Rupert Thompson

In sterling terms, however, markets were up 1.6% as the pound retreated against a stronger dollar to $1.31 from its recent high of $1.34. #markets

The driving force behind all these gains has been the dramatic reappraisal by the market of the interest rate outlook. #markets

Global equities have continued their recent choppy performance, rising some 2% last week and reversing their drop the previous week. #recession

Employment came in broadly in line with expectations, posting another fairly robust gain in March. #economy #jobs

Chinese equities are well placed to continue to outperform. They remain inexpensive and growth should rebound as the economy reopens. #economies #global

The hope now is that the government’s various U-turns will allow some semblance of stability to be restored. #markets #strategy

The Brent oil price has jumped to a 13-year high of $120-130/bbl and could well rise significantly more if the ban on Russian oil were to go ahead.

Inflation should now be very close to a peak but the pace and extent of the decline from here remains a subject of intense debate.

Markets are forward-looking and earnings growth is set to slow significantly over coming quarters and will clearly depend on the strength of the economy

Market volatility has picked up significantly since Omicron first made the headlines the week before last. #stockmarket #investing

This reinforces our view that we are in for a period of market volatility, particularly now the Fed is thinking of speeding up its QE tapering.

Global equities slipped back a little last week, posting their first weekly decline since the beginning of October. #stockmarket #economy

Global equities are now some 2.3% above their September high in local currency terms and a rather larger 4.7% in sterling terms.