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Central banks were active this week, as both the Federal Reserve and Bank of England held their final meetings of the year, setting the stage for what is sure to be a very interesting 2025.

In what has been a remarkable year for geopolitics, the final few weeks of 2024 have been truly extraordinary. In the past two weeks alone, we have seen the French government voted down, the declaration of martial law in South Korea, the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and a confidence vote in Germany.

Historically, December is one of the strongest months for stock markets. For example, in recent years the S&P 500 has registered gains in four of the past five Decembers. This is often attributed to the so-called “Santa Claus rally”, which buoys stocks in the weeks leading up to Christmas. What’s sometimes overlooked, however, is that the “rally” starts before December, right after Thanksgiving.

Last week we discussed which markets and sectors are likely to be impacted under Donald Trump’s administration. This week, we take a closer look at how Trump’s win may impact the UK.

Trump inherits a strong economy with high inflation and a budget deficit. Markets expect his policies—deregulation, tax cuts, and tariffs—to benefit small businesses and financials but could harm renewable energy and tech sectors. Active money management is crucial amid geopolitical volatility and waning globalisation, affecting various sectors differently.

Speak to almost any business manager and they will tell you that attempting to predict their business accurately on a 12-month basis is very hard, and over a quarter is nearly impossible.

What started as an evening of cautious optimism ended in unbridled joy for Republicans as Donald Trump won convincingly to become the 47th president of the United States, four years after he was defeated by Joe Biden.

The historic 30th October budget by the first female Labour Chancellor brought the biggest tax increases since 1993. Find out more about the implications on individuals, businesses and the broader economy.

As we enter the final weeks of the upcoming US presidential election, we expect there to be further volatility in both equity and bond markets in the fourth quarter of this year.

The devastation and destruction left by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the United States this autumn will extend beyond the loss of lives and property for years to come. Severe weather can cause severe disruption to the labour market by prompting job losses and downturns across industries. These storms have the power to reshape the US jobs market and economists expect they will complicate employment data collection, which ultimately affects policy makers’ decisions.