The warning lights for the next economic crisis are starting to flash January 25, 2018 The global economic zeitgeist has shifted. A decade on from the financial crisis, the world economy can at last see over the hill and make out the features of the “Promised Land” called normalisation. There is a palpable sense that the world economy has crossed three important lines. First, that it is finally achieving synchronised [...]
As the Pound surges on renewed confidence, is the glass half empty or half full? January 25, 2018 | City Talk Wednesday saw sterling stage a surge against the Dollar that was less of a bull run than an all out charge. The Pound began the day at the psychologically important $1.40 mark and then proceeded to smash past $1.42, easily its highest level since the 2016 Brexit referendum. True, the UK posted some strong jobs [...]
The global economy is booming, but not for everyone January 24, 2018 | City Talk Optimism about the future path of the global economy is at record levels among the chief executives of the world’s largest companies, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Its 2018 survey of the world’s business elite found a large majority of chief executives believe global economic growth will “improve” over the next year. In fact, the number [...]
A rare moment of Brexit brightness from the Great Remainer January 23, 2018 | City Talk The man who first coined the term BRICs – the economics sage Jim O’Neill – has just passed a surprisingly upbeat judgment on the economic impact of Brexit. Lord O’Neill, the former head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, was a leading voice in the 2016 Remain campaign. The man who first identified Brazil, Russia, India [...]
Bayeux tapestry loan an example of epic trolling January 22, 2018 | City Talk Another day, another development in Brexit negotiations. But this time it’s a big one for the City and one that’s likely to prove the key battleground in trade negotiations with the European Union (EU) in the coming year. And as fed up as we might be with Brexit, there’s no escaping it. Not unless the [...]
Goldman Sachs has led a $38m funding round into tech firm Visible Alpha to help battle Mifid II challenges January 18, 2018 A startup which aims to help analysts and fund managers cope with dreaded regulatory changes has grabbed $38m (£27m) of funding today, from a cohort of big banks led by Goldman Sachs. Visible Alpha was launched in the run up to the second Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid II), which is expected to radically [...]
Shell just made its first investment in blockchain with UK startup Applied Blockchain January 18, 2018 Shell has made its first investment in blockchain, the technology eliciting interest around the world because it underpins bitcoin, but which has far wider applications. The oil giant has taken a minority stake in London startup Applied Blockchain to help it explore how the technology might be applied to its business. The value of the [...]
One year into Brexit and we’re no closer to a deal January 18, 2018 | City Talk It’s a year since Prime Minister Theresa May gave her Lancaster House speech in which she set out the government’s priorities for ensuring a smooth and orderly Brexit transition. That’s right, a year. Time flies. So, it’s only natural to look back at the 12 months that have elapsed since that day and examine how [...]
The first fall in inflation in six months is promising, but there’s a long way to go yet January 17, 2018 | City Talk Has UK inflation peaked? That was the question everyone was tentatively asking on Tuesday. The truth is no-one knows, not yet anyway. Official figures at least show that Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) fell by 0.1 per cent in December to 3 per cent. That is clearly welcome but it doesn’t suggest we’re out of the [...]
Are the Dow Jones and the FTSE 100 running too hot? January 16, 2018 | City Talk Face it, you’ve already asked yourself this question in the past week. What’s driving Wall Street and is it accelerating at a pace that you should now be worried about? The answer is unfortunately not very clear. On the face of it, yes, any rally that sees the Dow Jones add just shy of 800 [...]