Chris Dillow

House prices are edging up. But this might not do much to stimulate consumer spending

Investors should not be tempted to buy shares merely because interest rates are low

Investors sometimes misjudge probabilities and so have portfolios that are more balanced than experts would recommend. But this is a good thing

Next week's numbers could show that western economies have not yet been hit by the coronavirus outbreak, although China is suffering

The eurozone economy is set for weak growth but inflation is low, next week's figures could tell us

US company profits are not doing anything like as well as the stock market would suggest

Government borrowing does not raise gilt yields

The idea of a share's beta is misleading: a share's response to a rise in the aggregate market varies depending on why the market has risen.

Sterling is cheap – but this might reflect the UK's poor growth prospects and the fact that the currency is riskier than others

Government borrowing raises gilt yields only if it increases inflation

Shipping costs have collapsed. History, however, tells us that this is no reason for equity investors to worry

Next week's numbers could bring a few signs of economic recovery, and a reason for equity investors to still be optimistic