Institutional-Grade Research & Strategy

Strengthen Your Investment Capabilities

Led by Chris Darbyshire, CWD delivers comprehensive research, asset allocation, and strategic consulting tailored for independent financial advisors and boutique investment management firms.

Benefit from our unique vantage point, built on a broad mix of independent economic and geopolitical research, market strategists, financial news services and academic research. Our CIO-level overview means we filter the signal from the noise, so you only receive what is truly relevant to markets and portfolios.

Explore Our Services
25+
Years of Industry Experience
  • Macro-economic research
  • Cross-asset market analysis
  • Strategic asset allocation
  • Client communication support
  • Risk monitoring & governance

In a flood of information, we deliver insight.

Why Partner With Us

A Trusted Extension of Your Team

We bridge the gap between institutional-grade investment research and the practical needs of independent firms. Our flexible service model means you get exactly what you need. Nothing more, nothing less.

Deep Research Capability

Macro-economic, thematic, and cross-asset research delivered in person weekly, giving you an information edge without the overhead of an in-house team.

Actionable Investment Ideas

Tactical suggestions explained from conception to execution, helping you make confident decisions in fast-moving markets.

Modular by Design

Every service is a standalone module you can add, swap or drop at any time, from macro research to risk monitoring. Nothing is bundled and nothing is mandatory: you build exactly the programme your firm needs.

This Week's Intelligence Brief

A Sample of What Lands on Your Desk, Every Week.

Below is Chris's latest research note, one example of the modular research our clients can select each week, drawn from the world's leading research houses.

21 July 2026, Research Note / Geopolitical & Energy Strategy
Chris's Market Analysis

Engineering a route around Hormuz.

Three infrastructure signals from the Battle of Hormuz. The bypass is already under construction.

01 Pipelines

Iraq to the Mediterranean.

  • Chevron exploring a new pipeline linking Iraq's oil patch to the Mediterranean via Syria
  • UAE's West-East pipeline and Iraq's Basra-Haditha pipeline already under construction
  • Goldman Sachs: nine comparable Gulf pipeline projects took a median of 2.5 years to complete
"Infrastructure as insurance."
02 Ports

A new route around the strait.

  • DP World planning a new Gulf port that skirts the Strait of Hormuz entirely
  • Saudi Arabia already diverting crude via its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea's Yanbu port
  • Yanbu exports have surged to a record since the blockade began
"The chokepoint is being routed around."
03 Timeline

Half the Gulf's exports insulated by 2027.

  • Seven regional pipeline projects could shield nearly half of Gulf energy exports from a Hormuz shock by end-2027
  • That share rises past 60% by end-2028
  • Until then, Iran and the Houthis still hold real leverage over the strait
"The workaround has a shelf life."

The Strait of Hormuz can be closed for a war, but not for a decade. The pipelines and ports now under construction are the market's real hedge against escalation.

Want the full brief delivered to your firm each week? Get in touch to discuss how CWD can tailor this service to your needs.
Our Services

Institutional Quality to the Retail World. Delivered Weekly. Built for Your Firm.

CWD's flagship Weekly Intelligence Brief takes the best thinking from the world's leading research houses, filters it through an elite CIO lens and formats it precisely to your firm's needs. Every item below is modular: choose only the services your firm needs, and add more as those needs grow.

Flagship Service — Delivered Weekly

The Weekly Intelligence Brief

Each week, Chris draws on a wide range of the world's largest and most respected research houses, macro strategists and independent economic thinkers, filtering everything through an elite CIO lens. The result is a single, focused package formatted to the structure, tone and working practices of your firm.

Elite CIO-Level Distillation

Every briefing passes through a seasoned institutional CIO lens, working through market complexity to identify what actually matters for your investment decisions and client conversations.

Sourced from the World's Leading Houses

Chris draws on a wide breadth of the world's largest and most respected research providers, across macro strategy, geopolitics, independent economics and financial news services.

Tailored & Formatted for Your Firm

Format, structure, tone and content are all matched to your firm's investment philosophy, client base and working practices, fitting naturally into how your team already operates.

What's Delivered Each Week

Macro-economic Top-down Briefing

Modular
Weekly

Presentation containing comments, charts and data covering the week's main economic, political and trade-related events.

Research

Thematic Updates

Modular
Weekly

Focus on key themes affecting markets, e.g. AI, tariffs, geopolitics.

Research

Cross-asset Market Update

Modular
Weekly

Market review covering asset classes used in multi-asset portfolios.

Research

Macro & Cross-asset Market Update Webinar

Modular
Weekly

All research services can be presented in real-time or via recordings for your convenience.

Research

Tactical Investment Suggestions

Modular
Weekly

Investment ideas explained from conception to execution: actionable and timely.

Custom Research

Client-friendly Market Commentary

Modular
Weekly

A non-technical review of the week's key economic, political and market events, written to share directly with your clients.

Client Communications

Macro-economic Top-down Briefing

Modular
Weekly

Presentation containing comments, charts and data covering the week's main economic, political and trade-related events.

Research

Thematic Updates

Modular
Weekly

Focus on key themes affecting markets, e.g. AI, tariffs, geopolitics.

Research

Cross-asset Market Update

Modular
Weekly

Market review covering asset classes used in multi-asset portfolios.

Research

Macro & Cross-asset Market Update Webinar

Modular
Weekly

All research services can be presented in real-time or via recordings for your convenience.

Research

Tactical Investment Suggestions

Modular
Weekly

Investment ideas explained from conception to execution: actionable and timely.

Custom Research

Client-friendly Market Commentary

Modular
Weekly

A non-technical review of the week's key economic, political and market events, written to share directly with your clients.

Client Communications

Client Communications for Valuations

Modular
Quarterly

"Core" message to clients which can be personalised by the investment manager.

Client Communications

Emergency Client Communications

Modular
Ad hoc

For use in extreme market conditions: rapid, reassuring and professionally written messaging.

Client Communications

Participation in Investment Committee

Modular
Quarterly

Membership of and active participation in your firm's investment committee, adding genuine depth to your governance.

Governance

Strategic Asset Allocation

Modular
Annual

A high-calibre strategic benchmark informed by external expertise, forming a firm foundation for long-term portfolio construction.

Asset Allocation

Alternatives

Modular
Ad hoc

Research, due diligence and advice on complex, derivative-based, hedge fund strategies or structured products.

Product

Investment Process Assessment

Modular
Ad hoc

A thorough review of your investment process, identifying strengths, gaps and areas for practical improvement.

Governance

Model Portfolio Service (MPS) Asset Allocation

Modular
Continual

Basic MPS service covering a range of passively-invested risk-rated portfolios — efficient and scalable.

Non-standard Asset Allocation

Higher-value MPS+ Asset Allocation

Modular
Continual

Higher value-added model portfolio service, using active managers, more dynamic asset allocation, and more tactical positioning.

Asset Allocation

Structured Products: Detailed Advice & Modelling

Modular
Ad hoc

Portfolio construction and asset allocation incorporating structured products, with specialist guidance on complex instruments.

Product

Portfolio Risk Monitoring

Modular
Monthly

Portfolio-level risk, concentration risk and holdings versus model portfolio weights, keeping you on top of your exposures.

Risk Management
Chris Darbyshire, CEO of CWD
Leadership

Led by an Industry Expert

Chris Darbyshire
CEO & Founder, CWD Consulting

With an outstanding career spanning over two decades in investment management, Chris brings institutional-quality insight to independent firms. His track record includes senior roles at leading asset managers, where he developed a reputation for incisive macro analysis, disciplined asset allocation, and clear strategic thinking.

Chris founded CWD to give smaller investment firms and IFAs access to the kind of deep research and strategic firepower typically reserved for the largest institutions. Every CWD engagement benefits directly from his hands-on expertise and commitment to excellence.

Proven Track Record
Hands-on Leadership
Research Excellence
Trusted Advisor
Developing Your Team

Your Less Experienced Managers Are Your Firm's Future

CWD's weekly research gives them a structured, reliable lens through which to understand markets, build conviction, and develop the professional instincts that only come with exposure to great thinking. It's professional development that pays for itself.

A Weekly Analytical Framework

Each research note reflects the kind of rigorous, structured thinking your junior managers need to absorb. Over time, consistent exposure to this quality of analysis becomes genuine professional development.

Building Market Conviction

Consistent exposure to well-reasoned market perspectives helps developing managers move beyond surface-level views and begin forming independent, evidence-based convictions.

Institutional Thinking at Every Level

Smaller firms often can't afford senior research talent across the board. CWD bridges that gap, giving every member of your team access to institutional-grade insight, every single week.

"The best investment you can make in your firm is in the people who will run it tomorrow."