• Why gold bugs are predicting Armageddon
    Monday, 23rd August 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    STEVE SEDGWICK
    DESPITE a nice run of data in the UK and across Europe over the last week or so, it’s still hard to shake off the prevailing view that a slow, bumpy grind out of economic turmoil is on the cards.... [Read more]

  • Medium-term UK gilts outlook remains rosy
    Monday, 16th August 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    LOUISA BOJESEN
    IN WHAT was one of the most important Fed meetings of recent times last week, the US central bank moved to support lower borrowing costs by reinvesting funds from maturing mortgage-backed securities... [Read more]
  • It’s time to stop gloomy talk of a double dip
    Monday, 9th August 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    MAITHREYI SEETHARAMAN
    TURNS out, Naomi Campbell is a genius. Before you start thinking that I have either the IQ of an iguana or I’m on prescribed hallucinogens for suggesting such a thing, hear me out. The supermodel... [Read more]
  • Spotlight turns to US over huge budget deficit
    Monday, 2nd August 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    ANNA EDWARDS
    THE debt spotlight seems to be panning across the Atlantic from Europe to the United States. The Congressional Budget Office in the US has warned that – unless politicians act fast – growing budget... [Read more]

  • How to invest if you fear another recession
    Monday, 26th July 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    LOUISA BOJESEN
    IN THE aftermath of Friday night’s announcements on the stress tests, the big issue remains whether they will make any difference to confidence and to the fragile recovery. We won’t know immediately... [Read more]
  • Buckle up for more of the FTSE rollercoaster
    Monday, 19th July 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    ROSS WESTGATE
    MAYBE you don’t have to be schizophrenic, but it helps. In the last month the FTSE 100 has oscillated madly from optimism, to despair, back to optimism – before finishing Friday once again enveloped... [Read more]
  • If policymakers fail, let us turn to St Francis
    Monday, 12th July 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    GUY JOHNSON
    As an exercise in transparency Europe’s so-called stress tests have already failed. We were promised the methodology and all we got was the madness; a drip, drip, drip of information that has slowly... [Read more]
  • Bank of England rates paralysis to continue
    Monday, 5th July 2010
    CITY COMMENT
    STEVE SEDGWICK
    AS WE enter the first full trading week of the second half of the year, the markets remain in a foul mood. Bad news suggesting that the economic recovery has stalled invariably leads to daily sell... [Read more]
  • Eurozone divided on debt
    Monday, 28th June 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    LOUISA BOJESEN
    THE never-ending, seemingly billion-hour tennis marathon and the World Cup have been welcome distractions to the doom and gloom in the market. As the latest record high in Greek 5-year credit default... [Read more]
  • Investors need to get used to lower returns
    Monday, 21st June 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    ROSS WESTGATE
    Until last week I’d never been in The Galerie Doree, but if you ever get the chance it’s well worth a peek. Situated inside what is now the the Banque de France but was once the Hotel de Toulouse... [Read more]
  • The threat of regulatory recession
    Monday, 14th June 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    GUY JOHNSON
    RISING regulation and economic austerity could produce a toxic mix in 2011. That was the view of many of the bankers that I spoke to last week at the International Institute of Finance spring meeting... [Read more]
  • I confess: I was far too optimistic about debt
    Monday, 7th June 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    ANNA EDWARDS
    I am feeling a little gloomy. I started this sovereign debt crisis looking on the bright side but now I have been got at. So many of our guests at CNBC are downbeat right now that the downdraft has... [Read more]
  • The new age of austerity offers some upside
    Monday, 24th May 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    ROSS WESTGATE
    HINDSIGHT is a wonderful thing . Had we known, we could have saved ourselves a nine per cent loss on the FTSE since the beginning of May. At least the weather’s finally turned nice. GET A GRIP If... [Read more]
  • Brussels bailout: markets must keep the faith
    Monday, 17th May 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    ANNA EDWARDS
    A WEEK after the big Brussels bailout and its huge impact is becoming increasingly obvious. This time last week we watched in disbelief as the Eurozone, EU and IMF collectively did what the... [Read more]
  • Election fears continue to weigh on sterling
    Monday, 8th March 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    Louisa Bojesen
    I WAS reading the news the other day and a headline caught my eye: “The Pound Plummets”. I couldn’t help but feel that it is too early to use “plummets” in this context. Since the beginning of this... [Read more]
  • Be bold, George, and watch the poll lead grow
    Monday, 1st March 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    ROSS WESTGATE
    So in the end Britain did climb out of recession in the 4th quarter, with the figure revised up to 0.3 per cent from the initial 0.1 per cent estimate. This was better than most forecasts but the... [Read more]
  • Taking stock of massive economic turbulence
    Monday, 22nd February 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    REBECCA MEEHAN
    Excuse my philosophical mood – but there are times in life when you feel the urge to take stock of the world. I’m at one such crossroad. On Friday I’ll hang up my microphone for the last time this... [Read more]
  • A hung parliament would push sterling down
    Monday, 15th February 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    GUY JOHNSON
    The prospect of a hung parliament later this year is worrying the markets. The question is – why? The country faces a number of possible outcomes at the next election but the two most likely ones,... [Read more]
  • This is a year for old-fashioned stock picking
    Monday, 1st February 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    Louisa Bojesen
    Just the other day, I was sent some research on global trends over the next decade. While it made for interesting reading, many players are indicating that the year at hand will be more about stock... [Read more]
  • Irish approach could resolve Greek tragedy
    Monday, 25th January 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    GUY JOHNSON
    Should Greece be following Ireland down the path of austerity? Finance minister George Papaconstantinou could certainly do with a few friends in the bond market right now but is the Irish playbook... [Read more]
  • Election timing is all as the economy wobbles
    Monday, 18th January 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    ROSS WESTGATE
    It’s not supposed to be easy being Prime Minister, but even this one must wonder what he did in a former life to incur such wrath. Within a few days of launching election mode yet another miserable... [Read more]
  • Outlook continues to present challenges for retail
    Monday, 11th January 2010
    CNBC COMMENT
    Rebecca Meehan
    In a bout of not-particularly-investigative journalism, I set Tesco a mystery shopper challenge last week, ordering a hefty shop be delivered to my home just as the heaviest snow was due to fall.... [Read more]
  • It will be another volatile year for the markets
    Monday, 4th January 2010
    CNBC Comment
    GUY JOHNSON
    Making predictions about the year ahead is an exercise that more often that not results in the author ending up looking pretty foolish. The last few years have proved that even some of the best minds... [Read more]
  • The timing of withdrawal of fiscal stimulus is crucial
    Monday, 21st December 2009
    CNBC COMMENT
    LOUISA BOJESEN
    How will the markets look once central banks start withdrawing their massive stimulus packages? This is what everyone wants to know, especially after the US Federal Reserve last week indicated that... [Read more]
  • Christmas is half time in liquidity vs worry match
    Monday, 14th December 2009
    CNBC COMMENT
    ROSS WESTGATE
    It’s half time in the match and just before the Christmas break “Liquidity and Earnings” have strolled to a three goal lead against the “Wall of Worry”. But how to bet in the second half? Will we see... [Read more]