Generation unlucky: Millennials are feeling sorry for themselves financially (and don’t mention Brexit) December 10, 2016 With Christmas on the way, spare a thought for the millennials in your life. They are are probably feeling hard done by financially, and miserable about 2016’s Brexit vote. Maybe you could consider putting another tangerine in their stocking, or adding an extra £5 on to their HMV gift card, to make up for it. A [...]
The trade deficit narrowed in October for the first time since the Brexit vote – but not because of weak sterling December 9, 2016 The trade deficit narrowed to £2bn in October, new figures have shown – although it's unlikely it was thanks to the weak pound. The figure, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this morning, was down from £3.8bn in September last year – and driven by exports, which rose £2bn, while imports fell by [...]
Editor’s notes: Calm down, the banks are not about to run for the European hills December 9, 2016 The government has agreed to set out its Brexit plans to parliament. While this will fall short of outlining a full negotiation strategy, it has been welcomed by politicians and business groups as a necessary step towards providing some clarity. However, there appears to still be confusion in some quarters over the fate of the City, [...]
Who said millennials don’t want to climb the property ladder? December 9, 2016 In the 1960s and 1970s architects designed a maze of gigantic housing estates stretching from Elephant and Castle to Peckham. When the buildings were complete, you could walk from the Aylesbury Estate near Elephant and Castle to the North Peckham estate via the Elmington Estate in Camberwell using elevated pedestrian walkways without ever touching the [...]
Brexit negotiations uncertainty leads to fall in UK business confidence in investment prospects December 9, 2016 UK business confidence is set to fall in the next two years as companies await further clarity on the progress of negotiations on the country’s future relationship with the European Union after June’s vote to leave. Business expectations of investment show net falls of 3.2 per cent in 2016 and 3.6 per cent in 2017, [...]
Revenge of the inflationistas: Trump has ushered in the end of the QE era December 9, 2016 After almost a decade of QE and loose monetary policy, inflation is nowhere to be seen in the developed world. Warning of upside risk in consumer prices has become something akin to crying wolf. But Donald Trump’s proposed fiscal measures could prove the missing piece of the global inflationary puzzle. As a result, inflation is [...]
US jobless claims fall as last US jobs data before Fed meeting supports rate rise case December 8, 2016 Claims by Americans for unemployment benefits fell this week, adding to the weight of positive economic data in the last jobs release ahead of next week’s update on monetary policy by the US Federal Reserve. The number of initial jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 258,000, marking the longest streak of claims below 300,000 since [...]
Spend $9 billion. Employ 40,000 technologists. What do you get? December 8, 2016 | City Talk Spend $9 billion. Employ 40,000 technologists. Then add one company with one giant vision. Behold JP Morgan Chase, a global tech operations phenomenon. Glasgow is one of its 13 hubs located throughout the world. Watch this short video on why the city was 'stringently selected' from 30 European rival locations. You'll be amazed at what goes on behind closed doors here…
The euro plummets as the European Central Bank extends its quantitative easing programme, but taper begins December 8, 2016 The European Central Bank (ECB) has announced that it will extend its programme of quantitative easing until the end of 2017, although it will reduce the size of the programme. The euro surged briefly on the extension before plunging to wipe out all of the day's gains and fall by as much as 1.1 per cent. [...]
The European Central Bank keeps interest rates unchanged December 8, 2016 The European Central Bank (ECB) is holding interest rates steady, continuing its current policy of ultra-low rates since the Eurozone crisis. The ECB has also announced that it will extend quantitative easing until the end of 2017, although it will taper the size of the stimulus. The interest rate for the main refinancing operations and [...]