Will 2021 be the FTSE 100’s year? December 21, 2020 The FTSE 100 has been playing catch-up for most of this year. After the historic market crash in the spring, the UK’s main stock index – which lacks glittery tech names – has lagged behind. The US’s S&P 500 climbed about 12 per cent from the start of the year to 1 December, while Germany’s [...]
Pound plummets as countries ban UK travel and Brexit talks falter December 21, 2020 The pound fell off a cliff on Monday after France, Germany and others cut transport links with the UK amid fears of a new coronavirus strain, while Brexit talks reached another impasse. Sterling dropped 2.1 per cent against the dollar to $1.323. It also fell 1.2 per cent versus the euro to €1.089. The FTSE [...]
How the 2020 global share slump and recovery ranks in history December 21, 2020 | City Talk Stocks saw a record crash followed by a record rebound in 2020, creating some disparity between markets, as Duncan Lamont explains. The global stock market crashed at a record speed in early 2020 (Figure 1). On its way to a total decline of 34%, it clocked up a 30% loss in just 40 trading days. [...]
Pound traders brace for tense week as Brexit talks continue December 20, 2020 Sterling traders are gearing themselves up for another nervy week amid fears that a collapse in Brexit talks could spark a sharp sell-off in the pound. Negotiations are ongoing, but noises from both camps suggest they remain stuck on fishing rights and competition policy. British health secretary Matt Hancock this morning told Sky News that [...]
Tesla shares jump to record high ahead of S&P 500 debut December 19, 2020 Tesla shares rose to a record high on Friday as investors geared up for the electric carmaker’s anticipated entrance into the S&P 500 index. The company, headed up by billionaire Elon Musk, will become the most valuable ever admitted to Wall Street’s main market on Monday, accounting for more than 1 per cent of the [...]
FTSE 100 and US stocks slip as market optimism dips December 18, 2020 The FTSE 100 fell along with European and US stocks as optimism faded on trading floors, with doubts creeping in about a US stimulus bill and fresh tensions with China. London’s main stock index was down 0.2 per cent in the afternoon session to 6,539 points. The FTSE 250, which is more domestically focused, fell [...]
Pound falls back from recent high amid Brexit doubts December 18, 2020 The pound has fallen back from a more than two-year high after post-Brexit trade talks between the UK and EU ran into trouble at a crucial juncture. Negotiations are now in a “serious situation,” according to a Downing Street spokesperson last night. They urged the EU to change its position “substantially”. In a separate call [...]
Robinhood pays $65m to settle SEC charges December 17, 2020 Stock trading app Robinhood has agreed to pay $65m in charges to settle claims it had misled customers about payments it received for handling their trades. Between 2015 and late 2018, Robinhood made “misleading statements and omissions in customer communications… about its largest revenue source when describing how it made money,” according to the Securities [...]
Cairn Energy to pay out special $250m dividend after Senegal sale December 17, 2020 Oil firm Cairn Energy today said it would pay shareholders a special dividend worth a combined $250m (£188m) on completion of the sale of its Senegalese assets. The one-off payment will see the exploratory firm pay out 32p per share to investors, it said in a statement. The payout, which is expected on 25 January, [...]
FTSE 100 slips but global markets hit fresh highs on vaccines and stimulus December 17, 2020 The FTSE 100 slipped, weighed down by a rising pound, as global markets hit a new all-time high amid optimism about vaccines and fiscal and monetary stimulus. Despite the rise in global stocks, the FTSE 100 lagged behind as the pound rose 0.8 per cent to $1.360, a 32-month high. A higher pound weighs on [...]