Poor start of the month for global markets: April weakness rolls into May with China lockdowns not helping May 3, 2022 Asia markets got off to a poor start to the month yesterday, as did markets in Europe after the latest China PMIs showed that economic activity in April fell back by more than expected. Much was made of the slowdown in China manufacturing to 47.4 from 49.5, however non-manufacturing saw an even bigger fall, plunging [...]
Jefferies offers stipends to allow staff to adopt or go through surrogacy May 3, 2022 Investment bank Jefferies has upped the stakes in the war for talent by offering a stipend of around £20,000 to staff looking to adopt or to go through the surrogacy process. The firm said in an internal memo that it was “enhancing our wellness benefits” with the stipends, which would be available to all staff. [...]
Exclusive: Londoners absorb heaviest national insurance hike hit May 3, 2022 Londoners have suffered the worst blow to their finances in the UK in the first month the national insurance hike has been in effect, reveals exclusive research shared with Morning Wire today. Workers in the capital have absorbed a near £300m blow to their budgets from higher national insurance bills, the biggest jump in the [...]
Investors brace for more US Federal Reserve and Bank of England rate hikes May 3, 2022 Traders in the City and Wall Street are this week bracing for their respective central banks to push on with more rate hikes in response to a historic inflation crunch on either side of the pond. The US Federal Reserve and Bank of England announce their next interest rate decision tomorrow and Thursday respectively. Both [...]
Kremlin to net $180bn tax windfall from energy price surge May 2, 2022 The Kremlin is set to receive a tax windfall from its brutal invasion of Ukraine sending energy prices soaring, reveals analysis released today. Revenue from oil and gas sales “will increase significantly to more than $180bn (£143bn)” this year, energy consultancy Rystad Energy estimates, a 45 per cent and 181 per cent surcharge compared to [...]
China zero-Covid policy and Ukraine war brings Europe factory output to ‘standstill’ May 2, 2022 China’s adherence to zero-Covid tolerance policies and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought manufacturing “to a near standstill” in Europe, reveals a closely watched survey released today. Widespread shortages of raw materials used by factories on the Continent caused by Beijing plunging key trade hubs such as Shanghai into lockdown in response to a surge [...]
Week ahead: Wall Street and City eye central bank rate decisions May 2, 2022 Traders in the City and on Wall Street will be eyeing how much their respective central banks hike interest rates by in a week of key economic and corporate announcements. London’s premier FTSE 100 index posted a reasonable performance last week, adding 0.3 per cent to finish at 7,544.55 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE [...]
1 Minute Market Rundown – 29th April 2022 April 29, 2022 | City Talk Risk Stages a FightbackCrypto ConsolidatesUSD at a Crossroads…(We Think) Yesterday saw another significant round of USD buying as month end is upon us. For those who watch price action closely, the final leg higher in the USD yesterday could actually signify a short term high has been put in place. This all came despite the [...]
ECB gets more nervous by the day as Eurozone inflation hits highest level ever: Sixth record in a row April 29, 2022 Inflation hit a new record for the 19 countries that use the euro as skyrocketing fuel prices boosted by the war in Ukraine add new burdens to household finances and weigh on a slowing economic recovery from the latest outbreaks of Covid-19. Annual inflation hit 7.5 per cent for April, the highest since statistics started [...]
US economy unexpectedly shrinks in sign of coming global growth cool down April 28, 2022 A sharp pullback in businesses spending to build up stock to avoid being spiked by intense supply chain disruption has led the US economy to unexpectedly shrink in a sign that global growth will cool this year. Stateside output dropped 1.4 per cent in the first three months of the year, a huge miss from [...]