UBS delivers a poke in the eye for equity bulls March 13, 2014 The bull markets are raging, IPOs are surging and investors are pinning their hopes on the FTSE breaking through the 7,000 barrier for the first time this year. All is rosy in the world of equities – unless you happen to pay attention to something called the equity risk premium. This is the difference between [...]
How will the Bank tackle a crisis with lower “new normal” interest rates? March 13, 2014 Three monetary Policy Committee members, including governor Mark Carney, have voiced the view in recent weeks that rates may only rise to somewhere between two and three per cent, even after years of relatively solid recovery. The rough level was suggested in the February inflation report, and ever-proactive TUC senior economist Duncan Weldon blogged on [...]
George Soros says Eurozone is now like a debtors’ prison March 13, 2014 George Soros has been holding court at the London School of Economics today on the state of Europe, how the Ukraine crisis could bring the continent closer together, and why the UK should stay a part of it. Here are some of the billionaire investor’s most interesting comments. On the state of the Eurozone You [...]
The NHS needs to focus on patients not staff pay packets, says think tank March 13, 2014 News this morning that only some public sector workers will see a one per cent pay rise next has riled individuals and unions alike. While Armed Forces, prison officers, members of the judiciary and some NHS workers will see a pay rise next year, not everybody will. And the rise – by only one per [...]
16 years of clawback for bank bonuses March 13, 2014 Bankers could lose their bonus 16 years after it was awarded if they misbehave or if decisions they took turn bad, the Bank of England said today. Currently pay can only be clawed back in the years between the bonus being awarded and it vesting – that is, when they actually collect the payout, typically [...]
What you need to know before the US open March 13, 2014 US stock futures are pointing to a slightly better open for markets today, and no doubt the slew of data just out – all of which is better-than-expected – means investors have plenty to digest. Bonds have slipped after the encouraging data, with the dollar gaining ground against the euro, too. Initial jobless claims fell [...]
Gold touches 6-month high on Ukraine and China fears March 13, 2014 Rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia and growing concern about Chinese economic growth have seen gold climb to a six-month high today. The safe-haven asset rose 0.4 per cent to $1,373/oz, up for the third day in a row. It’s currently up 0.1 per cent. Tumbling exports and a recent bond default have sent equities [...]
3 ways Morrisons will change your supermarket March 13, 2014 Morrisons’ extensive and rapid loss last year, and its foreseeable future profit warning, perhaps put it ahead of other supermarkets in terms of how quickly it needs to change. But the changes it needs and is planning to make affect all mainstream supermarkets. Indeed, the shares of all of them have lost this morning on [...]
Singapore becomes latest jurisdiction to clamp down on Bitcoin March 13, 2014 Singapore is set to regulate Bitcoin exchanges to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a statement that exchanges will have to identify their customers and report suspicious transactions to the relevant authorities. The MAS said in a statement: Regulation of virtual currency intermediaries pertains specifically to the [...]
Most public sector workers to get 1pc pay rise March 13, 2014 Most public sector workers will get a pay rise of one per cent next year, the government’s confirmed. Ministers have said the 600,000 NHS employees who get automatic “progressional pay” increases, which are “typically worth over three per cent”, won’t get the additional one per cent rise. Around 400 senior NHS managers also won’t get [...]