Stockmarkets have a spring in their step
Global stockmarkets have been basking in the post-Covid economic recovery as GDP, retail sales and manufacturing are all on the way back up.

Spring is here and the economy is blossoming, says Randall Forsyth in Barron’s. Mass vaccination and “trillions of dollars of fiscal and monetary Miracle-Gro” have nourished the economy’s green shoots. US GDP is expanding at a 6% annual rate; jobs growth has surpassed expectations. Retail sales rose by 9.8% month-on-month in March as Americans spent their stimulus cheques.
Signs of a global recovery are especially clear in manufacturing, says Jim O’Neill in Project Syndicate. The US manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) has recorded its highest reading since 1983. The eurozone equivalent hit the highest level in the bloc’s 22-year history, while the UK manufacturing PMI rose to a ten-year high.
Inflation emerges
Global markets have been basking in the recovery. America’s S&P 500 and Dow indices both finished last week at record highs following four straight weeks of gains. The pan-European Stoxx 600 hit a new record peak on Monday morning. The FTSE 100 has eclipsed 7,000 (see page 5).
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Markets did fall back slightly at the beginning of this week, report Naomi Rovnick and Colby Smith in the Financial Times. A worsening Covid-19 situation in places such as India and Brazil has raised doubts about whether the global recovery is really secure. Yuko Takano of Newton Investment Management adds that markets have now priced in all the good news about vaccines and stimulus. They need “something new to look forward to”.
The first signs of price rises have also started to emerge. Annual US inflation hit 2.6% in March, a significant rise from February’s reading of 1.7%. You would have bet that bond markets would panic at the news, but in the event they shrugged, says John Authers on Bloomberg. The inflation spike was driven by the recovery in oil prices, which plunged below zero one year ago this week. Stripping out oil and food, “core” inflation remains under control for now. The consensus is that the US is heading for inflation a little over target over the next five years, but investors are not yet betting on an outright “regime shift” that takes us back to the 1970s.
The S&P 500 is up by 87% since its nadir in March last year and the bull market has never looked healthier, says Caitlin McCabe in The Wall Street Journal. The initial rebound was driven by technology stocks. Yet this year other sectors have risen. A “broader” market rally usually has further to run than one dependent on a few stocks.
How much longer?
With interest rates pinned to the floor and central bankers still gorging themselves on bonds, there is little prospect of markets rolling over, says Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in The Daily Telegraph. There are a few signs of cooling sentiment: appetite for newly floated businesses is not what it was, as shown by the Deliveroo flop. Geopolitical risks are worsening (see page 14). Inflation is another worry. Yet for now, none of that is likely to put a dent in the bull market. “Great equity booms” can go on “for a year or 18 months longer than a nervous rationalist believes possible.”
Sign up for MoneyWeek's newsletters
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Alex is an investment writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2015. He has been the magazine’s markets editor since 2019.
Alex has a passion for demystifying the often arcane world of finance for a general readership. While financial media tends to focus compulsively on the latest trend, the best opportunities can lie forgotten elsewhere.
He is especially interested in European equities – where his fluent French helps him to cover the continent’s largest bourse – and emerging markets, where his experience living in Beijing, and conversational Chinese, prove useful.
Hailing from Leeds, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. He also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Manchester.
-
IMF suggests “refinements” to Rachel Reeves’s fiscal rules
The IMF has upgraded the UK’s growth forecast but wants Reeves to refine her fiscal rules to avoid unnecessary spending cuts or tax rises
-
Invest like a tortoise, not a hare to avoid market volatility
Opinion Hassan Raza, Portfolio Manager at CG Asset Management, highlights three favourite investment companies
-
Investment opportunities in the world of Coca-Cola
There is far more to Coca-Cola than just one giant firm. The companies that bottle and distribute the ubiquitous soft drink are promising investments in their own right.
-
Streaming services are the new magic money tree for investors – but for how long?
Opinion Streaming services are in full bloom and laden with profits, but beware – winter is coming, warns Matthew Lynn
-
'Pension funds shouldn't be pushed into private equity sector'
Opinion The private-equity party is over, so don't push pension funds into the sector, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
-
Greg Abel: Warren Buffett’s heir takes the throne
Greg Abel is considered a safe pair of hands as he takes centre stage at Berkshire Hathaway. But he arrives after one of the hardest acts to follow in investment history, Warren Buffett. Can he thrive?
-
Who will be the next Warren Buffett?
Opinion There won’t be another Warren Buffett. Times have changed, and the opportunities are no longer there, says Matthew Lynn.
-
Will Comstock crash – or soar?
Opinion The upside for Comstock, a solar panel-recycling and biomass-refining group, dwarfs the downside, says Dominic Frisby.
-
'As AGMs go digital, firms must offer a new form of scrutiny for shareholders'
Opinion Technology has rendered big AGM meet-ups obsolete, but the board still needs to be held to account, says Matthew Lynn
-
Unilever braces for inflation amid tariff uncertainty – what does it mean for investors?
Consumer-goods giant Unilever has made steady progress simplifying its operations. Will tariffs now cause turbulence?