start of a larger drawdown that has further to go.

Our Chief Investment Officer Philip Smeaton, CFA spoke to Christian May at City AM this morning about how markets have behaved in recent months and the forces that could shape them over the rest of the year.

President Trump returned to the Oval Office on Wednesday, less than a week after contracting Coronavirus. He has since described his illness as “a blessing from God”, saying “I learned by really going to the school and this is the real school and this isn’t the read the book school. And I get it and I understand it”. Markets wait with baited breath to discover what he might do with this newfound self-declared wisdom.

In a world where traditional asset classes aren’t offering particularly attractive prospective returns, many argue that investment in alternative assets – such as private equity, high-yield bonds, renewable energy and even cryptocurrencies – has become essential to ensure sufficient portfolio diversification.