Could falling Japanese stocks see Abenomics end in tears? February 4, 2014 The Nikkei took the biggest hit of any advanced economy stock index yesterday, dropping over four per cent. The Japanese stock index is down by about 14 per cent from its December peak. Is Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s radical easing policy slipping up? Despite fears of a new bear market, this isn’t even the biggest [...]
Dubai shares lead losses across region as UAE reassures on Sheikh January 26, 2014 Shares in Dubai and Abu Dhabi tumbled yesterday, leading a region-wide decline and following news that the President of the United Arab Emirates had suffered a stroke. Dubai’s bourse, which has been driven to hefty gains by local retail investors, fell 2.2 per cent – recording its biggest one-day loss in more than two months [...]
Japanese business conditions up – but is this as good as it gets for Abenomics? December 16, 2013 The Bank of Japan's Tankan survey has shown a further improvement in business conditions in the fourth quarter. However, the pace of improvement has flagging pointing to a slowdown in GDP growth, according to Capital Economics. The headline index of business conditions for large manufacturers rose from +12 in the third quarter to +16 in [...]
Funding for Lending use triples but businesses see much less than households December 2, 2013 Use of the Bank of England's Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) tripled in the third quarter. Net lending jumped to £5.8bn, against £1.6bn in the second quarter – the biggest quarterly net lending flow since the scheme was introduced last summer. The Bank's latest data show that 21 banks and building societies took out £5.5bn [...]
Osborne targets budget surplus September 30, 2013 GEORGE Osborne yesterday promised a future Conservative government would attempt to run a budget surplus by 2020, indicating that his party’s commitment to austerity is here to stay. The chancellor told his party’s annual conference in Manchester that, assuming the economic recovery continues, he would seek to ensure the government’s income is more than its [...]
TUC calls for tax reforms September 8, 2008 The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called for a new higher-rate tax bracket for those earning over £100,000, putting it on a collision course with Conservative leader David Cameron. The TUC’s statement, made in advance of its annual conference which begins tomorrow in Brighton, contrasts sharply with a newspaper interview given by Cameron at the [...]
London blue chips set for further falls September 8, 2008 Strategist are betting on the FTSE 100 to fall further this week due to mounting concerns over the outlook for the UK economy. Last week marked the blue chip index’s biggest weekly fall for six years leaving it teetering on the edge of so-called bear market territory, defined as a 20 per cent fall from [...]
US mortgage agencies are nationalised September 8, 2008 The US government took control of twin mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac yesterday as it unveiled a series of measures designed to rescue the beleaguered US housing market. Treasury secretary Henry Paulson said the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) would place Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under “conservatorship” to prevent the collapse of [...]
Recession fears force cost-cutting September 8, 2008 Businesses are desperately cutting costs and reducing the size of their workforce due to fears of an impending recession, a survey found yesterday. Eighty-four per cent of businesses taking part in the study, which was carried out for accountants MacIntyre Hudson, said they thought there was a significant deterioration in the overall economic climate for [...]
Rates left on hold as MPC split looms September 5, 2008 Bets were rising yesterday that the Bank of England meeting to determine the direction of interest rates was one of the most fraught on record. In the end the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to leave rates on hold at five per cent, but with members Danny Blanchflower and Charlie Bean going head to head [...]