Under The Macroscope

How are the UK real estate prices affected by the latest rulings in the UK Covid Response?

Communications and Business Development guru Matthew Pearce chats to Theodore Shou, Group Chief Investment Officer, about the effects, opportunities and long-term planning around natural disasters like flooding and climate change.

Matthew Pearce welcomes back Jabir Sardharwalla after a two week absence. They chat about the impending "Freedom Day" in the UK and the effects of the lifting of the COVID restrictions.

Join us as Matthew Pearce continues his interview with Skybound Capitals Josie Davis about ESG and responsible investing.

Join us as Matthew Pearce interviews Skybound Capitals Josie Davis about ESG and responsible investing.

Semiconductors, also known as microchips and integrated circuits, are essential components in every electronics product, whether it be a simple remote control unit for changing channels on the television, or a supercomputer used to simulate weather patterns. Currently, these are in short supply.

This week Matthew and Jabir discuss the impact of COVID immunity for different countries around the world. From here they get into a fascinating discussion about the historical precedent for an impending upward trend for commodity prices.

A strange week in markets! Until yesterday, markets were selling off on the back of continued inflation worries and taper-talk which, in turn, drove yields. Amazing what a combination of Central Bank talk and misinterpretation of data can do.

Following on from last week’s Hybrid vs remote working themes, NatWest announced it only expects about 13% of its staff to return to primarily office-based working while 55% will adopt hybrid working and 32% a remote first model (minimum 2 days pm). HSBC aims to cut its office footprint by 40% over the long-term and is moving some 1,200 call centre staff to permanent home working. NatWest was quick to say they have no immediate plans to close more offices. I can’t help thinking this is an opportunity for Banks to cut back even further on costs under the pretext of Covid19. The reality is this was going to happen anyway – just more slowly. What happens to all that real estate stock these banks have? Developers will have a field day!

Skybound Capitals Matthew Pearce chats to William Boshoff, the group's Chief Information Security Officer about the threat cyber criminals pose to major businesses around the world. With some recent examples of ransomware holding companies' data hostage, what kind of threats could you be under?