EU referendum: Voter registration website crashes just an hour before deadline June 7, 2016 Talk about bad timing – the website to register to vote in the upcoming EU referendum went down just an hour before the deadline. Users have until 11.59pm BST to register to be able to cast their votes on 23 June. The website stopped working after an ITV show saw Prime Minister David Cameron and UKIP [...]
CBI urges firms to let employees work flexibly on EU referendum day June 7, 2016 The CBI is urging 190,000 companies to let its employees work from home on 23 June in order to enable them to vote in the EU referendum. Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI director-general, said that the referendum will be the "biggest decision that most of us will get to vote on in our lifetimes". She said: “The decision on whether [...]
Brent crude and WTI: US oil hits fresh 2016 high on softer dollar, supply outages June 7, 2016 Oil prices raced to a fresh 2016 high today, energised by expected falls in crude stockpiles and supply outages. Brent crude, the global benchmark, swelled 1.2 per cent to $51.17 per barrel this afternoon, after hitting an intra-day peak of $51.30 earlier, its highest since October. West Texas Intermediate crude, the US benchmark, jumped 0.8 per cent to [...]
At the close: Gushing oil pushes the FTSE 100 higher as miners slip after recent gains June 7, 2016 The FTSE 100 managed a modest rise today, falling back from much bigger gains directly after the open. The blue-chip index added 0.2 per cent to close at 6,284.53. The initial burst came as a result of Royal Dutch Shell earmarking 10 per cent of its oil and gas production assets for sale, which would result in the [...]
Dow Jones rises above 18,000 for the first time since April as S&P 500 hits its highest level since July June 7, 2016 It looks like those shockingly bad jobs figures are a thing of the past, after the S&P hit its highest level in nearly a year, while the Dow Jones index briefly passed the 18,000 mark for the first time since April. The S&P jumped to 2,117 points in late-morning trading in New York. That was after [...]
Women could miss out on financial success as they shun the stock markets June 7, 2016 A new campaign to get more women involved in the stock markets has been launched today as it was claimed women were missing out on financial success because they are shunning riskier investments. A survey by YouGov for the initiative launched by advice website Boring Money found a "whopping 85 per cent of British women are disengaged with the stock [...]
Rio Tinto launches $3bn bond buyback as commodities brighten June 7, 2016 Rio Tinto said today that it has launched a multi-billion bond buyback programme, as formerly tarnished metals price begin to shine one more. The firm intends to purchase up to $3bn of its 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022 US dollar-denominated notes. It's trying to whittle down its debt pile, having bought $1.5bn of its 2017 and 2018 notes in April. Read [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 7, 2016 Markets are still cheering Yellen all but taking the June interest rate hike off the table and the Associated Press has called the US Democratic presidential nomination for Hillary Clinton ahead of today's primaries across the country. Here's what you need to know before the market open at 14:30 London time. Markets are still riding the wave [...]
Sterling jumps back and Remain odds cut on latest EU referendum poll June 7, 2016 A strong poll for the Remain side has sent the pound surging today in the latest swings in the currency markets. After yesterday's dramatic fall, the pound has climbed by more than one per cent against the US dollar to stand at $1.4592 this lunchtime. The shift came after a new poll by ORB found the Remain side [...]
Former London Metal Exchange boss considers launching rival June 7, 2016 The former head of the London Metal Exchange (LME) is considering launching a new London-based metals trading platform. Martin Abbott is in talks with trading houses and brokers over the potential move to challenge the LME. Read more: Open outcry lives on at the London Metal Exchange He left the LME in 2013 after the [...]