In this episode, hosts Eleanor Williams and Charlie Parker take a look back at market activity over the summer and discuss what could be next in the coming months.

Asset markets saw limited progress last month as investors digested new macroeconomic data. The US economy is slowing, yet it is handling tariff uncertainty. Business Manager Surveys (PMIs) remain weak, but retail sales have stabilised. All eyes, including those of the Fed, are on the labour market, where the data is mixed. New job openings have slowed, but layoffs have not increased sharply outside the government. Jerome Powell’s final Jackson Hole address confirmed that the

Speculation is hotting up about what the Autumn budget will bring. It feels like only yesterday we were staring down the barrel of the fear that chancellor Rachel Reeves would raise capital gains tax in line with income tax last year. In the event, of course, her move was modest and even that proved counterproductive with the tax-take falling since the intervention. This year, she remains in a very similar pickle. Her hopes that last year’s tax rises, principally a rise in em

In the second episode of our series focusing on centralised investment propositions (CIPs), we explore the increasing dominance of managed portfolio services (MPS) and how they work alongside multi-asset funds.

1. Central Banks at crossroads The Bank of England cut interest rates from 4.25% to 4% in August, but a narrow 5–4 vote exposed deep divisions among policymakers and underscored the complexity of the current environment. Inflation surprised to the upside in June at 3.6%, while GDP contracted by 0.1% in May. Labour market data has also softened, with employment falling in seven of the past eight months and wage growth cooling, though the weakness remains concentrated in sector

Nathan McKerlie hosts Andy Parsons, Head of Investments and Protection at Defaqto, for an insightful discussion on centralised investment propositions (CIPs) and centralised retirement propositions (CRPs).

I think there has been a notable shift in pension planning and retirement planning, especially since the Autumn Budget.

The last six months have been anything but boring for investors. The adage of “sell in May and go away” failed to apply this year as global equities have rallied 14% over the last three months. The recovery since 9 April, the fateful day of President Trump’s step down from tariffs, has been 23%. While tariffs haven’t really left the headlines, they have become less of a concern as the US economy has rebounded, and America’s trading partners have rushed to sign bilateral deals