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With a drop in consumer spending and a halt in international travel, payments companies were naturally impacted during 2020. And yet, at the same time, the past year has seen a huge shift from cash to digital payments, as consumers look for more hygienic methods of paying.

Taking a closer look at these trends, we take a deep-dive into Mastercard and American Express, the two payments companies held in portfolios.

The fourth quarter marked a strong end to a turbulent year, shoring up the remarkable market recovery in the latter half of 2020. Market performance was boosted by the rolling out of vaccinations alongside supportive policy, continued economic recovery and encouraging geopolitical developments. This supported our view that markets tend to ‘look across the valley’, especially in what was primarily a public health crisis, rather than an economic or financial one. An equally impressive quarter for portfolios was bolstered by the rotation towards ‘value’ stocks and several key investment decisions made during the last few months.

In our latest Meet the Manager podcast we spoke with founder and CIO of Abbey Capital, Tony Gannon. Abbey Capital is the world’s largest manager of world's largest manager of multi-manager managed futures funds, with a particular focus on trend following strategies. 

Tony gives us an insight into this industry, how it can provide a source of returns even in adverse market conditions, as well as how Abbey Capital's multi-manager approach sets them apart.

With the 2020 US Presidential Election now less than a week away, Joe Biden maintains a robust lead in the polls despite aggressive campaigning by President Trump. Nonetheless, after a remarkable year, and given what happened in 2016, it is still impossible to be certain of either a Democrat or Republican victory on 3rd November.

In this special election podcast, we are joined by financier, entrepreneur and Trump’s former White House Director of Communications, Anthony Scaramucci. Anthony shares his personal experiences in the White House and gives an exclusive insight into the president’s character. Now a passionate Biden supporter, he discusses the various forces at play going into the election, as well as his predictions for its outcome and beyond.  

As markets continue to build upon their second quarter rebound, economic recovery has continued, albeit unevenly. Analysing these dynamics alongside prevailing geopolitical concerns, we remain positive about the current trajectory of recovery, considering generous monetary policy and recovery packages. After a strong but ‘lumpy’ quarter for portfolios, we outline the gains made by our Return Assets. Debating the prospect of a rotation in the market, we explain the changes which have been made in portfolios to pre-empt such a rotation and potential inflation risks.

In times of crisis, it is natural to look to the past for guidance. Now, as we continue to navigate the challenges of this global pandemic, we reflect on our experiences as a firm, how we have weathered periods of volatility and how our family origins have shaped our longevity as a business.

As non-essential shops begin to re-open, high streets and shopping centres are gradually recovering some semblance of normality. Nonetheless, months of lockdown and lost footfall have dealt a devasting blow to brick-and-mortar retail, with fashion and clothing stores making up a substantial part of this sector. In this podcast, we take a closer look at the impacts of COVID-19 on retail and luxury fashion. Sian Westerman, a Senior Advisor in Rothschild & Co’s Global Financial Advisory business, and the Co-Chair of the British Fashion Council Trust speaks with Stephanie Phair, Chair of the British Fashion Council, founder of TheOutnet.com and Chief Customer Officer at luxury online retailer, Farfetch. Stephanie speaks of Farfetch's experience during the pandemic as well as her insight into the wider and longer-term impacts for the retail sector. 

After a dramatic stock market plunge in the first quarter of 2020, markets have rebounded almost as dramatically in the second quarter. We therefore maintain that because the downturn was deliberate, and as stock markets tend to be forward-looking, it may well prove relatively short-lived. Re-emphasising the surprising pace of this rebound, we explain that portfolios have recovered much of the losses sustained in the first quarter, and look ahead to the opportunity which lies in the current dispersion between industries and markets.

Based in the growing tech ‘hub’ of Austin,Texas, we speak with Jay Creel and John Dowling of Bares Capital who invest in small-to-mid-cap tech disruptors with long-term growth potential.

In lockdown, cooking and eating at home, without the luxury of restaurants or cafés, has encouraged many of us to think more about how we source and consume our food. Shifts in demand and social distancing restrictions have also caused huge disruption for producers, highlighting critical issues in the ways we grow, distribute and import our food.

In this podcast we speak with chef and restaurant owner Paul Ainsworth, food journalist Dan Saladino and Akeel Sachak, our Global Head of Consumer, as we delve into the effects the pandemic has had on the industry.