How can investors weather the 'perfect storm'?

Royal London Asset Management's Derek Mitchell (pictured) looks at what is driving global stocks, and asks if macro events are combining to create 'the perfect storm' in markets.

Employment figures for the past quarter, while still showing an improvement, also suggest the pace at which jobs are being created is slowing down. That said, the 29.6 million people who are in work can still play a major role in delivering some semblance of domestic recovery as confidence improves, albeit slowly. Include the £6bn present delivered to households courtesy of PPI compensation and Christmas may just be game on after all. Despite the jump in short-term inflation, it remains significantly below levels witnessed as recently as the autumn of last year. As we approach 2013...