BP makes almost $4bn from energy trading as oil demand wanes March 11, 2021 BP’s trading division is said to have made almost $4bn (£2.8bn) last year as the oil major weathered the impact of the pandemic on oil demand. The blue-chip giant’s trading profit was only just short of the record amount of slightly over $4bn it made in 2019, according to internal documents seen by Reuters. Trading [...]
London Metal Exchange to take steps to improve electronic pricing during ring closure March 10, 2021 The London Metal Exchange today said it would change its electronic closing price system to make it more efficient while its iconic trading ring remains shut. The bourse said the move was separate to plans to consult on closing the ring as part of moves to modernise its trading system. Plans to improve the market’s [...]
Branson backs New York-listed SPAC aiming to raise $500m March 10, 2021 No stranger to the Spac phenomenon taking equity markets by storm, Richard Branson is backing another New York-listed blank-cheque vehicle. Virgin Group Acquisition Corp III is looking to raise as much as $500m through a public listing, according to a regulatory filing published on Tuesday. Founded by Branson the company will be led by Josh [...]
GameStop shares tumble just as meme stock passes $300 March 10, 2021 Shares in GameStop have tumbled back to $242, after rising to more than $300 per share earlier today, nearing their all-time high. The latest GameStop rally is said to be based on company fundamentals and speculation that small investors will pour their stimulus packages into markets. After a strong few days the stock has dropped [...]
How Asian stock markets shook off the pandemic March 10, 2021 | City Talk It seems ancient history now, but 2020 opened with a high degree of optimism for Asian markets. True, valuations were no more than reasonable given the share price gains of the previous twelve months, but conditions appeared favourable and there was a widespread consensus on a global economic recovery and a strong year ahead for [...]
FTSE 100 opens lower as inflation worries weigh March 10, 2021 The FTSE 100 opened lower this morning as market momentum slowed following a tech-fuelled rally on Wall Street last night and inflation worries weighed on investors. London’s blue-chip index dipped 0.21 per cent to 6,715 points shortly after markets opened. The domestically focused FTSE 250 was marginally down. It came on the back of a [...]
FTSE 100 and Wall Street push higher on economic recovery hopes March 9, 2021 Wall Street pushed higher and the FTSE 100 reversed early loses to post modest gains today as investors were buoyed by optimism about global economic recovery and more US stimulus. All three major US indices pushed higher, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq rebounding after a steep decline in yesterday’s trading. As the end of trading neared, [...]
City A.M. TV – Daily Market Snapshot (video) March 9, 2021 City A.M. TV - Daily Market Snapshot (video)
Higher yields not necessarily bad news for stocks, argues City-based investment veteran March 9, 2021 The spike in yields of late has sent shivers through stock markets, which recently reached an all-time high and whose valuations have been labelled as ‘stretched’ by more than one analyst. But this rise in yields, if contained, is not necessarily bad news for stocks. In fact, it suggests that the rotation into reflation-driven cyclical [...]
Impact-Weighted Accounting: the missing ingredient? March 9, 2021 | City Talk Sustainable investment capital increasingly demands evidence that positive impact is produced alongside positive financial return. Once adopted by investors, transparent impact metrics will initiate a rotation in portfolios that moves them away from ‘impact negative’ and toward ‘impact positive’ investments. This impact-driven rotation should produce environmental, social and governance (ESG) Alpha for investors. Impact is [...]