Do not succumb to the ‘Fat Cat Friday’ outrage January 3, 2019 As if Greggs’ vegan sausage rolls hadn’t prompted enough misplaced shock and outrage for the start of a new year, you can expect more of the same this morning when campaigners declare it to be “Fat Cat Friday”. The High Pay Centre, which opposes current levels of executive remuneration, calculates that by this afternoon a [...]
Eurozone bank lending rate quickens despite growth concerns January 3, 2019 Bank lending to eurozone households and companies accelerated in November despite signs the bloc’s economy is slowing, the European Central Bank said. Corporate loans grew four per cent year-on-year in November, compared with 3.9 per cent the previous month and loans to households grew to 3.3 per cent from 3.2 per cent in October – [...]
UK construction sector slows to three-month low January 3, 2019 Growth in the UK construction sector eased to its slowest rate in three months in December but business optimism has sharply risen. Construction firms noted a disappointing end to 2018 with business activity growth slowing down, according to the closely-followed IHS Markit/ CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) figures. PMI fell to 52.8, down from 53.4 [...]
From Brexit to tariffs, brace yourself for an uncertain 2019 January 3, 2019 Get ready for a 2019 full of uncertainty. On the political scene, headline events range from Brexit to the US-China trade tensions to EU reforms – all coming at a vulnerable stage in the business cycle, with half of US chief financial officers expecting a recession in 2019, and over 80 per cent by 2020. [...]
France to harden stance on tax among company bosses, as yellow vest protests continue over weekend December 30, 2018 The French government is to take a harder line on tax among business chiefs of companies listed in France, according to budget minister Gerald Darmanin. Last month, President Emmanuel Macron addressed the issue in a December speech aimed at dousing the flames of widespread civil unrest in the country, signalling a less tolerant approach to [...]
Wall Street falls as stocks fail to capitalise on bear market December 27, 2018 US stock markets dropped today, wiping out a portion of yesterday’s bump as US consumer confidence fell to its lowest point since July. Following its first ever 1,000-point daily surge yesterday, the Dow Jones fell 441 points to 22,439. The 1.9 per cent drop was led in part by technology stocks as Apple, Amazon and Google’s [...]
White House assures Fed chairman job is safe despite Trump’s Christmas Eve criticism December 26, 2018 A White House official has assured that the head of the US Federal Reserve is not at any risk of losing his job, amid jitters on Wall Street throughout December caused in part by Trump’s criticism of the Fed. Asked on Boxing Day if Fed chairman Jerome Powell’s job was safe, economic advisor Kevin Hassett [...]
Italy wins Senate approval for 2019 budget December 23, 2018 The Italian government has won a vote of confidence in its budget for next year in the upper house this morning, racing to gain approval before the year-end deadline. The budget will now pass to the lower house of parliament for a vote by 31 December, so that it can take effect before the start [...]
UK economy grows but business investment falls for third consecutive quarter December 21, 2018 The UK economy grew at its fastest rate in almost two years in the three months to September but business investment fell for the third consecutive quarter. GDP grew by 0.6 per cent in the third quarter, the Office for National Statistics said today, confirming its initial estimate last month. But the longer term picture [...]
DEBATE: As the year draws to a close, do we still have reasons to be cheerful? December 21, 2018 As the year draws to a close, do we still have reasons to be cheerful? Viscount Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist, says YES. Yes, we do. A lot went wrong in 2018 for a lot of people; but a lot more went right. Levels of absolute poverty, rates of infant mortality, age-adjusted death rates [...]