Latest articles by Alex Rankine
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Turkey heads for a currency crisis as the lira plummets
News The Turkish lira has lost 40% of its value so far this year after the central bank bowed to pressure to cut interest rates.
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Is it time to remortgage your home?
Advice Banks are already starting to prepare for higher interest rates, says Alex Rankine. Should you, too?
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It’s time to buy British stocks
News The UK economy remains sluggish and still faces many headwinds. But things are looking brighter for British stocks.
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Emerging market stocks fall behind the developed world
News The MSCI emerging market stock index is down this year, while developed-world stockmarkets have rallied.
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Rising inflation puts central banks’ credibility at stake
News Central banks are running out of excuses for not raising interest rates as inflation soars.
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Should you take out private health insurance?
Advice As the NHS struggles, more people are paying for private health insurance. But is it worth it?
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Has Italy’s economy turned the corner?
News Italy’s FTSE MIB stockmarket index has returned 23% so far this year, more than double the FTSE 100’s performance over the same period.
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US stocks surge to record highs
News The S&P 500 notched up eight straight record closes in a row recently, while the small-cap Russell 2000 index saw its first record close since March.
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The Bank of England bottles it on interest rates
News Despite its own forecasts that UK inflation will hit 5% by next April, the Bank of England chose to hold British interest rates at 0.1%
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The price of gold is ready to rebound
News Despite a recent rally the price of gold is still 10% below its all-time high of summer 2020. But the year-long correction may be nearing its end as inflation really starts to bite.
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Investors lose faith in Brazil
News Brazil's benchmark Bovespa stockmarket index has fallen by 11% since January to become the world’s worst-performing market.
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Tune out of Japan’s politics – but buy Japanese stocks
News Japan's recent general election was devoid of much interest. But the country's stockmarket holds plenty of appeal.
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Stockmarket bulls drive share prices to record highs
News Despite shortages of semiconductors and workers, the energy crisis and ongoing pandemic-induced dislocations, stocks are at record highs.
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The Budget brought a short-term reprieve for investors
Advice The Budget spared investors for now – so make sure you use up all your your allowances.
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Will an interest-rate rise spark the end of Britain's housing bubble?
News The UK property market has boomed since Covid-19, underpinned by cheap money. But that could soon end.
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China’s economy faces a triple shock
News Power cuts, the pandemic and the property slowdown are slowing China's economy down.
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This inflation surge is definitely not transitory
News Policymakers have been betting that inflation will cool over the coming year, but it could last much longer than they think.
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US approves ‘‘bitcoin lite’’ ETFs
News The US financial regulator has begun approving bitcoin-themed exchange-traded funds, but with important caveats.
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Emerging-market central banks take on inflation
News Central banks in Poland, Russia, Mexico and Brazil have been raising interest rates to get ahead of global inflationary pressures.
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The world faces a chilly winter as energy prices climb
News The gas crisis has revealed Europe’s dependence on imported gas, but the rest of the world is facing higher bills too.
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India: the next global growth engine
News India's stockmarket is booming, up by 37% so far this year, and the BSE Sensex index has delivered an annualised return over the last five years of more than twice that of the FTSE 100.
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Post-Covid travel is now less testing as the rules get simpler
Advice With the scrapping of the amber and green travel lists, the rules governing re-entry to the UK have finally been simplified.
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What happened to the commodities supercycle?
News There was much talk earlier this year of a commodities supercycle. But even as energy markets boom, other commodities have come back down to earth.
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Japan’s new prime minister rattles the markets
News Investors appear unimpressed with Fumio Kishida, the man chosen to succeed Yoshihide Suga as Japan’s prime minister.
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