Q&A: Why are stock markets falling?

Investors around the world are feeling the pain of big sell-offs in equity markets as volatility spikes to levels not seen since a flash crash in 2015.

The FTSE 100 fell by 1.7 per cent, while European shares on the Stoxx 600 index fell by 1.85 per cent at the time of writing. That came after Asian markets saw big losses, with Japan's Nikkei 225 down by 4.73 per cent, the most since 1990, and Hong Kong shares dropped by 4.77 per cent.

Why is this happening now?

The turmoil began at the start of last week, when the S&P 500 stopped its relentless march to new record highs. The driving force is increased expectations of inflation in the US, which in turn would force the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates faster than markets had priced in.

But the trigger for the more dramatic moves came on Friday, as US payrolls data showed that average hourly earnings rose by 2.9 per cent in the year to January, the fastest since 2009.

That prompted a two per cent sell-off on Wall Street for the first time during Donald Trump's presidency, followed by a four per cent fall on the S&P 500 last night.

Are inflation concerns justified – and is Trump to blame?

It would be surprising if inflation did not start to rise eventually, given the trillions of dollars of monetary stimulus pumped out by central banks – indeed, policymakers are desperate to start returning interest rates to "normal", wherever that may be.

Inflation has certainly started to pick up, resulting in the paradoxical effect of a stronger economy prompting investors to sell shares. The policies of Donald Trump have added some further fuel to the fire, with his stimulative tax cuts expected to be inflationary

Do increasing borrowing costs pose a threat to the financial system?

The International Monetary Fund and the Bank for International Settlements have been among the prominent economists who have warned that one of the biggest risks to financial stability comes from the possibility of higher inflation. That would raise bond yields and could theoretically cause an overwhelming wave of higher borrowing costs for companies.

Firms have enjoyed almost a decade of easy money as central banks tried to lift the global economy out of the doldrums, so some investors are concerned that the recent spike in bond yields could put a brake on earnings growth.

However, analysts believe the current increase in borrowing costs will not start to hurt firms. The yield on the US 10-year Treasury bond has risen to highs above 2.8 per cent, but companies would only start to hurt if rates for firms rise to around four per cent, economists say.

Isn't the global economy doing fine though?

Yes. Global growth has reached its strongest level since the financial crisis, with the Eurozone in particular enjoying an unexpected boom in 2017.

The outlook for the global economy remains "strong and vibrant", says Markus Stadlmann, chief investment officer at Lloyds Private Bank. The current correction "could last for a while" with US equities previously reaching an "overvalued extreme", but the outlook remains strong.

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