An upside surprise to global equity markets in 2020?

With a General Election now called for 12 December, there is a chance that the acrimonious stalemate in Parliament over Brexit might soon be over and the UK will leave the EU by 31 January 2020.

Notwithstanding respectable gains in UK equities this year, investors remain subdued. The sense of Brexit fatigue is palpable. Economic paralysis currently afflicts many sectors (especially housing related) and international influences, notably the US-China trade conflict, have provided further headwinds, with global manufacturing activity slowing sharply as investment decisions are postponed.   A decade-long global expansion has prompted the assumption in some quarters that a recession is imminent, and yet it is hard to see the catalysts for a prolonged downturn. Consumer spending...