Spanish stock market surges as political deadlock set to end October 24, 2016 Financial markets in Spain have rallied this morning on news that the country is set to exit more than 300 days of political gridlock. After yesterday's landmark concession by the socialist PSOE party, which paved the way for centre-right Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to form a new minority government, the Ibex 35, Spain's bluechip shares index, leapt [...]
Treasury names Katharine Braddick as replacement for Charles Roxburgh as financial services head October 24, 2016 Katharine Braddick has been appointed as the new director general for financial services, the Treasury has announced. She replaces Charles Roxburgh, who was appointed as the second permanent secretary to the Treasury in June. Braddick, who was formerly the director for international and EU financial services, joined the department from the Bank of England in 2014. Read [...]
Eurozone PMI reaches 10-month high in October, driven by German growth October 24, 2016 Eurozone business activity expanded at its fastest rate of 2016 in October, new data out today shows. The growth was driven by orders books and an acceleration in the pace of hiring, according to IHS Markit’s Eurozone flash composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). Read more: UK manufacturing PMI just hit its highest since June 2014 [...]
Brexit doesn’t mean the end of the City October 24, 2016 Thirty years ago this week, the City of London underwent a transformation that would set it on a path to global dominance in financial services. The Big Bang, as it became known, was enabled by new technology, regulatory reform, political will and entrepreneurial endeavour. Over the ensuing three decades, the City came to represent the [...]
Sterling malaise leads to Microsoft increasing enterprise prices October 24, 2016 The pound’s plunge means that software giant Microsoft will increase prices of enterprise software and cloud services from next year. Although consumers pricing will not be adjusted by Microsoft, the company revealed on one its own blog posts that from 1 January it will raise prices by 13 per cent to enterprises. Read more: Microsoft [...]
What should chancellor Philip Hammond prioritise in his Autumn Statement? October 24, 2016 Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, says infrastructure. Whether small or large, infrastructure schemes boost local business confidence, regenerate areas, create business opportunities for a vast array of UK firms, and “crowd in” related private sector investment. Given decades of underinvestment, chronic delays, deficient digital networks and lagging productivity, an infrastructure-focused stimulus [...]
JP Morgan Cazenove to oversee the sale of London Stock Exchange’s Paris-based clearing business LCH SA for €500m October 23, 2016 JP Morgan Cazenove has been appointed to oversee the sale of London Stock Exchange’s Paris-based clearing business LCH SA for up to €500m, a deal crucial to the success of the company’s merger with Deutsche Boerse. City A.M. understands that the bank will be seeking to drum-up competition for LCH SA, with pan-European exchange Euronext thought to [...]
Businesses unsure of Theresa May’s threat to cut corporation tax to 10 per cent October 23, 2016 Businesses have given a lukewarm reception to the idea that Theresa May could slash corporation tax if she does not secure a good exit deal with the EU. Both the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Institute of Directors (IoD) said cutting corporation tax would not be top of their wish-list if the government is [...]
Belgium told to sort out Wallonia rift over EU-Canada trade deal by Monday October 23, 2016 The European Union has given Belgium until Monday evening to sort out its dispute over whether to approve the EU-Canada trade deal or risk another disappointing setback for EU trade policy. The new deadline comes after talks between the Belgian government and representatives from the region of Wallonia broke down on Friday, raising fears the entire Comprehensive Economic [...]
Official GDP figures to show UK economy defying Brexit recession warnings October 23, 2016 The UK economy is set show by just how much it outperformed pre-referendum forecasts later this week, when official growth figures for the crucial third quarter are published. Economists expect the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to find the UK grew by a robust 0.3 per cent between the end of June and the end of September. [...]