Poorest households could lose more than £5,000 in benefits after Brexit June 9, 2016 A vote to leave the European Union could result in some of the poorest households in the UK losing up to £5,542 a year in tax credits and welfare payments in a worst-case scenario. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) has calculated the likely impact of a vote to leave the EU on [...]
UK records strongest export growth since crisis as economy shrugs off Brexit fears June 9, 2016 The UK posted its smallest trade deficit in seven months in April as bumper export performance proved the latest sign that Brexit uncertainty is failing to knock the UK economy. British firms and consumers bought £3.3bn more from abroad than they sold overseas in April, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this [...]
Super Mario warns national governments that the cost of delaying reforms is painfully high June 9, 2016 The president of the European Central Bank (ECB) has said political intransigence across the Eurozone is costing jobs and growth. Mario Draghi has upped the ante in his calls for reform in the Eurozone in a speech in Brussels this morning, warning that employment and productivity will take a unrecoverable hit if governments do not take his [...]
Why an England Euro 2016 defeat will wipe billions off stock markets June 9, 2016 After a disappointing 2014 World Cup, the nation is eagerly awaiting the start of Euro 2016. With a 100 per cent record in the qualifiers, and currently priced at 8/1 fourth favourites, England are quietly confident that they can at least emulate their semi-final appearance 20 years ago. But it shouldn’t only be football fanatics [...]
Tory MP Sarah Wollaston ditches Vote Leave over “untrue” NHS claims June 8, 2016 Tory MP Sarah Wollaston has quit Vote Leave claiming the Brexit group's assertion that leaving the EU would free up £350m for the NHS "simply isn't true". The health select committee chairman told the BBC: "For someone like me who has long campaigned for open and honest data in public life I could not have set foot on [...]
Oil prices rise despite US stockpile data on China demand and Nigerian production problems June 8, 2016 Oil prices have risen for a third consecutive day today, hitting eight month highs. The rise is in spite of US data showing a surprise build in petrol stockpiles. On-going production problems in Nigeria, as well as a better outlook for demand in China spurred on the market. Gasoline stocks added one million barrels. Analysts had pencilled in a fall. Inventories of crude [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 makes it four positive days on the bounce as commodity prices climb June 8, 2016 A rebound in commodity prices gave a boost to the resources and energy heavy FTSE 100 today, moving it ahead of European markets. The index rose by 16.99 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 6,285.21 points, making today its fourth positive session on the bounce. Oil prices continued their recent rally, climbing to their highest price in around eight months. [...]
Oil just gained market share for the first time since 1999 – here’s why June 8, 2016 Oil remained the world’s leading fuel in 2015, accounting for 32.9 per cent of global energy consumption, BP said in its benchmark industry report today. The report found that prices for all fossil fuels fell in 2015. This led to adjustments in the energy markets including boosting demand for oil which gained market share for the first [...]
Corporate debt gets even cheaper as ECB launches next phase of quantitative easing June 8, 2016 The cost of borrowing for big companies in the Eurozone nudged down today as the European Central Bank (ECB) launched its corporate bond-buying programme. From today, investment grade non-financial corporate debt is eligible to be included in the ECB’s €80bn (£63bn) a month quantitative easing package. Analysts suggest the Bank will try to buy between [...]
Uncertainty? What uncertainty? UK economy picks up in May as Niesr estimates faster GDP growth June 8, 2016 The UK economy is steering clear of a pre-referendum slowdown, a fresh estimate of economic growth, published this afternoon, has revealed. According to the National Institute of Social and Economic Research (Niesr), the economy grew by 0.5 per cent in the three months to the end of May, killing off the idea that Brexit uncertainty has paralysed [...]