Energy prices
£800 expected increase in typical energy bill per year from October.
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NatWest Invest
Our outlook on the second half of 2022
The value of investments can fall as well as rise, and you may not get back the full amount you invest. Eligibility criteria, fees and charges apply. Past performance is not an indicator of future performance and should not be relied on as such. Information on this page was collated and published in July 2022.
The story so far
It might feel a bit like we’ve jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Just as the worst of Covid-19 seemingly passed, new crises have begun, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine further pushing up the price of both energy and food. Markets, which had been showing record performance at the start of the year, have now dipped. We also saw the UK Prime Minister resign in July, but although that’s big political news, we wouldn’t expect it to have a large impact on global markets.
The potential for returns
Investing in a diversified portfolio could help spread the risk of investing by not having all your eggs in one basket. This means investing in different asset classes, including stocks and bonds. And the longer you invest, the more opportunity you provide for your money to grow. But please be aware there are risks too.
Is an end in sight?
It continues to be a tough time for everyone, but there are some signs that these price rises may have peaked. This doesn’t mean prices will come back down but some of the pressures pushing them up, like supply chain problems, are easing.
With the UK economy growing at a reduced pace, and even declining in parts, the Bank of England will be cautious and may raise interest rates more slowly. This may be good if you’re borrowing but less so if you’re saving.
Things you could do to ease the squeeze
Start by budgeting
With prices on the up, keep on top of what you're spending and where. This can help you manage your budget better and find out if you could be saving money. Try our ‘Spending’ tracker in your NatWest app.
Think about investing
Inflation (rising costs) can eat away the buying power of your savings. So, if you don’t expect to access all of your money in the immediate future, you may want to consider investing some of it. Over the long term, investing can provide higher potential returns than just keeping cash. This could offset rising inflation – but remember investing can be risky too and you could get back less than you put in. Find out if saving or investing is the best option for you.
Historical data shows investment markets are likely to recover and see growth beyond their last high point within 12 months of a downturn.
Investing could be a good way to reach your goals in the future. As you can see below, if you had left £100 invested in a global index since 2001, it would be worth nearly around £400 today. Though, of course, markets can go down as well up.
Source: Coutts/MSCI Global
Past performance is not an indicator of future performance and you may get back less than you initially invested.
Investing for good
Our investments are managed by the Coutts Asset Management team who are committed to investing for purpose as well as profit, pushing companies to work for the environment and society.
Learn more about investments
Whether you’re an experienced investor or just finding out what investing is, we’ve got a range of articles to help you understand more about investing.
We regularly update our articles depending on what’s happening in the market so check back for future updates.