Will this be the summer lull before the storm?

Clouds of Brexit and trade wars still hang over investors

The summer lull is here and newsflow has reflected this with far less activity than previous weeks.

Yet investors' main concerns - predominantly trade wars and Brexit - have far from disappeared. The question on everyone's minds now is: are we nearing the end of the bull market cycle (and at risk of facing a crippling Q4 akin to 2018) or can markets run higher into 2020 and beyond? The consensus appears to be an expectation of a global recession in 18 months' to two years' time, so the quieter period from now until September is an opportune time for investors to step away from the noise and reassess portfolios. But whose predictions should they believe? Those in the 'risk off' ca...