Farage on Brexit sterling slump: “So what?” June 12, 2016 Brexit supporter and Ukip leader Nigel Farage has said it won't matter if sterling falls if Britain votes to leave Europe in the upcoming referendum. "Even if sterling were to fall a few percentage points , so what?" he said, speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday morning. "It's a floating currency and it will [...]
Pensions are at risk from Brexit, David Cameron warns June 12, 2016 State pensions could be put at risk if Britain voted in favour of leaving the European Union Prime Minister David Cameron has warned. Free buss passes and TV licenses for pensioners would also be at risk from a "black hole" in the public finances, as would National Health Service and defence spending, he said. The government's commitment [...]
Pound falls to two-month low against the dollar after poll finds 10-point lead for Brexit June 11, 2016 The pound has dropped to a two-month low against the dollar after a new EU referendum poll showed a 10-point lead for Leave over Remain. A survey of 2,000 people by ORB for the Independent found a 55 per cent backing for Brexit and 45 per cent support for staying in the EU. Read more: Sterling steady [...]
We asked 12 experts to predict what the FTSE and sterling will do the day before the EU referendum June 10, 2016 Sterling will fall against the dollar and the FTSE 100 will slip back as the UK edges closer to the EU referendum, a dozen leading economists and market analysts have told City A.M. With the pound shooting up and crashing down in response to every new piece of referendum news – especially the opinion polls – [...]
Pre-referendum bounce for construction industry in April June 10, 2016 The construction industry became the latest bit of the UK economy to shake off Brexit uncertainty as output grew at its fastest pace since January 2014 on a monthly basis. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this morning showed that the construction industry was 2.5 per cent larger in April than in March [...]
Business investment growth slows ahead of Brexit vote June 10, 2016 Businesses investment is set for a modest slowdown in the second quarter of the year, as the UK economy creeps towards its vote on EU membership, taking place in just 13 days, accountants have said. The Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW) has predicted growth in corporate spending will dip to 4.1 per cent in the three [...]
120,000 UK jobs lost from the oil price crash June 10, 2016 Over 120,000 jobs are expected to have been lost between 2014 and the end of this year because of the severe hit inflicted on the UK oil industry from tumbling global prices. The strain of low oil prices has caused massive layoffs and cost-cutting across the sector and in related industries over the last 24 months. New employment figures released [...]
British Bankers’ Association set to merge with rival trade associations June 9, 2016 British Bankers' Association (BBA), the trade body that was heavily criticised for its role as the administrator of the Libor interest rate benchmark, is expected to be merged with its rival associations. According to Sky News, BBA members are reportedly set to vote in favour of plans to merge the banking trade bodies to form a [...]
At the close: FTSE falls as miners give up gains June 9, 2016 The FTSE 100 lost ground today as miners slumped. A fall in the oil price, as well as disappointing numbers out of China, meant the blue-chip index snapped its four-day winning streak. The FTSE finished at 6,231.89, down by 1.1 per cent. The FTSE 100 had risen in its previous four sessions. US stocks also dragged as investors worried [...]
French central banker calls for Eurozone parliament to end mistrust June 9, 2016 Mistrust between Eurozone countries has cost the single currency bloc "millions of jobs", according to France's top central banker, who called for the creation of a Eurozone parliament to help the recovery. The Eurozone economy could be up to five percentage points bigger had it been fully prepared for the economic crisis, but "deep political resistance" [...]