UK IHT receipts have tripled since 2010, hitting £8.2 billion.

The US government officially entered a shutdown on 1st October after lawmakers were unable to agree on new funding for the fiscal year. While the headlines can sound dramatic, the reality is often more muted.

Global equity markets have posted all-time highs again this week, continuing to climb, up c.10% year to date. This comes despite the volatility in April, when policy uncertainty, prolonged high interest rates, and geopolitical tensions were in the spotlight. A few months have made a remarkable difference.

The Federal Reserve’s (Fed) decision to cut rates this week has drawn sharp attention, but few were surprised. After months of speculation, the first reduction since December 2024 arrived against a backdrop of slowing job growth, rising unemployment claims, and persistent inflation.

This article explores what stewardship means in practice, the approaches available to investors, and why active engagement is often the most effective way to influence company behaviour. We also outline how stewardship is applied across atomos portfolios.

The markets’ expectations for a rate cut in the US have heightened, but there is a fair amount of noise surrounding the decision. Investors are still optimistic, yet the conditions for consumers are under question.

The US dollar has materially weakened since the beginning of the year, with the dollar index down -10.3%. After many years of resilience, the greenback has softened against the euro, yen and sterling as traders recalibrate expectations for the most traded currency in the world.