Tech stocks drag down Wall Street as FTSE 100 suffers worst month since March October 30, 2020 Sliding tech stocks dragged down Wall Street this afternoon, while the FTSE rounded off its worst monthly fall since March amid a wave of new coronavirus lockdowns. The three main US indexes were on course for their worst week since March as ongoing pandemic-related uncertainty and the looming presidential election sparked market volatility. Read more: [...]
UK house price growth rises to highest rate in five years October 30, 2020 UK house price growth jumped to the highest rate in five years this month, as the market continued to experience a post-lockdown bounce. Annual UK house price growth rose to 5.8 per cent in October, the highest level since January 2015. Property prices were up 0.8 per cent month-on-month compared to growth of 0.9 per [...]
Eurozone economy posts record growth but Covid set to knock recovery October 30, 2020 The Eurozone economy handily beat expectations in the third quarter of the year with record growth, although surging coronavirus cases and new lockdowns now look set to knock the recovery off course. Eurozone GDP grew 12.7 per cent in the third quarter, having slumped 11.8 per cent in the April to June period, the EU’s [...]
IMF: UK economy to shrink more than 10 per cent amid second wave October 29, 2020 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) slashed its growth forecasts for the UK economy today, and urged the government to keep spending record amounts to support a recovery. UK GDP will shrink by 10.4 per cent in 2020, the Fund said. The new figure was a considerable from the prediction of a 9.6 per cent fall [...]
Oil prices plunge as second lockdown fears mount October 29, 2020 Global oil prices slumped to their lowest prices in nearly five months today as fears over new coronavirus lockdowns mounted. With numbers of new cases climbing around the world, several countries have put in place new restrictions, putting downward pressure on demand. Both Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate fell about six per cent earlier, [...]
Mortgage approvals soar to 13-year high as UK housing market booms October 29, 2020 Mortgage approvals jumped again in September to hit a 13-year high as pent-up demand and the stamp duty holiday fuelled the housing market despite the economy’s fragile state. Approvals of mortgages for house purchase rose sharply to 91,500 in September from 85,500 in August, the Bank of England said today. Analysts had expected the number [...]
ECB leaves interest rates unchanged while Eurozone recovery loses momentum October 29, 2020 The European Central Bank (ECB) left interest rates on hold at their record low level, but hinted at further support in December as the eurozone economy grapples with a second wave of coronavirus cases. The central bank said it would “recalibrate its instruments” in response to the fresh wave of Covid-19 infections after its next [...]
US economy rebounds with record growth, but now faces new headwinds October 29, 2020 The US economy grew at a record pace in the third quarter of the year after the devastation of the spring, according to figures that will no doubt please President Donald Trump ahead of the election. US GDP grew at a quarterly rate of 7.4 per cent, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said, following a [...]
Shell boosts dividend as oil giant beats profit forecasts October 29, 2020 Oil giant Shell beat analyst expectations for profit in the third quarter of a year, but the Anglo-Dutch firm’s income remained at historically low levels. It will also increase its dividend by four per cent, just months after slashing it by two-third, the first reduction since World War Two. The FTSE 100 firm posted $955m [...]
FTSE 100 edges higher after Covid sparks sharp sell-off October 29, 2020 The FTSE 100 rose slightly this morning after tumbling three per cent yesterday as investors braced themselves for a tough winter of rising coronavirus cases and new government restrictions. London’s main stock index climbed was last up 0.3 per cent at 5,600 points. Despite the slight gain, the index remained at around a six-month low. [...]