BoE’s Mark Carney says UK now better prepared for no-deal Brexit September 4, 2019 A worst-case scenario Brexit would now have a less severe effect on the economy than previously thought, Bank of England governor Mark Carney has said, although it would still take a big chunk out of UK growth. Read more: Sterling surges above $1.22 as MPs rip up Boris Johnson’s Brexit strategy This is “a direct [...]
Chancellor Sajid Javid proclaims ‘end of austerity’ in spending round September 4, 2019 Sajid Javid has proclaimed the “end of austerity” with a new spending round that protects every government department, with an additional £2bn to spend on Brexit planning. The chancellor said he would “turn the page on austerity”, tipping the country to move from “a decade of recovery to a decade of renewal”. Read more: Javid [...]
Economic theory can offer a lesson to struggling football clubs September 4, 2019 The expulsion of Bury FC from the English Football League last week continues to generate a huge amount of sound and fury. Regardless of the apparently dodgy nature of some of Bury’s transactions, the simple fact is that the club overspent massively in order to gain promotion from League Two last season. The surge in [...]
Chancellor announces extra £2bn Brexit funding during Westminster chaos September 3, 2019 Chancellor Sajid Javid will announce a further £2bn to be spent on Brexit when he lays out government funding for the next year tomorrow, taking the total spent on Brexit planning to £8bn. Read more: Rebel numbers creep up ahead of critical Brexit vote The new money is to be spent in the year after [...]
US manufacturing sector shrinks for first time in three years, survey shows September 3, 2019 The US manufacturing sector shrank for the first time in three years in August, according to a respected industry gauge, as trade tensions and a global economic slowdown weigh on factory output. Read more: Donald Trump says China talks going well and turns fire on EU The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) from the Institute for [...]
Donald Trump says China talks going well and turns fire on EU September 3, 2019 US President Donald Trump has said his country is “doing very well” in its negotiations with China and urged Beijing to reach a deal before the 2020 presidential elections. Read more: US-China trade war escalates with fresh tariffs He said that if a trade deal was still under discussion and he won the election, he [...]
Goldman Sachs hikes no-deal Brexit probability ahead of crucial day in Westminster September 3, 2019 Goldman Sachs has raised its expectations of Britain leaving the European Union without an agreement, as today’s political tussling in Westminster fuels further speculation in the City of a no-deal Brexit. The global bank has said the prolonged suspension of parliament has led it to hike its forecasts of a no-deal Brexit from 20 per [...]
Construction industry output ‘drops like a brick’ to a decade low September 3, 2019 Britain’s construction industry suffered its sharpest decline in new work in more than a decade last month, as economic uncertainty hampered decision making among customers. New orders slumped at their worst rate since March 2009, according to closely-followed industry barometer the IHS Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which read just 40 for the category where [...]
Sterling spirals further as Boris Johnson sparks general election speculation September 2, 2019 Sterling has fallen through the $1.21 mark as speculation swirls that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is preparing to call a general election and the Tory party prepares for a dramatic showdown. Johnson has unexpectedly called a cabinet meeting for 5pm, increasing speculation that he could be about to call a ‘people versus parliament’ election. Read [...]
Sterling sinks after ‘simply shocking’ UK manufacturing data September 2, 2019 Sterling plummeted against the euro and the dollar in response to weak UK manufacturing data as economists warned “there is no clarity whatsoever” surround Brexit. Markets panicked as figures showed output from the UK manufacturing sector sank to a seven-year low in August, sending the pound down against major currencies. Read more: UK manufacturing output [...]