Inflation data to set interest rate tone in US – New York Report November 16, 2015 The big event in the US this week will be the inflation numbers, expected tomorrow afternoon UK time. Consumer prices are expected to have gone up by 0.2 per cent over the course of October, making the annual increase just 0.1 per cent. The core consumer price index, excluding lower energy prices, is forecast to [...]
Finance executives feel UK business outlook is bleak, and confidence is low across Europe in general November 16, 2015 More than a quarter (29 per cent) of UK chief financial officers (CFOs) feel less optimistic about the financial prospects of their business than they did three months ago, according to a Deloitte report released today. Of the UK CFOs questioned for Deloitte’s latest European CFO Survey, which surveyed a total of 1,298 CFOs across [...]
UK skills gap gives small firms a big headache November 16, 2015 The UK's small businesses are concerned that skills shortages could dent an otherwise bright outlook for their growth. Bosses at Britain’s small firms expect sales to rise 7.4 per cent a year over the next two years, survey data published today by Lloyds Bank reveals. Four in ten firms also said they expected to lift [...]
Investors starting to warm to emerging markets again November 16, 2015 Attitudes towards investing in emerging markets have improved markedly over the last month, according to survey figures published today by one of the UK’s biggest lenders. Lloyds Bank’s investor sentiment index for emerging market shares climbed 8.47 points to a score of 5.32. The score was derived from a survey of 4,500 people. However, sentiment [...]
China’s dip hits global dividends November 16, 2015 Payouts to shareholders from Chinese companies are set to decline for the first time on record this year as firms feel the bite of the country’s slowdown in growth, a City investor has warned today. Chinese dividends were down 2.1 per cent year-on-year in the three months to September and this trend is set to [...]
Mark Carney warned over gilt market instability risks November 15, 2015 A decline in bond market liquidity could threaten financial stability, the chairman of the Treasury select committee has warned. Treasury chairman Andrew Tyrie has written to Bank of England governor Mark Carney, laying out his concerns and asking for the Financial Policy Committee's view on the risk of declining liquidity in the bond market. Tyrie highlighted particular [...]
Attention turns to final borrowing figures ahead of 2015 Autumn Statement and Comprehensive Spending Review November 15, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne could come under added pressure this Friday when the last state borrowing figures before next week’s Autumn Statement and Comprehensive Spending Review are published. Consultancy Capital Economics expects borrowing for October to come in at £6.5bn. While it would be substantially below last year’s October deficit of £9.4bn, it still puts the Treasury [...]
Oil prices: IEA suggests global oil stockpile has hit record high as demand soars to five-year high November 13, 2015 The world’s oil inventory has soared to new record levels, according to the latest report from leading energy forecaster International Energy Agency (IEA), which shows stockpiles reaching an unprecedented 3bn barrels. The record high comes as plunging oil prices have sent demand soaring to a five-year high, the forecaster writes in its monthly report: Stockpiles [...]
Disappointing third quarter for UK construction sector November 13, 2015 Construction output in the UK fell 2.2 per cent in the three months to the end of October, compared with the quarter before, figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed today. That figure is exactly what the ONS estimated as part of the UK's pretty disappointing third-quarter GDP figure – but remains very [...]
France GDP: French economy returns to modest growth fuelled by accelerating domestic demand November 13, 2015 The French economy returned to modest growth, as fresh data showed the country’s GDP growing by 0.3 per cent in the third quarter, boosted by accelerating domestic demand. Growth has been fluctuating over the year, to say the least. After surprising economists by ballooning out by 0.7 per cent in the first three months of [...]