ECB set to remain dovish April 9, 2019 | City Talk The European Central Bank meets on Wednesday this week, not the usual Thursday. Don’t expect any fireworks from this outing for the Governing Council, however. A month ago we got a triple whammy of dovish moves with new stimulus, amended forward guidance and growth and inflation forecasts revised lower. Having already pushed back on rate [...]
The UK’s drug policy is falling behind the rest of the world April 9, 2019 Every year, thousands of people die as a result of drug misuse in the UK. And for over two decades, heroin has been the main culprit. Communities are blighted, families are ripped apart, and vulnerable people are failed by an outdated approach. The situation in Scotland is particularly dire, with a fifth of the UK’s [...]
Government should choose outsourcing contracts based on the quality, not cost April 9, 2019 If and when the Brexit debate ever ends, politicians will return to the challenge of improving domestic politics. And one of the main questions will be the role of private companies in delivering public services. Overall, the government spends almost £300bn per year – or around a third of its total budget – on partnerships [...]
Trump administration threatens tariffs on $11bn of EU goods including wine and aeroplanes April 9, 2019 The US is considering slapping tariffs on $11bn (£8.4bn) worth of goods from the European Union including French cheese, sparkling wine, and helicopters, it said today. Read more: Trump asks China to lift tariffs on US agricultural exports The US Trade Representative said the proposed move would be in retaliation for EU subsidies to Airbus, [...]
Nigeria and India the fastest growing markets for UK exports in 2018 April 9, 2019 Nigeria and India were the top two fastest growing export destinations for UK goods in 2018 as Britain developed its trade links to non-European nations, new analysis has shown. Read more: UK service exports fall as Brexit and global economic slowdown bite UK exports to Nigeria grew by 27 per cent last year to £1.6bn, [...]
No-deal planning programme extended due to later Brexit date April 8, 2019 The government has extended the deadline for companies to apply for an £8m scheme to help businesses prepare for Brexit, it said today. The programme was instituted in October 2018 to help businesses prepare for a no-deal scenario by training traders on how to meet customs requirements and helping fund IT costs, among other measures, [...]
UK inflation expectations remain at five-year high April 8, 2019 The British public’s expectations of inflation for 2019 stayed at their highest level in five years, new Bank of England data revealed today. Read more: Inflation edges up from two-year low as food and alcohol prices rise Britons expect the inflation rate – the speed at which prices increase over time – to be at 3.2 per [...]
Tories must move to centre ground to win back young voters from labour, major study says April 8, 2019 The Conservatives must move towards the centre ground to reclaim millions of young voters who currently support Labour, a major report released today has said. Read more: Tories are the party of 'economic destruction', say business leaders Senior Tory cabinet ministers and backbenchers have backed the call of centre-right think tank Onwards to make the [...]
US President Donald Trump says economy would ‘rocket’ if Fed cut rates April 5, 2019 US President Donald Trump said the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates, saying the economy would take off “like a rocket ship” if they did. Speaking following the release of US jobs data which showed a strong rebound in hiring in March, Trump said the US central bank “really slowed us down”, CNBC reported. Trump [...]
Jeremy Hunt: No-deal Brexit could tip UK and EU into recession April 5, 2019 UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has said a no-deal Brexit could push both Britain and the European Union into recession. Read more: May asks EU for short Brexit delay while EU mulls 12-month extension “A no deal outcome is bad for the UK. It’s also very bad for the European Union”, Hunt told a press [...]