Susannah Streeter

Taking the Temperature of the Global Economy

‘Following 18 months of shocks, from the invasion of Ukraine to commodity price spirals, bond market mayhem and a banking crisis, investors are set to remain highly sensitive to further upheaval particularly given that a third of the world is forecast to enter recession this year. Inflation is showing signs of easing and consumers are proving more resilient that expected but investors are much more highly attuned to the potential for threats to escalate.‘

Susannah Streeter constantly takes a temperature check on the world economy in her role as head of money and markets for Hargreaves Lansdown, also drawing on her many years of experience as a global business anchor for the BBC. She explains the task ahead for central bank officials, still trying to rein in inflation:

Policymakers are valiantly trying their hand at being master chefs by trying to stop inflation burning spending power whilst avoiding the economies sinking like undercooked souffles. The recipes are showing some signs of working with price spirals finally edging down from painful peaks and there are hopes recessions will be shallower.

US stocks have re-entered bull market territory thanks to the extraordinary enthusiasm for tech giants with footholds in the AI revolution, but while the FTSE 100 breached a record high earlier this year, its retreated as clouds gather over the global economy and UK companies still weighed down by the repercussions of Brexit.

How to find Resilience to Deal with a Geo-Politically fractured World

‘We are facing an increasingly fractured economic and political world, so finding new forums of communication and collaboration to find our way through the fog of war and corporate dislocation and are increasingly vital.‘

Susannah has a unique view of the power of communication and how it can help change the world for the better. This spans from her early days in uniform as the founding member of the Royal Air Force combat camera team when she used the power of film to enact change, to her senior anchor position for the BBC, up until now as a sought-after analyst and chair of politically sensitive global debates. She talks about how to build resilience, how to prepare for future shocks and how navigate fractured debates by bringing polarized views together.

True inclusivity involves bringing all views together, often no matter wide the gulf appears to be. We need to learn from ignored groups as well as ostracized but powerful individuals, and rather than shutting down unwelcome voices, and create new cross feed lines of dialogue alongside traditional institutions.

Why the Collision of Crypto and Celebrity Worlds could hold back Fin Tech

‘Social media and the crypto world have collided with Kim Kardashian’s single post about a token considered to be the biggest financial promotion in history.’

As head of money and markets Susannah has witnessed the FOMO effect wave which gathered speed since the pandemic, and has swept vulnerable consumers up in a frenzy of speculation. The boom of high-risk investing has caused huge nervousness among regulators, with the Financial Conduct Authority increasingly concerned. Now, with the cost-of-living squeeze intensifying, Susannah argues the focus should instead be on ensuring consumers have a resilient pile of savings and lower risk investments to fall back on. While the charge of new younger customers into the stock markets is a welcome trend, there is woeful knowledge about the financial dangers of investing in high-risk products, which include investment-based crowdfunding. It’s clear that education needs to be sharpened up pretty pronto. But there are also risks of going in too hard on the regulatory front.

There has been a hesitancy until now about bringing crypto currencies into the regulatory sphere because of the risk it will add more legitimacy to the currencies. Regulators and central banks are walking a tricky tightrope, recognizing the need to foster new decentralized payments technology while ensuring enough rules are in place to prevent runaway speculation infecting the wider financial sector. If the environment is made too cumbersome there is a risk that innovation in the fast-moving world of decentralized finance could be quashed, slowing down the efficiency of operations and leaving the UK behind countries which are welcoming crypto with open arms.

Female Financial Empowerment

‘’Money is the soundtrack to our lives. From squeezing a fistful of sweaty pennies as we navigated pick and mix treats, to the pounds earned during a Saturday job, to your first paycheck and last pension contribution. Given that it’s an ever-present force pulsing through every part of our interaction with the world – you’d think that by now we’d have got the hang of it. Instead, money is a worry. It can keep us up at night. It can extinguish our hopes. It can lead to depression. Women effectively work for free for nearly two months of the year compared to the average man.

Women are also losing out when it comes to investments, as they are far less likely to invest, which puts them at a financial disadvantage in the long term. Men have billions more in stocks and shares ISAs, investment accounts and pensions. But it doesn’t have to be this way.’’

Susannah, as head of money and markets for Hargreaves Lansdown, an ambassador for the campaign Financially Fearless and a campaigner for equal pay at the BBC, unlocks the mysteries of the financial system. She helps build the knowledge manual to help women negotiate getting a better deal at home, work and in the world of investments.

Money Spinning Yarn - The Second-Hand Retail Revolution

‘’I’ve always been a fan of thrift stores and charity shops, a hobby born of a childhood spent delving deep in jumble sales. Finally, even big brands are seeing value in ‘vintage’, but it’s been a long time coming. Instead of put downs for hand-me-down outfits, the celebrity world has now leapt onto the bandwagon. Zara, Marks and Spencer, John Lewis and even the king of fast fashion – Primark – offering pre-loved initiatives, the recycled fashion glitter ball is really starting to spin. The collision of looming environmental catastrophe and a cost-of-living crisis that is already upon us makes repurposed clothing a no-brainer. High street fashion brands, already disrupted to the brink of extinction, have no option but to jump on board.”

With debt levels soaring and financial resilience faltering, Susannah argues it’s time to relearn the value of thrift and says that retailers risk getting left behind if they don’t join the ever-increasing circular economy.

‘Let’s not let the trend stop with fashion, as it could help us turn the tide on the disastrous wave of plastic waste washing up on shores. Just as scratched, ‘mid-century’ furniture is now whipped out of the skip quicker than you can say Parker Knoll – we need to start attaching value to the plastic toys of previous decades that still clutter up lofts up and down the country.”