Insights

The U.S. Federal Reserve held interest rates steady in its policy update this week, following the path of other central banks

Volatility remains relatively subdued as the concerns about the banking sector that arose in early March have subsided. Some of the fundamental issues that had been in the forefront over the past year have, however, come back into focus.

It has been a volatile week in global markets. Concerns over the stability of the global banking system emerged after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank in California and Signature Bank in New York, and signs of stress at massive European bank...

The past several weeks have been eventful. Reporting of third-quarter corporate earnings results and forward guidance has begun. Central bank policy announcements have also driven the market narrative.

It has been a challenging few weeks for global equity markets. There is no single factor to blame, although inflationary pressures and the implications for central bank interest rate policies remain core issues

Global equity markets have gradually shrugged off some of the uncertainties created by the discovery of the new Omicron variant a few weeks ago.

Summer has culminated with a noteworthy, but expected, development - an acknowledgement from the U.S. Federal Reserve that it is nearing a decision to withdraw some of its monetary stimulus, given its confidence in the economic outlook.