February market update – developed markets maintained momentum

Chief Investment Officer Chris Godding and Senior Research Analyst Louie French give their commentary on what happened in the markets and global economies over the month of February 2019.

Published on 05 Mar 20191 minute read

After a much-needed recovery in January, investors continued to show their love for global equity markets in February. Developed market equities maintained their positive momentum over the month, supported by a more dovish outlook from global Central banks and improvements in US-China trade tensions.

What happened in the markets?

Chinese equities were also notably strong in February, in contrast to the broader emerging markets, which were the laggards in equity markets
Another month of higher energy prices was a key driver of positive commodity market returns, while in currency markets, the pound notably strengthened over the month, as expectations of a softer Brexit grew
A rise in yields towards the end of the month resulted in weaker total returns for government bond markets, but credit markets remained marginally positive overall

Read our market commentary

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