City A.M. TV: Daily Market Snapshot (video) February 10, 2021 On the surface, risk assets appear to be bullet proof. Commodities including copper and oil, for example, keep trending higher and made new highs yesterday, while certain equity indices such as the Russell 2000 have extended their recent gains (the index is now up 16 per cent YTD). In this brief clip, though, we dig [...]
Pound sterling touches three-year high against US dollar at $1.38 on vaccine success February 10, 2021 GBP hit a three-year high against the US dollar this morning, with vaccine optimism boostong pound sterling
The pandemic is distorting forecasters’ economic data, argues chief economist February 10, 2021 The pandemic already forced economic forecasters out of their comfort zone, but the terrain is now getting even more perilous. It is no longer sufficient to make a simple assumption about ‘the virus’. According to Neil Shearing, group chief economist at economic research firm Capital Economics, forecasts now have to consider factors such as vaccine [...]
Before the Bell: Focus on Andrew Bailey speech later today February 10, 2021 It was quiet in the markets yesterday as the overall outlook did not change. The same stories were circulating: vaccine rollouts and the prospect of additional stimulus from the US. Late last week, it was revealed the Democrats decided to try and implement the proposed $1.9 trillion spending package without receiving approval from the Republicans [...]
FTSE 100 closes flat while Wall Street rally loses steam February 9, 2021 The FTSE 100 closed flat on Tuesday afternoon while Wall Street retreated on the back off a record session yesterday. London’s blue-chip index closed 0.12 per cent higher as sterling rose to a near three-month high, largely because the dollar floundered as investors eyed a large stimulus package on the horizon. The FTSE 250 closed [...]
Don’t expect sharp post-Covid rebound for UK economy, warn Niesr economists February 8, 2021 Don't expect sharp post-Covid rebound for UK economy, warns Niesr
Slow vaccine rollouts cause eurozone investor morale to slip February 8, 2021 Investor morale in the eurozone unexpectedly dropped in February as lockdowns left their mark on the economy, a survey showed on Monday. Attempts to suppress Covid-19 left the eurozone trailing behind other regions in the world, as countries such as the USA showed a strong recovery. Sentix, who surveyed more than 1,250 investors, said that [...]
Labour calls for UK tax cut extensions before 3 March Budget February 7, 2021 Labour is calling for an extension to tax cuts for some of the UK sectors worst affected by the Covid pandemic. Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds today urged Rishi Sunak to extend the current VAT cut, from 20 per cent to five per cent, for retail and hospitality for another six months past March or or [...]
City A.M. TV: Daily Market Snapshot February 5, 2021 With such a strong rally this week, and a marked retracement of recent losses, the key near term question is whether this is a ‘dead cat bounce’ – OR – simply a resumption of the medium term uptrend. From a price action perspective, the jury is still out. In particular, despite a strong rally in [...]
Energy bills rise could see customers trapped in ‘vicious circle of debt’ February 5, 2021 April’s price cap increase could plunge consumers into debt that suppliers have been unable to recover during the pandemic, according to Uswitch.com. Industry observers have responded to Ofgem’s announcement today that energy bills will rise by £93 to pre-pandemic levels from 1 April. The price cap, which will affect 11 million default tariff customers, has [...]