Before the Bell: Focus on Andrew Bailey speech later today February 10, 2021 It was quiet in the markets yesterday as the overall outlook did not change. The same stories were circulating: vaccine rollouts and the prospect of additional stimulus from the US. Late last week, it was revealed the Democrats decided to try and implement the proposed $1.9 trillion spending package without receiving approval from the Republicans [...]
FTSE 100 closes flat while Wall Street rally loses steam February 9, 2021 The FTSE 100 closed flat on Tuesday afternoon while Wall Street retreated on the back off a record session yesterday. London’s blue-chip index closed 0.12 per cent higher as sterling rose to a near three-month high, largely because the dollar floundered as investors eyed a large stimulus package on the horizon. The FTSE 250 closed [...]
Don’t expect sharp post-Covid rebound for UK economy, warn Niesr economists February 8, 2021 Don't expect sharp post-Covid rebound for UK economy, warns Niesr
Slow vaccine rollouts cause eurozone investor morale to slip February 8, 2021 Investor morale in the eurozone unexpectedly dropped in February as lockdowns left their mark on the economy, a survey showed on Monday. Attempts to suppress Covid-19 left the eurozone trailing behind other regions in the world, as countries such as the USA showed a strong recovery. Sentix, who surveyed more than 1,250 investors, said that [...]
Labour calls for UK tax cut extensions before 3 March Budget February 7, 2021 Labour is calling for an extension to tax cuts for some of the UK sectors worst affected by the Covid pandemic. Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds today urged Rishi Sunak to extend the current VAT cut, from 20 per cent to five per cent, for retail and hospitality for another six months past March or or [...]
Morning Wire TV: Daily Market Snapshot February 5, 2021 With such a strong rally this week, and a marked retracement of recent losses, the key near term question is whether this is a ‘dead cat bounce’ – OR – simply a resumption of the medium term uptrend. From a price action perspective, the jury is still out. In particular, despite a strong rally in [...]
Energy bills rise could see customers trapped in ‘vicious circle of debt’ February 5, 2021 April’s price cap increase could plunge consumers into debt that suppliers have been unable to recover during the pandemic, according to Uswitch.com. Industry observers have responded to Ofgem’s announcement today that energy bills will rise by £93 to pre-pandemic levels from 1 April. The price cap, which will affect 11 million default tariff customers, has [...]
Negative interest rates remain a distant and unlikely prospect February 5, 2021 The BoE effectively gave the financial sector six months to prepare for thepossible use of negative rates, but that should be long enough for the UKeconomy to move into vaccine-fuelled recovery and remove the need forsuch an emergency move, which would also risk unintendedconsequences, according to Ian Williams, economics & strategy research analyst at Peel [...]
Bank of England holds rates, and would need half a year for negative rates February 4, 2021 The Bank of England (BoE) has today left interest rates on hold at 0.1 per cent and its bond-buying programme at £895bn. The BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep rates at record-low levels. It also confirmed that it would take six months for banks to get ready for negative interest rates should [...]
All eyes are on the Bank of England today February 4, 2021 Calm has been restored to equity markets as the violent swings that were witnessed due to the Reddit-retail investor mania have waned. Volatility in Gamestop – the stock at the centre of the saga – has cool greatly and that has in turn brought the temperature down in the markets. “Trader’s attention drifted back to [...]