Wild moves in the oil price

Markets were driven by fast‑moving headlines this week, swinging between rising tensions and hopes of a lasting resolution in Iran. But strong company earnings kept equities near record highs despite the volatility.

Precious metals such as gold and silver, rare earth minerals, and industrial metals such as copper have been making headlines in recent months. We talked to a team of experts to discover what’s been driving investors’ appetite.

With Iran and the US competing to block the Strait of Hormuz, oil, gas and fertiliser trade disruptions are impacting markets.

The price of oil recently reached four-year highs. Will this be a short-lived shock or a long-term issue?

The “Magnificent Seven” begin to split as two tech giants break away from the pack.

Vital industries for UK growth like steel or cement are also energy intensive, and their decarbonisation is essential. We convened a roundtable of experts to discuss barriers and solutions to unlocking low-carbon investment opportunities.

Welcome back to Bitesize, a monthly data-viz series in which we unpack market developments in a single chart (or two), giving you sharp insights in under five minutes. This month, we explore the recent gold rush, and the surprising implications of taking money out of the equity market during dips.

Soaring technology share prices have driven US stock market concentration to unprecedented levels and pushed the US market to a record premium relative to other markets. While both trends could persist, investors need to be aware of the implications, argues Joao Toniato.

The managers of the AIMS Target Return strategy explain why investors should be prepared for more turbulence in 2023.