The global economy looks strong but confidence in Britain is weak and getting weaker January 9, 2018 | City Talk Optimism among British manufacturers about the state of the global economy is at a four-year high. So says a survey from the manufacturers' organisation EEF. It found 40% of factories are planning for growth this year compared with 19% who are forecasting a decline. Sales are expected to grow at home, according to 62% of [...]
Wall Street soars ever higher, but is the Dow approaching its Icarus moment? January 8, 2018 | City Talk How high can the Dow Jones go? 26,000? Or 30,000 as President Donald Trump has suggested? Why not even further? In the current heady climate it’s easy to get carried away, especially given that President Trump’s tax reforms are still to take effect. So what is driving Wall Street’s extended bull run? Behind its “Goldilocks [...]
Is the end of QE in sight? Why what the markets want may not be what they get January 5, 2018 | City Talk After years of loose monetary policy, the money presses in several of the world’s biggest markets are finally winding down – if not yet falling silent. In the US, the era of easy money is already over. But with a huge $4.5 trillion of assets to return to global stock markets, it has always been [...]
London’s tech scene pulls in record £2.5bn in 2017 venture capital bonanza January 5, 2018 London’s tech venture capital investment reached another all-time high in 2017 as firms raked in four times more cash than Paris, the nearest European rival. Venture capital investment into the UK’s tech sector reached an all-time high of £2.99bn, almost double the total invested in 2016, according to figures compiled by data firm Pitchbook for [...]
Too big to list? Why the international scramble for the Aramco IPO might prove a wild goose chase January 4, 2018 | City Talk Last week, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced a delay to its proposed introduction of a new listing category for the London Stock Exchange. The proposal – which has already endured a six-month consultation – is widely seen as an attempt by the regulator to bend its own rules on stock market flotations… in ways [...]
Jeremy Grantham, who predicted the last two bubbles, warns the stock market is ready for a “melt-up” January 4, 2018 Jeremy Grantham, the founder of asset management firm GMO who is credited with predicting the housing bubble of 2007 and the dot-com bubble of 2000, has warned the stock market is likely heading for an imminent "melt-up". This sudden dramatic improvement in the performance of equities, driven by investors who don't want to miss out [...]
As the new year starts Britain needs some economic resolutions January 3, 2018 | City Talk It’s hard to like January as a month. The start of the New Year invariably brings with it resolutions to drink less – or even nothing – for a month, do more exercise and take more care over how we spend our money. In short, we make all sorts of promises to ourselves to live [...]
What’s next for oil and gold prices in 2018? Here’s what analysts said January 2, 2018 Crude oil and gold prices both started the year on a firm footing, but are prices going to keep going up in 2018? Here's what analysts said about the commodities. Oil prices expected to stay around $60, but could go as low as $30 Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices both opened above [...]
Ignore the forecasts. No-one really knows what 2018 holds for markets December 21, 2017 | City Talk How will markets and the global economy perform in 2018? If you’ve not yet been confronted with a barrage of forecasts or predictions, then you’re likely to be in the coming days. Trying to predict what will happen next year has become as much a part of the Christmas tradition as turkey, presents and overindulgence. [...]
Britain is in for a rough ride next year; the EU holds all the cards ahead of Brexit trade talks December 20, 2017 | City Talk At times Brexit can seem like one giant wheeze invented to sell more newspapers. But even by the standards of Fleet Street’s saturation Brexit coverage, this week the press has really gone to town on the latest twist in the saga. On Monday night many newspapers got very hot under the collar after Michel Barnier, [...]