South Africa’s largest insurer Sanlam Ltd has sold its UK wealth division (Sanlam Wealth) to funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. (“Oaktree”), for a total consideration of £140 million. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.

Confidence that has permeated markets for weeks appeared to lose momentum this week as nonfarm payrolls and inflation figures caused the charging bull to take a moment to catch its breath. Nonfarm payrolls (a measure of US employment) fell far short of expectations whilst inflation printed its highest month-on-month gain since 2008.

The 2015 Paris Agreement laid plans to restrict global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2100. But we’re moving too slowly; scientists think warming in the 2–4 degree range is now more probable.

The US dollar continued to fall from its peak at the end of March. This falling dollar is part of the rising inflation trend that is unlikely to end any time soon. Minutes published by the US Federal Reserve stated that “an unspecified number of committee members” had mooted discussing scaling back the central bank’s monthly bond purchases in a future meeting

Fiscal conditions are incredibly accommodative: interest rates are lying low; credit is freely available; and GDP is as if Covid never happened. The time to taper is nigh.

Markets were relatively quiet this week, as largely positive economic news flow did little to move asset prices in one direction or the other. Equities advanced slightly on a New York Times report claiming that US President Biden will seek $6 trillion in US spending in the next fiscal year; the White House will unveil its full proposal later today.