At the time of writing, England are just about to kick-off against France in their first game in the European Championships. Hopes are not high for our team in this competition but like many people my hope springs eternal and you just never know!
As far as investors are concerned European fiscal worries have played heavily on client confidence over recent months. Fortunately not all asset types have been adversely affected by recent volatility. Many of our clients have Gilts and Corporate Bonds in their portfolios and these have performed more steadily. We have always taken the view that blending different asset types can help to manage investment risk.
With a question mark hanging over Greece’s continued membership of the Euro, there is still potential downside risk with equity markets. Any news perceived as ‘good’ though, seems to quickly feed through to gains on share prices. If Europe’s political leaders manage to finally implement a workable plan to resolve the European fiscal crisis, there could be a considerable surge in stockmarket valuations. This is a very big ‘if’ though and until a viable resolution is found, volatility is likely to be the order of the day.
