Chinese economic slowdown: Devaluation and volatility should not put off Western retailers August 25, 2015 The surprise decision by the China's central bank to devalue its currency on three consecutive days has been linked to China’s state authorities’ attempts to boost its struggling economy. It is, however, unlikely to cause significant disruption to many Western retailers who are supplying in the region. The correction may have been a gesture to [...]
UK property: Britain’s struggling pub trade is yielding opportunities for supermarkets and residential developers August 25, 2015 The Grotto Inn on the top of Monument Hill in Weybridge was a thriving pub before falling on hard times three years ago. It was forced to call last orders after succumbing to competition from nearby bars and pubs and has lain empty since – its windows boarded up and beer taps gathering dust. [...]
Black Monday 2015: Shanghai shockwave wipes $1.6 trillion from global blue-chips in just one day August 25, 2015 More than one trillion dollars was wiped off the value of the world’s top companies yesterday, as panic on China’s trading floors sent shockwaves through global markets. Volatility soared to levels not seen since the aftermath of the financial crisis, prompted by renewed fears over the health of China’s economy and a near-nine per [...]
Fed policymaker Dennis Lockhart says US interest rates should be raised this year August 24, 2015 A senior Fed policymaker has called for US interest rates to be raised this year, despite the panic that has hit global markets over China's economy. Read more: Black Monday 2015: US stocks battered in biggest fall since 2011 Dennis Lockhart, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said in a speech today [...]
Black Monday 2015: US stocks battered in biggest fall since 2011 August 24, 2015 After briefly reversing the losses they suffered in early morning trading, US stocks dived back down again and experienced their biggest one-day fall in four years. Read more: Black Monday: Equities bloodbath continues on US markets as Dow Jones and S&P 500 plummet At close, Nasdaq was down 3.8 per cent at 4,526, while the Dow [...]
Treasury Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie asks Bank of England to revise code of conduct August 24, 2015 Treasury Select Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie has asked Bank of England governor Mark Carney to reexamine the rules governing the Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC). Tyrie wrote to Carney yesterday about the naming of Gertjan Vlieghe, a senior economist at the hedge fund Brevan Howard, to the MPC. He said Vlieghe’s appointment, and the “subsequent [...]
Black Monday: Billions wiped off FTSE 100 as it falls below 6,000 after China shock August 24, 2015 The FTSE 100 fell below the psychologically significant 6,000 mark this afternoon for the first time since 2012, after stocks in China closed more than eight per cent lower. The market dipped below 5,900 points, more than five per cent lower, at lunchtime, its lowest point this year. Meanwhile, Germany's Dax fell 4.5 per cent and [...]
Oil prices hit six-year lows as global commodities rout continues August 24, 2015 As global equities continue to plummet, commodities are doing the same. After Bloomberg's commodity index sank to a 16-year low overnight, oil prices continued their rout this morning, with both WTI and Brent crude falling to six-and-a-half year lows. Read more: Black Monday? FTSE edges towards 6,000 Brent crude was down 3.65 per cent at [...]
CBI upgrades UK economic forecast to 2.6 per cent GDP growth in 2015 August 24, 2015 A rise in household spending along with robust investment growth will help fuel faster “twin engine” growth in the UK economy, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which expects an interest rate rise in early 2016. In their latest economic forecast, the CBI upgraded its expectation to 2.6 per cent GDP growth for [...]
China’s economic slowdown: Shares in Shanghai Composite, Hang Seng, Taiex and Nikkei close down August 24, 2015 Markets throughout Asia collapsed on Monday amid concerns over China's slowdown, prompting comparisons with the region's financial crisis in the early 1990s. The Shanghai Composite closed 8.49 per cent down, wiping out all 2015 gains so far and marking the largest drop since 2007. Taiwan’s Taiex closed down 4.8 per cent, though during trading it [...]