Investors brace for rocky week of geopolitical tension January 5, 2020 Investors are bracing themselves for a rocky week’s trading which will be dominated by heightened tensions in the Middle East and feature a key US jobs report and many companies’ financial results. Traders started 2020 in a buoyant mood on Thursday of last week, with equity indices rising considerably. The US’s assassination of Iranian general [...]
Andrew Bailey: Three issues the new Bank of England chief will have to tackle January 5, 2020 A safe pair of hands. That’s the cliche about the new Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, who will take over the position from Mark Carney in March. The City and the British public will be hoping it is correct. Bailey does indeed have about as much experience of the BoE as it is possible [...]
UK PMI: Manufacturing sector contracting at fastest rate since 2012 January 2, 2020 Factory output in the UK fell in December at its fastest rate in eight years, after a slowing global economy helped crimp domestic demand. The IHS Markit UK Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) – measuring the manufacturing and services sectors – fell from 49.1 in November to 45.6. Anything below 50 means the sector has contracted. [...]
What is an asset class? January 2, 2020 | City Talk Today, diversification and alternative returns are our top portfolio concerns. Why? Because low interest rates may have driven valuations of stocks, bonds, and other asset classes to unsustainable heights, so we’re forever on the lookout for uncorrelated assets to incorporate into our portfolios. And of course, product providers are all too happy to accommodate us, [...]
Eurozone PMI: Poor end to the year for European factories January 2, 2020 The Eurozone’s manufacturing sector contracted for the 11th consecutive month, according to newly released figures. IHS Markit’s Eurozone Purchasing Mangers’ Index (PMI), which measures conditions in the manufacturing and services sector, for December sank to 46.3 from 46.9. Read more: Eurozone PMI: Economy mired in worst spell since 2012 Figures feeding into the PMI figure [...]
Interest rates unlikely to rise in 2020, says ECB policymaker Robert Holzmann December 28, 2019 A European Central Bank policymaker has said it is unlikely interest rates will be lifted back into positive territory next year. Robert Holzmann cited Brexit as being likely to cause renewed concern toward the end of 2020. Read more: New ECB president Legarde tells governments to hite spending to tackle downturn The governing council voted [...]
Boxing Day shopping slump as retailers suffer sharp decline in footfall December 28, 2019 Boxing Day shopping footfall fell at its steepest rate in nine years due to rain and Black Friday deals. In the period up until noon on 26 December, footfall was down by 10.6 per cent on the same period as a year ago, according to data company Springboard. It was the biggest decline since 2010, [...]
Global shares on the rise in end of year rally December 28, 2019 Global markets scaled records on Friday as the prospect of growth was raised by optimism surrounding a US-China trade deal and strong Chinese economic data. Wall Street saw all-time highs early on Friday before losing steam at the session’s close, with the Nasdaq losing some ground. The Dow Jones rose 23.87 points in total, or [...]
FTSE 100 rises on positivity over US-China trade deal December 27, 2019 The FTSE 100 rose for the eleventh straight session this morning, as traders were cheered by positive signs over a US-China trade deal. London’s main index, which is on its best run in three years, adding 0.4 per cent. Miners provided the biggest boost, as Glencore and BHP rose about two per cent each. Read [...]
EU may need to extend trade deal talks with UK, says von der Leyen December 27, 2019 The European Union may have to extend the deadline for talks over a new trading relationship with Britain, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen told French paper Les Echos that both sides need to think seriously about whether there is enough time to negotiate a new trade deal. Read [...]