Elections, rates, AI and China

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his State of the Nation address on June 20, having led the ANC to victory in May’s elections. But his administration needs to move fast to address an economic slowdown, argues Bryony Deuchars.

We speak to the political scientist about the long-term themes affecting emerging markets, from the trade war to technological automation to climate change.

How China deals with the challenges of rising debt, a transition to a consumer economy and the technological ‘arms race’ with the West will have big implications for investors.

The insurance industry has evolved rapidly since the financial crisis. The next decade is shaping up to be every bit as transformative as firms grapple with a host of factors, most notably the unfolding regulatory framework, digital disruption and climate change.

China is stepping up efforts to stabilise growth after it sagged last year to a three-decade low. But by piling more debt on an already highly leveraged economy, Beijing looks to be storing up problems for the future.

Almost a decade on from the sovereign debt crisis, we explore whether the euro zone’s peripheral economies have materially improved or old vulnerabilities will again become apparent as growth slows.

Trade wars have disrupted supply chains and weighed on stock performance in emerging markets. But as manufacturing companies shift production away from China to evade tariffs, some of its neighbours are thriving.

With cheap loans returning to the European Central Bank’s toolkit, questions must be asked again about the health of the region’s banks.

The idea that in one’s sixties it might be time to step out of work and retire into a life of leisure is relatively recent. But with more people living longer, expectations of retirement are being reshaped.

Around the world, political and economic liberalisation have gone hand in hand since the early 1980s. However, as more countries turn to populist leaders, could the world be about to fall out of love with free-market economics too?

Brexit continues to dominate headlines in the UK, but the European Union faces other long-term challenges, from the rise of Euroscepticism in Italy to the stalled progress of euro zone reform.

Financial markets have surged since the start of the year after central banks appeared to put monetary policy tightening on hold. Our investment teams give their views on where monetary policy goes next and what that means for asset prices.