Barclays Brief

Investor positioning across Asian equities is shifting, with opportunities increasingly driven by market-specific factors rather than a single regional or thematic narrative. In this episode of Barclays Brief, Patrick Coffey is joined by Kaan Singh, Head of APAC Barclays Equities Tactical Strategies and Flow Equity Derivatives, to dive in to where investors are putting money to work in Asia and wh...

Ten years after the Brexit referendum, many studies assess the effects on the UK economy as negative, pointing to weaker growth, lower investment and a tighter fiscal backdrop as its legacy. But the focus now is forward-looking. After Andy Burnham set out his 10-year economic vision centred on devolving more power to Britain’s cities and regions, the debate is shifting from what Brexit changed to...

The World Cup has kicked off across North America in its largest and most geographically dispersed format yet. This year, the tournament expands to 48 teams (up from 32 in 2022), 104 matches (vs. 64) and 16 host cities across the US, Canada and Mexico. The scale is set to drive a surge of visitors, viewership and national pride, but the economic payoff may be short-lived.​ ​In this episode of Barc...

Consumer health is undergoing a structural shift, moving beyond traditional treatment and becoming embedded in everyday spending. Where consumers were once focused on curing illness, they are increasingly aiming for prevention, with demand extending across categories from supplements and sports nutrition to oral health and functional foods.​ ​In this episode of the Barclays Brief, Patrick Coffey i...

US equities have delivered strong gains year-to-date, despite a challenging macro backdrop, but that momentum is beginning to look less secure. While fundamentals remain supportive, the near‑term setup is becoming more stretched.​ In this episode of Barclays Brief, Patrick Coffey is joined by Alex Altman, Head of Equity Tactical Strategies in our Markets division, to break down his shift to a shor...

The path for US interest rates has shifted sharply in recent months, as markets move from pricing rate cuts to pricing a potential hike. In this episode, Ronnie Wexler sits down with Barclays’ Chief US Economist Marc Giannoni to look at what’s driving that shift. At the centre of the discussion is inflation. While headline inflation has been pushed higher by rising energy prices driven by the Iran...

Productivity growth has been uneven across many sectors and economies. But AI in the form of humanoid robotics could change that, extending automation into physical services at scale. In this episode of Barclays Brief, Patrick Coffey is joined by Christian Keller, Head of Economics Research, to discuss what this shift could mean for productivity and the wider macro outlook. Keller explains that wh...

Global bond yields have been rising sharply, with long-term yields breaking higher across multiple markets - pushing US 30‑year yields above 5%.​ The sell-off was initially triggered by energy-linked inflation resulting from the Iran war, but increasingly reflects a broader, cross‑market re-pricing, with fiscal pressures, shifting rate expectations and signs of bear‑flattening emerging in key mark...

Markets are facing two competing inflation stories at the same time: a near‑term energy shock pushing inflation risks higher, and the possibility that AI acts as a medium to longer-run disinflationary force.​ In this episode of Barclays Brief, Patrick Coffey, Global Head of the Product Management, sits down with Jon Hill, Head of US Inflation Strategy, to break down how energy price spikes feed in...

Jet fuel shortages linked to the continuing Iran war are dominating headlines, raising questions about whether this poses a genuine risk to global travel or whether markets are getting ahead of the reality. As the airline industry moves toward the peak summer travel period, Patrick Coffey sits down with our Head of European Transport Equity Research, Andrew Lobbenberg, to dissect what’s happening...

Credit markets often process stress before other parts of the market are able to. During periods of volatility, the signals they send can help investors distinguish between shocks that are likely to prove temporary and those that risk becoming more systemic.​ In this episode of Barclays Brief, Ronnie Wexler, Head of Equities, sits down with Drew Mogavero, Global Head of Credit Products and CEO of...

Food delivery is changing fast, with last-mile autonomous hardware being developed and deployed at pace. In this episode of the Barclays Brief, Patrick Coffey is joined by Guillaume Galland to explore how robots and drones are beginning to reshape food delivery economics around the world. Drawing on ground‑level observations from cities including Los Angeles, Helsinki, Dublin and Dubai, Guillaume...

Prediction markets are suddenly top of mind for a range of people. From elections and sporting events to pop culture and breaking news, probabilities are flashing across screens in real time. What started as a niche concept is increasingly being treated as a signal for how uncertainty gets processed and priced.​ In this episode of the Barclays Brief, Ronnie Wexler sits down with US Gaming Research...

Quantum computing has long been viewed as a future technology. Now, it’s poised to overtake classical computing systems in specific useful tasks in the next 12-24 months. In this episode of Barclays Brief, Laia Marin joins Patrick Coffey to discuss why now may be the time for corporates and investors to engage with quantum computing. They break down the fundamentals, including the different modali...

In recent months, market narratives have been dominated by geopolitical shocks, energy volatility and higher interest rates. But step back, and a much bigger story is coming into focus. Advanced economies may be on the cusp of a new, historic investment cycle – one with the potential to rival the great build‑outs of the past, from 19th‑century railroads to the Apollo missions and the information‑t...

Markets have been anything but calm lately. Inflation shocks, surging energy prices and the AI narrative have collided to deliver one of the most dramatic periods in rates markets in years, forcing investors to rethink interest‑rate paths in real time. In Europe and the UK, that reassessment has been especially stark. Expectations for rate cuts have rapidly flipped to pricing further hikes, with t...

Markets may look relatively steady compared with past oil shocks, but the real story sits in the undercurrents. Despite only a modest pullback in major indices, the Iran‑linked shock has sparked some of the sharpest sector rotations in years as fast‑moving capital unwinds crowded trades and reprices global risk. In this episode of Barclays Brief, Patrick Coffey is joined once again by Alex Altmann...

Volatility has returned, and markets are recalibrating risk premia as new sources of uncertainty emerge across oil, inflation expectations, private credit and the AI investment cycle. In this episode of the Barclays Brief, Ronnie Wexler speaks with Ajay Rajadhyaksha to break down how markets are processing this uncertainty, and the transmission mechanisms that matter most for the medium-term path....

Weight loss drugs have pushed the obesity therapeutics market to an inflection point, reshaping not only patient behaviour, healthcare spending and investor expectations, but also potentially the global economic outlook, as lower obesity rates could promise higher productivity and reduced long term healthcare costs. In this episode of the Barclays Brief, Patrick Coffey speaks with Emily Field, Hea...

Software equities sit in the eye of the AI storm, caught at a decisive inflection point as AI reshapes the sector and investors grapple with one of the sharpest valuation resets in years. ​ In Episode 20 of the Barclays Brief, Raimo Lenschow, Head of North American Software Research, joins Ronnie Wexler, Global Head of Equities Distribution, to explore what’s driving the sell‑off and why the long‑...

European Industrials have underperformed for years, but signs of stabilisation are emerging. In Episode 19 of The Barclays Brief, George Featherstone, European Industrials Research Analyst, joins Patrick Coffey to unpack what the next phase of Europe’s Industrial sector could look like – and where early momentum may be building.​ The conversation explores areas of optimism for the sector, from imp...

Japan’s decisive election result is recalibrating market expectations, bringing FX, rates and fiscal policy signals into sharper focus. The LDP’s clear mandate will likely feed through to household demand, BoJ decisions and global moves in rates and FX, with implications for global investors’ near-term portfolio positioning. In this episode of Barclays Brief, Yun Zhang, Co‑Head of FIC Trading, Asi...

Sharp swings across precious metals, especially gold, have thrust the sector into the spotlight, sustaining investor interest and stirring fresh debate over whether a new supercycle is emerging. Amos Fletcher, European Metals & Mining Research Analyst, joins Ronnie Wexler on The Barclays Brief to unpack what’s driving the moves. A powerful mix of macro and structural forces is at work: shiftin...

Most episodes of The Barclays Brief focus on a single market theme, but this week we have a special episode for you. Adeel Khan, our Global Head of Markets, joined hosts Ronnie Wexler and Patrick Coffey, to give you his insights across the full breadth of macro, equities and credit, bringing you perspectives from Adeel’s unique vantage point. Adeel outlines why the global backdrop remains more res...

Humanoid robotics is moving from experimentation and into a true economic inflection point. The market, valued at just $2–3bn today, is projected to expand to ~$40bn by 2035 in the base case*, with upside scenarios approaching $200bn as physical AI scales across labour‑intensive sectors. In this episode of the Barclays Brief, Zornitsa Todorova, Head of Thematic FICC Research, joins host Patrick Co...