RBS faces a long road to profitability as it seeks to put its problems behind it November 9, 2016 In an era of ultra low interest rates, ever tightening regulation and steep legacy fines, times are tough for banks. But taxpayer-backed RBS, which has not made a full-year profit since 2007 and has seen shares slide 36 per cent in the year to date, is having a particularly rough ride. This is largely through problems [...]
Asian markets slide as Donald Trump looks set for victory November 9, 2016 It's a little under two hours until the London Stock Exchange opens, but here's a hint of what might be coming: Asian markets were universally lower this morning as Donald Trump looked set for a White House victory. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was down 2.8 per cent, at 22,261 points, while Japan's Nikkei plummeted [...]
US Presidential election 2016: Peso plunges to record low as Donald Trump moves towards the White House November 9, 2016 The Mexican peso has plummeted 11.5 per cent early this morning, as Republican candidate Donald Trump moves towards victory in the US Presidential election. Mexico's central bank has announced it will hold a news conference this morning after the peso hit its lowest levels in history. Economists have said the bank is likely to raise its key [...]
Some of the EU’s largest companies are worried that a hard Brexit will cost them dear November 8, 2016 A hard Brexit could hit some of Europe's largest companies by increasing their cost of funding. A report by accountants EY revealed that the likes of Airbus and Volkswagen are worried about the fallout of Britain's exit from the EU, according to reports by Sky News. Read more: A "hard Brexit" could undermine the very things driving [...]
European tech startups just got a major €1.6bn boost November 8, 2016 Brussels is launching a fresh fund to boost investment in startups across Europe which is expected to create more than a billion euros in capital ready to be put into up-and-coming technology firms. The European Commission will commit up to €400m (£357m) to the European Investment Fund's (EIF) new fund-of-funds and will look for three times more investment from institutional investors to make up to [...]
From the NHS to Brexit, give people a choice and they’ll make a good one November 8, 2016 A current headache for the government is the performance of the NHS, and whether it is running out of money. This was making the front pages until the judges’ decision on Brexit pushed it off. Successive governments have discovered that the finances of the health service are a potentially bottomless pit. A key policy issue [...]
BMW workers vote in favour of strikes at UK factories over final salary pension closure November 8, 2016 The number of Minis and Rolls-Royce cars rolling off the production lines in the UK could be considerably disrupted after thousands of workers balloted in favour of strike action. BMW, which owns the two iconic brands, is planning to close its UK final salary pension scheme. Read more: Unite ready to fight BMW over pension changes A raft of [...]
The UK economy will grow two per cent this year after growth slowed November 8, 2016 Economic growth in the UK stalled slightly in the three months to the end of October, falling from 0.5 per cent in the previous three months to 0.4 per cent. The closely-watched GDP estimate by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) said although consumer spending is robust at the moment, it expects [...]
Calm before the storm: The pound is back below $1.24 on Hillary Clinton hopes, as the FTSE 100 remains flat November 8, 2016 After an encouraging beginning to the week, the pound fell below the $1.24 mark this morning as the dollar strengthened on hopes of a Hillary Clinton win in today's US Presidential election. Having peaked at $1.2439 in early trading, the pound edged into the red in the early afternoon, dropping as low as $1.2388, 0.1 [...]
UK industrial production fell unexpectedly in September – but manufacturing rose November 8, 2016 The UK's industrial production fell in September, despite economists expecting it to be flat – but manufacturing showed a rather rosier picture. Industrial production fell 0.4 per cent between August and September, the same fall as the month before. Year on year, the figure rose 0.3 per cent cent – although economists had hoped for a [...]