Mind the skills gap: Talent shortage costs UK economy £10bn a year September 18, 2015 The economy is losing billions of pounds a year because firms cannot access the skills they need, one of the country’s top economists has warned. There are currently 170,000 more unfilled job vacancies compared with the average for the 2001-14 period, PwC senior economic adviser Andrew Sentance writes in City A.M. today – a [...]
UK insurance sector shakeup puts spotlight on Association of British Insurers September 18, 2015 Britain's insurance market has undergone massive changes over the past year, and a series of megadeals recently taking place in the sector is just one sign of how companies are scrambling to protect themselves against new policies impacting the industry. Chancellor George Osborne famously shook up the market with his 2014 Budget, when he [...]
Federal Reserve puts US interest rate rise on hold: Global risks trigger Fed chair Janet Yellen’s dovebomb September 18, 2015 The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged last night, sending markets on a roller coaster ride as investors struggled to understand the economic factors behind the dovish decision. Trading was turbulent after the Fed announced its decision to hold rates, with the three major US indices first hitting session highs, and briefly turning negative [...]
How the world reacted to the Federal Reserve interest rate decision: Emerging markets soar and US stocks whip about on Fed’s decision not to hike rates September 17, 2015 Emerging markets took off after the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates steady at a historic low – but the dollar swooped on the news. Blaming a shaky global economy, the Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee voted to hold its fire on a US rate hike, leaving interest rates at the zero to a [...]
Retail sales suggest UK economic growth to slow in the third quarter September 17, 2015 UK retail sales inched up in August – having dipped a month earlier – but a lack of strength is leading analysts to warn that UK growth is hitting a "soft patch" in the third quarter. Retail sales grew by just 0.2 per cent on a monthly basis, in line with expectations, according to the [...]
Four reasons why the Fed should not postpone a rate hike September 17, 2015 The probability of the US Federal Reserve ending seven years of near-zero interest rates September is stronger than is generally believed. While there is no perfect timing for the tightening monetary policy, several arguments confirm that the Fed is able to begin this month if it so desires. Here are the four we can see: The [...]
Ukrainian parliament backs crucial debt restructuring September 17, 2015 Ukraine’s parliament has today rubber stamped a vital debt restructuring deal, helping the country to avoid bankruptcy. The deal was agreed by the finance ministry and a group of Ukraine's largest creditors including US-based fund Franklin Templeton at the end of August following months of tense negotiations. It will lead to a write-down of 20 [...]
Morgan Stanley: Is Thomas Piketty history? We think so September 17, 2015 Thomas Piketty's brand of anti-austerity economics is "history", according to an analysts' note from Morgan Stanley. The French economist's best-selling book Capital in the Twenty-First Century has influenced anti-austerity movements such as Jeremy Corbyn's Labour leadership campaign and has propelled him to worldwide recognition. The book's central thesis argues that returns on capital accumulate more quickly [...]
Most expensive cities in the world: Londoners work longer than people in New York, Los Angeles, Luxembourg and Geneva to buy an iPhone 6 (and a Big Mac) September 17, 2015 We all know that London life can be expensive, not least when you factor in the cost of housing, but it turns out we have to slog it out at work to afford that most prevalent possession: our iPhones. Londoners have to work an average of 41.2 hours to be able to buy an iPhone [...]
MPs grill Bank of England’s Mark Carney on Beijing and interest rate rise timings September 17, 2015 Despite raising questions over the accuracy of Chinese economic data, Bank of England governor Mark Carney maintained yesterday that the threat to the world economy from China’s stock-market slump did not signal a slowdown for Britain. Giving evidence to the Treasury Select Committee (TSC), Carney said: “Certainly, the Chinese statistics are published with remarkable speed [...]