Optimism pervades as Opec prepares to meet in Algiers September 26, 2016 A wave of optimism swept through global oil markets this morning as the world's biggest producers prepare to meet on the sidelines of an international conference in Algeria later this week. Positive comments made by the country's energy minister helped send Brent crude, the global benchmark, up as much as 1.15 per cent to $46.42 per barrel. [...]
Is China’s toxic debt pile the greatest threat the global economy faces? September 26, 2016 Mike Jakeman, global analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, says Yes. The Chinese government has already performed one economic miracle – in the 30 years from 1980, it pulled almost 700m people out of extreme poverty. Now it requires another – to wean its fattened economy off a diet of public investment and onto helpings of household [...]
International trade secretary Liam Fox’s steer towards hard Brexit has got the City worried – here’s why September 25, 2016 The government's stance on Brexit appears to be hardening, with international trade secretary Liam Fox set to advocate that the UK pushes ahead and becomes an independent member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This would set the UK on a path to leave the EU’s customs union, an area that allows the free movement of goods [...]
Forex broker Oanda targets data and payments expansion September 25, 2016 US-based foreign exchange broker Oanda is making a push in to data and payments services. The business traditionally makes the majority of its revenue from trading but it’s expecting a significant proportion of its revenue could eventually come from data and payments. “I don’t think of our platform as a trading platform, I think of [...]
Economists are expecting more positive data on consumer confidence this week as shoppers shrug off the Brexit vote September 25, 2016 Consumers' worries about the economic impact of the Brexit vote are fading, as economists are expecting positive data on sentiment to be released this week. Confidence in the UK economy slumped immediately after the EU referendum, but now economists are expecting an uptick. Read more: West End gets Brexit boost as sales to tip over [...]
Boris Johnson hints Article 50 should be invoked before May 2017 September 25, 2016 Foreign secretary Boris Johnson has indicated Article 50, the official signal for Britain leaving the EU, should be triggered before May next year to avoid Britain having to participate in European elections and send new MEPs to Brussels. Britain is due to participate in electing candidates to the European parliament in elections set for May 2019, but [...]
EU funds for 600 startups have been unfrozen after Brexit pause September 25, 2016 Millions of pounds in funding for startups from the European Union that were put on hold after the vote to leave Europe have been unfrozen. Cash from the EU Regional Development Fund was paused by the Treasury almost immediately following the vote for Brexit putting at risk a shot in the arm for the country's tech [...]
Saudi Arabia offers to cut production by 1m barrels if Iran freezes output September 23, 2016 Reports suggest Saudi Arabia has offered to cut production by 1m barrels if its regional rival Iran agrees to freeze output. The de facto Opec leader's offer comes ahead of widely anticipated talks between the world's biggest oil producers taking place in Algeria next week. Sources told Reuters that the offer, which is yet to be accepted [...]
Taking stock: 12 charts showing the first three months of Brexit in the financial markets September 23, 2016 Three months ago today, the UK voted to leave the European Union. Against the judgement of most experts, our own Prime Minister, the President of the United States, think tanks and international institutions that were warning of economic calamity, the Brits decided to quit. The financial markets went into turmoil. The pound collapsed, the FTSE 100 [...]
Goldman Sachs holds onto its commodities crown September 23, 2016 Goldman Sachs is still king of the investment banks when it comes to commodities trading. Data from analytics firm Coalition showed that the Wall Street stalwart made the most money from trading commodities such as oil, coal and metals after coming top in the past two years, Bloomberg reported. JP Morgan and Citigroup took second and third place [...]