How has the US stock market performed around midterm elections? November 2, 2018 | City Talk After a torrid October for stock markets, there is concern among investors that the US equity market could yet have further to fall, with a combination of macroeconomic factors and political tensions clouding the outlook. The latest political event on the agenda is the US mid term elections, which could define the remainder of Donald [...]
FTSE 100 roundup: Today’s winners and losers November 2, 2018 The FTSE 100 lost ground today, with the index down 8.05 points at 7,106.61 shortly before the market close. Markets globally reacted positively to suggestions that the US and China may be coming towards a deal to end their recent trade war. However, looking at the week just gone, it appears that the FTSE 100 [...]
Oil prices fall on reports US will allow eight countries to buy oil from Iran despite sanctions November 2, 2018 Oil prices continued to fall on Friday on reports that the US has agreed to let eight countries keep buying Iranian oil after it reimposes sanctions next week. Washington has granted eight nations, including South Korea, Japan and India, waivers on sanctions on Iran, due to kick in on Monday, according to Bloomberg. Brent crude [...]
Markets rally as Trump claims US and China are discussing possible trade agreement November 2, 2018 Markets moved upwards this morning on hopes the US’s trade war with China might be easing. The Stoxx Europe 600 – which tracks Europe’s biggest firms including the FTSE 100 – rose by one per cent while Asian stocks rallied. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index grew by over four per cent and China's Shanghai Composite [...]
Central bank gold buying hits highest level since 2015 amid market volatility and currency weakness November 1, 2018 Central bank gold buying hit its highest level since 2015 in the third quarter as demand rose on stock market volatility and currency weakness. The World Gold Council reported that central bank gold reserves grew 148.4 tonnes, up 22 per cent year-on-year as more countries bought the commodity. A four-month trend of gold outflows was [...]
Shale fail: BHP to return $10.4bn to shareholders after selling US shale assets to BP November 1, 2018 BHP has revealed plans to return $10.4bn (£8.1bn) to shareholders after the sale of its US shale assets to BP. The deal – BP's largest acquisition in two decades – was confirmed on Wednesday after being agreed in July. Anglo-Australian miner BHP announced its arrival on the shale market in 2011 buying fields in Texas [...]
Shell enjoys one of its ‘strongest ever quarters’ on oil price rise November 1, 2018 Shell reported a 37 per cent profit rise to $5.6bn (£4.35bn) as higher oil prices helped the company to one of its strongest ever quarters. The figures The oil giant reported cash flow of $12.1bn from its operations in the three months to the end of September, a 59 per cent on the previous same [...]
FAANGs come out to play in Halloween shares surge October 31, 2018 Technology's biggest players, lumped together as the so-called FAANG stocks, have ended their October losing streak which had left investors spooked with just one day to go. Netflix's share price saw the biggest gains out of the FAANGs grouping, rising almost seven per cent this afternoon off the back of better-than-expected results for Facebook last night. The social [...]
Brazil backs Bolsanaro: what next? October 31, 2018 The will and ability to reform Financial markets, at least, had been rooting for a defeat of the left-wing candidate Fernando Haddad, successor to former president Lula, on the basis of the very different economic policies espoused by the two candidates. Superficially, this seems odd given that Bolsonaro has repeatedly voted against reform and spoken [...]