US stocks slide after retail sales and factory output plunge April 15, 2020 US stocks have opened sharply lower after retail sales fell by the biggest amount on record and manufacturing output plunged. Wall Street’s S&P 500 index was 2.5 per cent lower shortly after the bell. The Dow Jones was down 2.2 per cent and the Nasdaq was also down 2.2 per cent. The falls came after [...]
Jupiter Fund Management pushes on with Merian deal despite outflows April 15, 2020 Jupiter Fund Management today said it was pushing ahead with its takeover of Merian Global Investors despite both being hit by outflows. Jupiter said it had net outflows for the quarter of £2.3bn. It said assets under management fell £7.8bn in the quarter to £35bn – the majority of which it said were caused by [...]
Oil prices dip as investors ‘boo’ Opec production cut April 15, 2020 Oil prices have slipped this morning as investors worry that huge production cuts will not be enough to offset the slump in demand amid a deep, coronavirus-driven global recession. Brent crude fell 2.4 per cent to $28.90 per barrel in early London trading. US crude was 0.9 per cent lower at $19.94. The falls mean [...]
Oil prices slump back below $30 as record production cuts fail to cheer investors April 14, 2020 Oil prices slumped this afternoon on the back of fears from investors that the record production cuts agreed yesterday would not do enough to stabilise global oil prices. Benchmark Brent crude shed six per cent of its value, falling back below $30 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate fell nearly seven per cent to stand [...]
FTSE 100 finishes lower despite global coronavirus rally April 14, 2020 The FTSE 100 missed out on a global rally today after the UK government said it intends to keep lockdown measures in place for the time being and dire predictions were made about the economy. Britain’s FTSE 100 index closed 0.9 per cent lower at 5,792 points. Yet European and US markets were more cheery, [...]
US stocks rise as investors focus on Chinese trade recovery April 14, 2020 US stocks have risen sharply in early trading as investors take heart in better-than-expected Chinese economic data and as state governors weigh up easing coronavirus lockdowns. The S&P 500 index was 2.3 per cent higher roughly an hour after the bell. The Dow Jones was up two per cent and the Nasdaq had risen 3.1 [...]
Oil prices slip as production cut underwhelms April 14, 2020 Oil prices have fallen into the red as analysts warn that the production cut agreed by Opec+ will not be enough to match the slump in demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Brent crude was 1.1 per cent lower at $31.40 per barrel. US crude was down 1.6 per cent at $22.05 per barrel. The [...]
EDF withdraws financial guidance for 2020 and 2021 as coronavirus hits power demand April 14, 2020 French energy company EDF said today it was withdrawing its financial targets for 2020 and 2021 as a result of the coronavirus crisis. EDF said it was pulling all financial targets, including the lower end of the earnings Ebitda range of €17.5bn (£15.2bn) in 2020. “The economic turmoil that follows from the current sanitary crisis [...]
National Express pulls dividend and secures £800m in new cash facilities April 14, 2020 Transport group National Express said today it was scrapping its dividend and keeping future dividends under review as it said it had secured £800m in new cash facilities. National Express said that two of its workers had died of coronavirus globally and that other members of staff were suffering from the virus. The company said [...]
Asian stocks rise on Chinese trade data and easing of coronavirus measures April 14, 2020 Asian stocks rose this morning after better-than-expected trade data from China and as major economies began easing coronavirus restrictions. Data published today showing China’s exports in March fell only 6.6 per cent from the same period a year earlier – a smaller drop than the expected 14 per cent plunge – helped boost confidence. Imports [...]