President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled a $1.9tn Coronavirus relief proposal, aimed at urgently combating the economic crisis which the pandemic has triggered. As the US faces its deadliest stage in its fight against the virus, Biden described the moment as “a crisis of deep human suffering”. If adopted, the proposal would tack on $1,400 to the $600 in direct payments for individuals that Congress approved recently.

Rising government bond yields have dominated market noise this week with the yield on 10-year US Treasuries (US Government bonds) rising to its highest level in over a year. Equity indices wobbled in
response to these dynamics with fears that rising borrowing costs could derail the already fragile economic recovery.

This week the UK death toll from Covid-19 exceeded 100,000. Boris Johnson said that he was “deeply sorry” for every death. Meanwhile AstraZeneca’s chief executive, Pascal Soriot, has insisted the UK will come first for vaccines as he rejected calls to divert doses to the European Union following a breakdown in supply. Rows are escalating over reduced supplies with whispers of vaccine protectionism on the horizon.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to never use cash again? No more ATMs on our high streets, no loose change languishing down the back of the sofa, and no pennies under the pillow when the tooth fairy comes to visit. It may sound farfetched, but this could become a reality sooner than we think.

It has been another strong week for markets with the S&P 500 Index (measuring the performance of the 500 largest listed US companies) hitting all-time highs against a backdrop of a surging bond market. Previous iterations of this publication have highlighted the trend of fairly rapidly and persistently rising bond yields over recent weeks; the pause in this dynamic this week has been slightly strange, especially given the strong print on US retail sales which was announced on Thursday.

It has been a strong week for equities as further dovishness from the Federal Reserve helped bolster market sentiment. Investors were relatively unfazed by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s further reminders that the pandemic is far from over, or by surprisingly high applications for US state unemployment insurance.

London – Sanlam Investments today announces that it has agreed to assume responsibility for managing eight funds currently managed by Smith & Williamson Investment Management LLP.

When share prices plummet as they did in the first quarter of last year, it’s not always easy to make a convincing case for continuing to hold a good-quality, but hard-hit company – especially one in the beleaguered hospitality sector. A year ago, we not only held on to but strengthened our position in Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG).

We are thrilled to announce that the Sanlam Real Assets UCITS Fund has received “Best Specialist Real Assets Fund” at the Investment Week Specialist Investment Awards 2020.

Gone are the days when we could see our enemy coming and protect ourselves using military might. Today, the weapons threatening our national security are largely invisible and can be unleashed from any corner of the globe. Hostile actors can use our own data, influence and public perception against us in an increasingly alarming manner.