The Markets

You are significantly overweight Consumer Discretionary (45.8%) and Consumer Staples (24.2%) versus the MSCI EM Index (14.19% and 6.2%). Why did you choose these sectors over Information Technology? As emerging economies develop, the hard-working populations within them start to prioritise different goods and services on their shopping lists. In the last 20 years, the urbanisation of emerging markets has created sufficient wealth to more than double the ranks of the consuming class, to 2.4 billion…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Another day, and another US jobs report has set the tone, but this time it’s relief rather than anxiety washing through. The FTSE 100 is treading water amid calmer sentiment in early trading, after tech stocks on Wall Street powered indices higher. Hopes are increasing that interest rates in the US might not have to stay at quite such high levels for quite so long.  Investors are fixated on…

The call for a green revolution is no longer a distant echo; it’s the resounding demand of the present. Much like an artisan weaver poised before a complex loom, the world faces the task of crafting a grand tapestry of sustainability. Each thread must be carefully selected and interwoven into this tableau, from the existential reality of climate change to the urgency to transition from carbon-heavy energy dependencies. However, to ensure the tapestry’s strength, we…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The world’s largest companies plan to boost year-on-year spending to cut their carbon emissions by an average of 22%, according to new research which is published following several months of extreme weather events in many countries around the globe. Despite the challenging global economic conditions, corporations in every region said they were intending to increase their Net Zero investments. UK firms plan the largest investment increase globally at 36%,…