Why this is a disqualifying offence for a value investor December 9, 2016 Some people apparently just will not be told. While past performance is no guide to the future, despite all the evidence a value-based approach outperforms over time, investors’ money is increasingly clustering in more non-value-oriented offerings – sometimes known as ‘growth’ but probably more accurately called ‘momentum’ funds. The current situation is starkly illustrated by the following [...]
The trade deficit narrowed in October for the first time since the Brexit vote – but not because of weak sterling December 9, 2016 The trade deficit narrowed to £2bn in October, new figures have shown – although it's unlikely it was thanks to the weak pound. The figure, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this morning, was down from £3.8bn in September last year – and driven by exports, which rose £2bn, while imports fell by [...]
Editor’s notes: Calm down, the banks are not about to run for the European hills December 9, 2016 The government has agreed to set out its Brexit plans to parliament. While this will fall short of outlining a full negotiation strategy, it has been welcomed by politicians and business groups as a necessary step towards providing some clarity. However, there appears to still be confusion in some quarters over the fate of the City, [...]
Who said millennials don’t want to climb the property ladder? December 9, 2016 In the 1960s and 1970s architects designed a maze of gigantic housing estates stretching from Elephant and Castle to Peckham. When the buildings were complete, you could walk from the Aylesbury Estate near Elephant and Castle to the North Peckham estate via the Elmington Estate in Camberwell using elevated pedestrian walkways without ever touching the [...]
Brexit negotiations uncertainty leads to fall in UK business confidence in investment prospects December 9, 2016 UK business confidence is set to fall in the next two years as companies await further clarity on the progress of negotiations on the country’s future relationship with the European Union after June’s vote to leave. Business expectations of investment show net falls of 3.2 per cent in 2016 and 3.6 per cent in 2017, [...]
Revenge of the inflationistas: Trump has ushered in the end of the QE era December 9, 2016 After almost a decade of QE and loose monetary policy, inflation is nowhere to be seen in the developed world. Warning of upside risk in consumer prices has become something akin to crying wolf. But Donald Trump’s proposed fiscal measures could prove the missing piece of the global inflationary puzzle. As a result, inflation is [...]
Spreadbetters hit again as German regulator announces a clampdown December 8, 2016 Times got tougher for spreadbetters today as the German regulator revealed plans for more red tape for the market. Bafin's announcement that it is preparing to apply more rules to the market for contracts for difference (CFDs) comes just two days after the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) unveiled similar plans. In particular, Bafin is concerned price fluctuations might [...]
Oil rises ahead of weekend meeting between Opec and non-Opec producers December 8, 2016 Oil markets were choppy today as traders got jittery ahead of a weekend meeting of Opec and non-Opec producers. Prices dipped in London afternoon trading after Russian news agency Tass reported the meeting, due to be held this Saturday in Vienna, could be postponed. However, a Russian energy ministry spokeswoman later said there were no [...]
Creo Medical to IPO with £20m in fresh funding December 8, 2016 Creo Medical – a small biotech company specialising in surgical endoscopy – will float on the London junior market tomorrow after raising some £20m from investors. The shares will begin trading on Friday, priced at 76p, giving Creo a market capitalisation of £61.2m. The raising, with about a fifth coming from existing backers, will be used [...]
US jobless claims fall as last US jobs data before Fed meeting supports rate rise case December 8, 2016 Claims by Americans for unemployment benefits fell this week, adding to the weight of positive economic data in the last jobs release ahead of next week’s update on monetary policy by the US Federal Reserve. The number of initial jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 258,000, marking the longest streak of claims below 300,000 since [...]