1. ETF inflows reach record highs

ETF inflows for 2021 have reached $488.5 billion. Traditionally, inflows in the second half of the year tend to be greater than the first half as shown in the graph below.

Key facts

IPO date: 7th July 2021

Stock market debut: London Stock Exchange

Ticker symbol: WISE

Offer price: £8 per share

Shares offered: No new shares issued as the IPO was a direct listing

2020 figures: Revenue of £421 million in 2020 and the firm has been profitable since 2017.

Company Overview

Wise was founded in 2010 and is one of the UK’s biggest fintech firms. The firm focuses on online money transfer services and has recently branched out by offering customer and business accounts. …

1. China cracks down on tech companies and US listings

On Tuesday, China announced it would crack down on Chinese companies listing overseas, a move which could cool the current booming IPO market. Beijing’s State Council released a statement announcing it would tighten data regulations in relation to “cross-border data flows and the information security of overseas-listed companies.”

Didi Global is one of the companies under scrutiny by Chinese regulators. Didi ended trading down nearly 5% on Wednesday after plunging 20% on Tuesday. …

Key facts

IPO date: 1st July 2021

Stock market debut: Nasdaq Stock Exchange

Ticker symbol: DNUT

Offer price: $17 per share

Shares offered: 29,411,765 shares

2020 figures: Revenue rose 17% to $1.12 billion, but the company reported a net loss of $60.9 million.

Company Overview

Krispy Kreme is popular all over the world for its doughnuts. The company was founded in America in 1937 and rapidly grew into one of the largest and most famous doughnut brands globally. Their main sources of revenue come from the sale of doughnuts and other food and drink, with their most iconic product being…

1. Inflation may rise to 4% says Bank of England economists

Andy Haldane, outgoing Chief Economist for the Bank of England has stated that he expects UK inflation to be nearer 4% than 3% by the end of this year. If this was to occur, inflation would be double the Bank’s target of 2%. Last week, the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) stated in its meeting that inflation could peak at 3% by the end of this year and thus left interest rates unchanged at 0.1%.

Haldane also warned that this would have adverse consequences for everyone in the country as well as the economy itself: “If this risk…

1. Crypto market update

China cracks down on crypto — Monday

China has enhanced its crackdown on cryptocurrencies as the top three mining regions in the country have started making moves against miners. Moreover, the government reportedly met with major banks again this week to reiterate that banks cannot be involved with cryptocurrency transactions. According to the Financial Times, the country’s central bank on Monday warned several of its largest state-owned banks and Alipay to “investigate and identify” bank accounts facilitating cryptocurrency trading and block all corresponding transactions.

The Chinese government says it’s acting now because of concerns around crypto’s volatile price, and its…

1. UK Inflation rises above Bank of England target

UK consumer price inflation (CPI) jumped to 2.1% in May, above the Bank of England’s 2% target and its highest since July 2019, official figures showed today. This was an increase of 0.6% from April and the rise was mostly caused by the pent up demand, some of which was released in May as lockdown restrictions eased. Inflation rising too sharply is seen as a sign that the economy is running into difficulties as demand is outstripping supply.

The increase was caused by a surge in fuel costs, clothing and eating out. Fuel prices in the UK are rising at…

When the pandemic began to take hold last March and lockdowns were enforced, banks and other businesses alike had to adapt their business models quickly to ensure their employees could work from home. The financial sector has now more or less been working from home for a year and a half.

As lockdowns have begun to ease in the UK and workers are slowly being encouraged to return to offices, many banks and financial services firms have decided to stick with elements of the working-from-home model and allow their employees more flexibility. The question now remains as to whether banks…