China’s growth boom could be threatened by debt levels says Fitch Ratings January 23, 2017 China’s massive levels of debt will cause an economic slowdown over the next two years, according to an influential ratings agency. The pursuit of “policy settings that prioritise short-term growth targets” could leave the world’s second-largest economy vulnerable to a slowdown next year, according to Fitch. The agency predicts growth will slow to 6.4 per cent [...]
European consumers keep on ignoring politics as confidence improves for fifth month in a row January 23, 2017 Consumers in the Eurozone continue to ignore the looming political risks in the bloc, with confidence improving for the fifth month in a row. The European Commission’s measure of consumer confidence rose to a negative score of 4.9. The broader EU measure was slightly higher, at minus 4.3 points. While the confidence measure is negative, [...]
Here’s what UK tech thinks of Theresa May’s modern industrial strategy January 23, 2017 The UK's tech industry has tentatively welcomed promises by Theresa May to put the sector at the heart of Britain's modern industrial strategy, with funding promised for top artificial intelligence, robotics, 5G and smart energy technologies. “In today’s economy, the tech sector is driving innovation and boosting productivity across all industries. In tomorrow’s economy, every sector [...]
Brace for “hard rebalancing” of UK economy in 2017 January 23, 2017 The fall in the pound will result in a “significant readjustment” of the UK economy away from consumer spending and towards exports, regardless of the results of the Brexit negotiations. Economists at Ernest & Young says UK exports will increase by as much as 3.3 per cent this year, and 5.2 per cent in 2018, [...]
ECB president Mario Draghi is under investigation over allegations he played a part in an elite group of global bankers January 20, 2017 European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi is set to come under investigation by an EU body after a complaint over his membership of an elite group of bankers from around the world, including JP Morgan, UBS and Credit Suisse. The European Ombudsman, which follows up complaints by EU citizens over maladministration, will investigate whether [...]
Investors move to risk-off mode ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration January 20, 2017 Investors around the world have moved into risk-off mode ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump as US President, with money flowing towards safe-haven gold funds over the last week. Flows towards gold funds hit a 10-week high, while dividend equity funds have seen outflows for the past month, according to data provider EPFR. Indeed, [...]
China reports slowest year of economic growth since 1990 January 20, 2017 China today reported its slowest year of economic growth in more than 25 years. The nation’s economy grew by 6.7 per cent in 2016, down from 6.9 per cent in 2015, according to official data. The figure represents the nation's slowest reported growth since 1990. Read more: China's crude oil output is falling “Perhaps inevitably, [...]
What Trump’s presidential inauguration means for the US Dollar January 20, 2017 Thanks to the Federal Reserve's Janet Yellen confirming that US rates are going up, the Greenback was the best performing currency on Wednesday, netting half a cent against sterling. She was unremittingly upbeat about the US economy, saying it was "near maximum employment and inflation is moving toward our goal". That being the case, the [...]
How blockchain technology could revolutionise global trade January 20, 2017 Blockchain technology could revolutionise trade – making it cheaper, quicker and simpler for businesses to trade internationally. From “letters of credit” to “bills of lading”, merchandise trade today is heavily reliant on paper documents. In our digital, connected world, there is a growing need to modernise trade’s many paper-based processes. Digitisation would reduce bureaucracy, improve [...]
Brexit hit to operations expected by institutional investors but they will continue to hold UK assets, according to “Brexometer” January 19, 2017 Big institutional investors think Brexit will change their operating models but are determined to hold on to UK assets despite fears of a slowdown, according to a new survey. Of the institutional investors surveyed by State Street for its new “Brexometer” poll, 80 per cent expect Brexit to impact their operations, as the UK faces [...]