Blackfinch Group
Market Update
The ever-changing world we live in reinforces the importance
of regular up-to-date communication. This weekly news update from our
multi-asset portfolio managers provides you with a summary of global events
for your reference and to share with clients.
Issue 141 | 9th May, 2023
UK COMMENTARY
- The divergence in fortunes of the UK’s manufacturing and services sectors continued. The seasonally-adjusted S&P Global/CIPS UK manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to a
three-month low of 47.8 in April, whereas the services sector accelerated sharply to 55.9 from 52.9.
- Data from the British Retail Consortium showed shop price inflation slowed marginally to 8.8% in April, from 8.9% in March.
- The Federation of Small Businesses described its headline confidence measure as “lightly negative” at -2.8%. However, this was deemed a “significant upturn” from the reading of -45.8% recorded for Q4 2022.
NORTH AMERICA COMMENTARY
- The US Federal Reserve (Fed) raised interest rates by 0.25% to a range of between 5% and 5.25%, in line with market
expectations. The more noteworthy change was in the language used by the Fed which suggested this could be the last rise, for now at least.
- The impending US debt ceiling default continued to cause concern, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stating the US government would likely run out of funds necessary to meet its debt obligations in early June, should an agreement not be reached.
- The US economy added more jobs than expected in April. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed non-farm payroll employment rose by 253k, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%.
- Services sector strength continued, with the S&P Global Services Sector PMIs rising to 53.6 in April, from 52.6 in March.
EUROPE COMMENTARY
- A flash inflation estimate from Eurostat suggested Eurozone inflation increased for the first time in six months in April, up from
6.9% to 7.0%.
- There were no surprises from the ECB as it raised interest rates by 0.25%, meeting market expectations.
- Factory orders in Germany fell 10.7% in March, a larger drop than many economists had forecast, according to data published by Destatis.
Did you know we have a variety of additional
market update options to choose from?
Provide an exceptional advisory experience for your clients with our market updates including a live webinar presented by our investment team.
Simply sign up to as many as you would like to receive, and we'll do the rest!
1350-1360 Montpellier Court, Gloucester Business Park, Gloucester, GL3 4AH
Blackfinch Investments Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales No. 2705948. Registered Office: 1350-1360 Montpellier Court, Gloucester Business Park, Gloucester, GL3 4AH
This email, including any attachments, is intended only for use by the addressee(s) named herein and may contain legally privileged and/or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient of this email (or the person responsible for delivering this document to the intended recipient), you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, printing or copying of this email, including any attachment, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please respond to the individual sending the message, and permanently delete the original and any copy of any email and printout thereof.
Please note that any views or opinions expressed in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Blackfinch. While Blackfinch scans all outgoing emails for viruses, the recipient should check this email and any attachments for the presence of them. Blackfinch accepts no liability for any damage/loss caused by any virus transmitted by this email.