Despite the escalation of trade tensions during the third quarter, economic activity has remained quite resilient. Macro data releases even managed to beat expectations in the U.S. and in Japan, leading to a sudden rise in bond yields over the course of September.

The UK takes a big step towards Brexit, with today's key announcement. Parliamentary ratification is the next major hurdle to clear. With the DUP reportedly uncomfortable with the deal, the parliamentary arithmetic for Saturday's vote is very hard to call.

According to a forecast of the United Nations, more than 68% of the world's population will live in urban areas by 2050, and smart technology can help to tackle the challenges emerging from this trend of rapid urbanization...

Progress in trade talks between the U.S. and China and in Brexit negotiations knocked down safe assets last week. Bond yields rose in most developed countries and gold prices fell, as the stance on both thorny issues reversed and turned positive.

GAM Investments' Tim Love reflects on the performance of his frontier market plays, Vietnam, Argentina, Romania, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia (VARPS) so far this year and discusses the investment opportunities and risks associated with these economies.