From tech to Trump – here’s what prompted the big market moves of 2018 December 18, 2018 From Brexit to trade wars, nothing has been plain-sailing about 2018. It’s been a year of peaks and troughs across all major markets, so let’s have a look at the big moves of the past 12 months. Tech in turmoil This was the year when the tech giants raced to become the first ever $1 [...]
Oil prices drop to lowest level in a year amid increased US and Russian output December 18, 2018 Oil prices dropped sharply this morning to their lowest point in over a year as US output looks set to reach 8m barrels per day by the end of 2018. International standard Brent crude fell off a cliff at around 9am UK time, plummeting around four per cent to $57.27 per barrel. However it later [...]
Food waste will be next year’s moral crisis, just as single-use plastic was this year December 18, 2018 In these turbulent times, there was one villain who stood out in 2018. Plastered all over our TV screens, phones, and newspapers, this particular offender was everywhere. It is destructive, toxic, and impossible to get rid of. I am of course talking about single-use plastic. That said, the response to this growing threat has been [...]
Global markets fall ahead of US Federal Reserve interest rates decision December 18, 2018 Global stock markets have fallen in anticipation of today’s US Federal Reserve meeting which could lead to an interest rate hike. US markets fell sharply last night and European markets initially followed suit this morning before rebounding. The Dow Jones, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite all fell more than two per cent last [...]
UK economy set for slowest growth since 2009 and business investment to decline, BCC warns December 18, 2018 UK economic growth could slow to its lowest level since 2009 over the next two years as business investment and the pound are hit by Brexit uncertainty, according to the British Chambers of Commerce. The group expected business investment to contract by 0.6 per cent in 2018 before growing 0.1 per cent next year. The outlook [...]
Breaking the current Brexit impasse could land Theresa May in even deeper trouble December 18, 2018 Despite efforts by the Labour party and other political opponents of the government in the House of Commons, it now looks very unlikely that Theresa May will put her Brexit proposal to a parliamentary vote this side of the New Year. But there may still be plenty of public disagreements and political wrangling ahead when [...]
Trump attacks Federal Reserve again in row over interest rates hike December 17, 2018 President Donald Trump has continued his spat with America’s central bank, the Federal Reserve, ahead of its interest rates announcement this week. The Fed is expected to raise interest rates for the fourth time this year on Wednesday, a decision Trump today called “incredible” on Twitter. “It is incredible that with a very strong dollar [...]
The age of the electric car? Not before we talk about metals December 17, 2018 SINCE exuberance for electric vehicles (EVs) started to gain traction in recent years, there has been no shortage of bullish forecasts predicting that the end of the internal combustion engine is nigh. In other words, cars as we know them are on their way out. Governments are setting ever more aggressive targets on reducing – [...]
UK export growth contracts for first time since 2015 as European economies face turmoil December 17, 2018 UK export growth has dropped to its lowest level since 2015 as political uncertainty and falling demand take their toll on European economies. The growth of UK exports fell by 0.7 points to 94.9 in the fourth quarter 2018, according to figures from BDO’s latest European Export Index. The UK is not the only European [...]
Aston Martin remains in short sellers’ sights despite Soros cash-out, as stock continues to fall December 16, 2018 Aston Martin's struggling stock continues to be targeted by short sellers, with London-based Adelphi Capital raising its bet against the carmaker to £15m last week. The manufacturer behind James Bond’s vehicle of choice would have wished to slip under the radar of hedge funds after its shares crashed from an initial £19 in October to £11.49 [...]