London house prices dragged down by Zones 2 and 3 says Rightmove data January 15, 2018 The price of London homes coming to market fell sharply over the last year, as properties in Zones 2 and 3 slumped, according to new data to be published today. Homes brought to market in the capital are now an average of £21,000 cheaper, a 3.5 per cent fall over the last year, according to [...]
Trump and McDonnell’s attendance at Davos is about power, politics and posturing – and little else January 15, 2018 | City Talk This time next week the great and the good of the business and political worlds will meet in Davos for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF). Known as one of the most exclusive networking events on the planet, these days events in Davos may struggle to make global headlines. The most newsworthy event of last [...]
The EU is set to suffer in the Czech Republic election January 12, 2018 | City Talk This year could be a tough test for the European Union (EU). Not only does it have Brexit looming over the horizon and a stubborn unemployment, but it also faces yet more potentially destabilising elections. Much has been written on the Italian parliamentary vote in March for its potential consequences for the Euro, but the [...]
The beauty parade for the next Bank of England Governor has begun January 11, 2018 | City Talk Not that long ago this column mentioned the fact that speculation over who would succeed Mark Carney as Governor of the Bank of England would begin in earnest this year. Just a few short weeks later and it has already begun. On Tuesday Reuters speculated as to who the possible successors to Mr Carney might [...]
Europe’s economic recovery isn’t complete yet and Brexit is distracting Brussels January 10, 2018 | City Talk On Tuesday, official figures showed unemployment across the Eurozone edged lower in November. The jobless rate among the nations that make up the single currency bloc fell to 8.7% of the working population overall, down from 8.8% in October. While this isn’t in itself that impressive a decline, the year-on-year fall in unemployment tells a [...]
Revealed: The seven best-value stocks to watch in 2018, according to Canaccord Genuity January 9, 2018 Despite a rocky 2017 which saw a number of lawsuits come to a head, Lloyds Banking Group has been named one of the most promising stocks to watch this year by Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management. Based on the value of the stocks at the moment and their potential to generate strong returns over the next [...]
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 [...]
Consumer debt growth is not a new subprime bubble say FCA and Bank of England economists January 8, 2018 The recent surge in consumer lending to record levels will not be a rerun of the subprime borrowing bubble that crippled the world’s financial system in 2008, according to new research by City watchdogs. Credit growth is not being driven by the borrowers rated as most likely to default, according to a joint article published [...]
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 [...]