Oil prices hit highest levels since March on more vaccine hopes November 23, 2020 Global oil prices rose again today as a third straight Monday brought with it positive news concerning a vaccine for the coronavirus disease. Prices climbed a further two per cent after Astrazeneca and Oxford University said that their vaccine was up to 90 per cent effective. The announcement followed similar statements in recent weeks from [...]
Sterling hits 10-week high on vaccine and Brexit deal optimism November 23, 2020 Sterling rallied to a two and a half month high today, as more positive news about a potential Covid-19 vaccine propelled investors to buy riskier currencies and offset concerns about whether Britain and the EU can clinch a Brexit trade deal. Tonight the pound is up 0.3 per cent to $1.332, while against the euro [...]
Vaccine hopes boost Wall Street open November 23, 2020 Wall Street’s main indexes rose today as hopes that the first Covid-19 vaccine could be available within weeks renewed bets of a swift economic recovery next year. The Dow Jones index was up 0.57 per cent, a rise mirrored by the S&P 500, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index gained 0.87 per cent. The US [...]
November 2020 a month full of takeaways November 23, 2020 | City Talk It’s now over a week since Joe Biden was declared the winner of the US 2020 elections. The uncertainty leading up to 3rd November was palpable and pervasive and placed a ceiling on significant capital gains. However, the week of the election was superb for risk markets, even as votes were counted. The S&P 500 [...]
Has the euro’s time come to shine? November 23, 2020 | City Talk Our fixed income team thinks that after more than a decade of financial uncertainty, Europe’s fortunes – and that of the euro – could be set to change. Here’s why. Years of instability The past couple of years have brought yet more turmoil and uncertainty to the European Union. What its proponents see as a [...]
Recruiter SThree raises profit outlook as Germany and US demand improves November 23, 2020 Recruitment firm SThree has projected annual profit to be slightly above market expectations following heightened staff demand for professionals in life sciences and technology in the United States and Germany. The company said hiring improvement in the US and Germany could be seen in October and early November, sending shares up 2.8% in early trading. [...]
FTSE flattens mid-afternoon November 23, 2020 Cineworld, Tui, BA owner and pub companies lead FTSE vaccine bounce
Global dividends start to make a tentative recovery November 23, 2020 With the impact of the pandemic still lingering, global dividends have dipped again this quarter although there are encouraging signs the worst is now over for investors. Payouts in the third quarter dipped fell by $55bn to $329.8bn, the lowest since 2016, according to Janus Henderson’s latest dividend tracker. The 11 per cent decline was [...]
Households face hike in energy bills due to Covid ‘bad debt’ November 20, 2020 Millions of households could see their energy bills hiked by £21 in order to compensate suppliers for unpaid customer debts incurred due to the coronavirus pandemic. Energy watchdog Ofgem is mulling whether to increase the energy price cap for 11m homes to allow suppliers to recoup these “bad debts”. The regulator said that it expected [...]
Gold prices set for second week of falls as vaccine hopes spur traders November 20, 2020 Gold prices were on track to fall for a second consecutive week as investors chanced their arms on equities again on news of not one but two effective coronavirus vaccines. The safe haven asset has seen prices jump almost 25 per cent this year, with traders piling in as stock markets melted down around the [...]