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The past 12 months have been a rollercoaster for investors, dominated by inflationary pressures, market volatility and political uncertainty. Despite the headwinds, global markets have delivered positive returns. As we move into 2026, key questions remain: will growth hold, is inflation still a risk, and how will markets respond to the US midterms? Richard Warne, Senior Portfolio Manager at Copia, explores the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Markets sold off in November. Generally, it was driven by concerns over valuations in technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI). This had a marked negative effect on the US equity market, and because the US represents a large part of global index (over 70% of MSCI World is in the US) it had an impact on the broader global equity index too…

The US Federal Reserve cut rates for a third consecutive meeting and maintained their outlook for just one cut in 2026. The Federal Open Market Committee voted 9-3 on Wednesday to lower interest rates by 25 basis point…

Donald Trump’s return to the White House was always likely to create uncertainty. His re-election alongside a host of economic and geopolitical factors contributed to a changeable trading environment.

Nevertheless, despite pockets of volatility, most major asset classes have performed well. For us, it’s been a year where narrative-driven investing, prudent protection and thoughtful diversification have all played a role in delivering strong performances across our portfolio range…

Our Short-Dated Bond Portfolio (SDBP) has just passed its three-year anniversary. Looking back on performance, the team and I are very proud that it’s delivered on our core objective to provide steady and better-than-cash returns with low levels of risk and volatility…

US markets made modest gains last week as the odds of an interest rate cut happening at this week’s Federal Reserve meeting increased. Wednesday’s data from payroll processing firm ADP showed private employers in the US shed 32,000 jobs in November. ADP’s Chief Economist, Nela Richardson said the fall was “led by a pullback among small businesses” as small firms (less than 50 employees) removed 120,000 jobs in total. With the next batch of shutdown-delayed government jobs data not due until after the next Fed meeting, the ADP numbers will add more pressure on the Fed to cut rates on Wednesday…