Oil price rises despite a hike in US stockpiles February 25, 2016 Oil bounced back late last night after losing ground earlier in the day. The rise was due to Venezuela reaffirming a mid-March meeting of oil producers that would include Saudi Arabia, Russia and Qatar. Saudi has been working to broker a deal with both Opec and non-Opec countries to stabilise prices that have slumped 70 per [...]
Sterling keeps clear of hitting 30-year low February 25, 2016 Sterling held its ground today, managing to steer clear of a 30-year low against the dollar. The pound spiked at $1.3996, a climb of around half a per cent on its value at the start of the day. However, if later fell back to $1.3920. The pound has fallen sharply this week after London Mayor [...]
Brent crude and WTI: Oil prices fall further as oversupply concerns grow February 25, 2016 Oil prices fell further today after new data stoked concern that the supply glut is continuing to build against a backdrop of slowing global growth. Brent crude, the global benchmark, added to earlier losses shedding 1.69 per cent to $33.83 per barrel. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude, the US benchmark, fell 2.27 per cent to $31.42. U.S. government data showed [...]
Eurozone money supply and lending pick up in January February 25, 2016 Lending and money supply growth in the Eurozone picked up in January, according to figures published by the European Central Bank this morning. Borrowing by households climbed 1.4 per cent compared with the same month last year, the same rate as in December. However, lending to non-financial corporations bounced back to 0.6 per cent growth from 0.1 [...]
As regulation and legal red tape increases, are professionals in the city and financial services becoming the scapegoats? February 25, 2016 Since the 2008 financial crisis, banks and other City organisations have faced a more intense glare from the spotlight of regulators. Record penalties have been handed out, such as the $5.6bn in fines imposed on some of the most well-known global banks in relation to foreign exchange manipulation early last year. Some banks have reacted to this increased [...]
S&P: Russian economy is heading for a second year of recession in 2016 February 25, 2016 Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's has warned that the Russian economy is on course for a second year of recession, as commodity prices continue to career lower. S&P predicts that the Russian economy will shrink by 1.3 per cent in 2016, as opposed to the 0.3 per cent growth it had previously forecast. It also [...]
House building is accelerating but one estate agent says it is unlikely to help young buyers February 25, 2016 House building in England picked up toward the end of last year, but remains substantially below pre-recession levels. Builders started work on 37,080 new properties in the three months to December, the Department for Communities and Local Government said this morning. It marks a six per cent increase on the previous six month period but [...]
Eurozone inflation edges up to eight-month high in January as impact from cheap oil starts to wear off February 25, 2016 Eurozone inflation hit an eight-month high in January as the impact of cheaper oil prices began to wear off. Annual price inflation hit 0.3 per cent, EU statistical office Eurostat said this morning. While the inflation reading was slightly lower than a previous estimate of 0.4 per cent, it is the highest annual price growth [...]
More and more people are planning ahead for their death by looking for ways to cover funeral costs February 25, 2016 More and more people are planning ahead for the financial costs of their final days, according to analysis from a funeral plan provider. According to Golden Charter, the number of sales for pre-paid funeral plans shot up by nearly 25 per cent in 2015. Collectively across the UK people now hold more than a million pre-paid [...]
Fed Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Why oil prices could fall to zero by mid-2019 despite markets predicting $50 per barrel February 25, 2016 One calculation suggests oil prices could fall to zero by mid-2019. Two St. Louis Fed analysts looked at how low oil prices could fall given tumbling inflation expectations, and found it's largely out of whack with market expectations for the black stuff to recover to $50 per barrel in around three years' time. "According to our calculations, oil prices would [...]