London’s jobs market is improving for the first time in six months according to recruiters December 8, 2016 The London jobs market is improving after six months of downturn as demand for permanent staff hits a 10-month high, a new study says. London recruiters reported a net increase in permanent job placements for the first time since April, according to the report by IHS Markit and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). However, [...]
Australia GDP growth goes down under zero for the first time in five years December 7, 2016 Australia’s economy contracted for the first time in more than five years in the third quarter, as investment in housing and by businesses dropped steeply. The quarterly growth rate of Australian gross domestic product (GDP) fell from 0.5 per cent in the second quarter to a contraction of 0.5 per cent from July to September. [...]
UK GDP growth stayed steady at 0.4 per cent while fall in migration would harm economy, says Niesr December 7, 2016 Migration controls could leave the UK economy up to 1.19 per cent poorer by the end of this Parliament, says an influential think tank, as it estimates that growth in the last three months was unchanged at 0.4 per cent. The growth rate of UK gross domestic product (GDP) for the three months ending in [...]
Sterling falls sharply as UK production falls at its fastest rate in four years December 7, 2016 The pound has fallen sharply against the dollar as a big fall in manufacturing production contributed to the biggest fall in UK production for more than four years. The decrease surprised analysts and could deal a blow to the nation's GDP growth expectations. Reduced output in the UK’s oil and gas industries also contributed to [...]
An ONS blunder means the trade deficit is £6bn bigger than we realised December 7, 2016 A blunder by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) means the UK's trade deficit was £6bn bigger than we realised, it admitted last night. The so-called processing error by the ONS means the trade deficit was £17bn in the third quarter of the year, up from the £11bn it had originally mooted. Read more: The [...]
UK house price growth slows as affordability concerns start to mount December 7, 2016 UK house price growth slowed in November to 0.2 per cent, as consumers start to feel the squeeze of prices rising faster than wages. Prices had increased by 1.5 per cent in October, which helped drive the annual rate of growth to six per cent, up from 5.2 per cent in the year recorded last [...]
Morning Wire Unregulated podcast: Caution – do not listen to this podcast if you are of a nervous disposition December 7, 2016 Economist Jim Rickards correctly predicted the last financial crisis, the outcome of the Brexit vote and Donald Trump's election. Now he is predicting an economic downturn of massive proportions. Here, Rickards talks his new book, Road to Ruin, explains when we can expect the next global economic shock – and details why the global elite [...]
Monte dei Paschi shares jump 10 per cent on bailout hopes December 7, 2016 Shares in Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena soared more than 10 per cent today on rumours that the Italian government is preparing a rescue bid. According to reports, Italy will take a €2bn (£1.7bn) controlling stake in the country's third biggest bank. The surge in the bank's shares is a turnaround from the stock's [...]
One more step along the road to Brexit December 7, 2016 The Great Brexit dance continues. Yesterday, the Labour party rediscovered its opposition role and bounced the government into accepting demands that it set out its Brexit plans to parliament. Fearing that dozens of Remain-backing Tory MPs would support the Labour motion, No 10 agreed to go along with it. The shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer [...]
Rampant corruption – not just the euro – has doomed Italy to decades of stagnation December 7, 2016 So farewell then, Matteo Renzi! The resignation of the Italian Prime Minister after his heavy defeat in Sunday’s referendum on constitutional reform has created turmoil. Fears have been resurrected about the stability of the Italian banking system, and even the possibility of Italy leaving the euro has been raised. But the problems of the Italian economy, [...]