Inflation appears to have peaked
The cost of living crisis is pertinent in our day to day lives. Yet the market can see that it is now several months since the peak of inflation, particularly in the United States.
Many of the rate hikes are now behind us
Following a tumultuous year we all hope that the large interest rate rises across the world are coming to an end. Whilst none of us can know the future, the market indicators are telling us that the worst of the rate rises are behind us and that by the end of 2023 it may be possible for central banks to start helping the economy through rate cuts.
Low-risk asset classes now offer better value
A great investment challenge of the past decade has been that lower-risk investments such as bonds have offered very low returns because the interest they paid was so low. Following the falls of 2022, bonds now offer much higher fixed returns that will particularly benefit low-risk investors.
We carry on innovating despite it all
In the long-term, the biggest driver of economic progress is the pace of innovation that the world generates, and the improvement this brings to our world. Whilst 2022 was tough in many ways, it produced amazing breakthroughs in science and technology. These included the first working fusion reactor that could potentially generate clean energy cheaply for the world, the first viable malaria vaccine and the first proven therapy to help those suffering with Alzheimer’s.
China is slowly re-opening
A major challenge of 2022 was that the Chinese economy was crushed by the zero-Covid policy of Beijing. There are signs that this could be easing, allowing the world’s second-largest economy to return to greater growth.
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