UK markets: ‘Penny is dropping’ there will be no immediate ceasefire in Ukraine while focus shifts to Sunak’s ‘double whammy’ March 22, 2022 European markets underwent a subdued start to the week yesterday, with the FTSE100 outperforming on the back of another day of advances for crude oil prices, pushing the index to close at its highest level since 28 February. “The main reason for the move higher in oil prices was reports that the EU was considering [...]
Gas prices volatile amid geopolitical uncertainty March 21, 2022 Natural gas prices have dropped heavily from historic peaks, but remain volatile and elevated amid sustained geopolitical tensions.
1 Minute Market Rundown – 21st March 2022 March 21, 2022 | City Talk Russia – UkraineRisk bouncesCrypto finds support We find it rather telling that on Friday, a day you would have expected risk to be sold as the market headed into the weekend, saw stocks and crypto push higher. Now there could be a number of reasons for this. 1) the market is becoming accustomed to the [...]
Capital punishment: private sector sanctions in Russia March 21, 2022 | City Talk The corporate response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is representative of a wider shift in the role of the private sector in society. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is first and foremost a human tragedy and has far-reaching consequences for millions of people. Our thoughts are with those caught in the atrocious situation, those that have [...]
CityFibre to get £300m investment from Abu Dhabi sovereign fund for broadband infrastructure rollout March 20, 2022 One of the UAE’s biggest sovereign funds is set to plough a further £300m into the UK’s biggest fibre optic broadband company. The Abu Dhabi government’s Mubadala investment fund, which controls $243bn (£184bn) worth of assets, will give London headquartered fibre optic company CityFibre an extra £300m, after investing £500m in the firm last September, [...]
Hospitality chiefs call on Sunak to reverse VAT hike or leave London businesses ‘unviable overnight’ March 20, 2022 Hospitality heads have said the government’s plans to increase VAT from current rates of 12.5 per cent to highs of 20 per cent at the start of next month will see some London businesses “become unviable overnight.” Industry chiefs warned that Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s plans to hike consumer taxes on food, soft drinks, accommodation, and [...]
Soaring inflation is UK’s main financial concern March 20, 2022 Soaring inflation is the top financial concern for UK adults, in both the long and short term, according to new research from M&G Wealth. A quarter (25 per cent) of UK adults cited soaring inflation as their main financial concern over the coming year, according to a survey of 2,000 people. A further 18 per [...]
1 Minute Market Rundown – 18th March 2022 March 18, 2022 | City Talk Russia – UkraineRisk bouncesCrypto finds supportDovish hike by the Old Lady Risk continued to hold in well yesterday as equity and crypto markets held on to gains posted recently. Overnight we have seen the equity rally stall as the surge in Chinese tech stocks fizzled out and oil moved back above $100 a barrel. We [...]
Manufacturing firm Essentra’s revenue up after pandemic and ‘supply chain headwind’ March 18, 2022 Plastics and fibre manufacturer Essentra experienced a a spike in revenue in 2021, as it continues to weather the storm of supply chain problems impacted by the Ukraine war. The FTSE 250-listed company had an increase in overall revenue to £960m, up from £897m in 2020, representing a seven per sent rise. Its pre-tax profit [...]
Has the Ukraine war sped up the clean energy revolution? March 18, 2022 | City Talk As energy security rises up the political agenda, we look at what Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means for climate change investing. Russia’s shocking invasion of Ukraine is having horrendous consequences, and our thoughts are with the millions of people affected. As climate change investors, we also have to consider the impact of the conflict on [...]