Splitting out the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and board chair roles may help companies prepare for future challenges.

Given the apparently close historical relationship between various financial indicators and the economy, some commentators have been quick to talk up the danger of a US recession in view of recent market developments. Such fears appear unfounded, even if growth is likely to slow, argues Michael Grady.

With US President Donald Trump accusing China of manipulating its exchange rate to gain the upper hand on trade, we consider the likelihood of an all-out currency war between the rival superpowers.

• The results of the US midterms have had an initially supportive effect on US markets.
• Beyond this initial market response, we think there are important implications to explore for global markets, for various US equity sectors and for major macro themes.
• In this commentary, we examine four key areas: US politics, fiscal/monetary policy, domestic policy and foreign economic policy.

A divided America heads for the polls on Tuesday 6^th November to vote in the US midterms. 

Have smaller companies peaked? So far this year, US small-cap companies have outperformed large-caps. Despite the rerating, we still believe that smaller companies are attractive. Here we outline why.

Like summers, economic expansions do not last forever. Karen Ward, Chief Market Strategist for EMEA, looks at portfolio considerations in the late cycle.

Volatility in the US Treasury market has broken records this summer, reaching lows not seen since the 1960s. This can’t just be attributed to the summer lull, so what has been going on?  In this week’s episode of BVTV, Laura Frost, Investment Director looks at the opposing forces that have been at work, and examine what influence these have had on the US dollar. Inevitably, most answers lead back to President Trump.