Premier Oil strikes deal to merge with North Sea rival Chrysaor October 6, 2020 Premier Oil this morning announced that it had agreed to merge with fellow North Sea explorer Chrysaor in a deal which will make the firm the largest independent London listed oil company. Shares in the firm leapt 10.9 per cent as markets opened this morning. The deal will see Premier’s $2.7bn debt pile, which has [...]
Name your price: How better carbon pricing can help the fight towards net zero October 6, 2020 As the old joke goes, if you get three economists together, you are likely to get at least half a dozen different opinions. But there is one thing that economists do agree on: you need to price carbon effectively if you are to shift economic activity towards a lower carbon future. About 40 countries around [...]
Oil prices jump on optimism over Trump health updates October 5, 2020 Oil prices surged six per cent today after doctors said US President Donald Trump could soon be discharged from hospital following his Covid-19 diagnosis. Brent crude rose 5.6 per cent to $41.48 per barrel this afternoon, while US West Texas Intermediate was up 6.4 per cent to $39.42 per barrel. Oil prices had dropped more [...]
US stocks and FTSE 100 jump as markets rebound on signs of Trump’s health improving October 5, 2020 US stocks jumped this afternoon, while the FTSE 100 climbed steadily following reports that President Donald Trump’s health was improving. Wall Street’s Dow Jones and tech-heavy Nasdaq both gained more than one per cent in early trading. The S&P 500 climbed 0.9 per cent, following a sharp sell-off last Friday on the President’s announcement that [...]
Leading business figures call on Sunak to slash taxes to return to 90s growth October 5, 2020 Leading business figures have backed calls from the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) for the government to implement similar policies to those that contributed to the best period of economic growth in recent history. These include slashing and streamlining taxes in order to build a “bright future”. Wetherspoons founder Tim Martin, JP Morgan VP Laurence [...]
Goldman Sachs backs sterling, saying Brexit deal in November likely October 5, 2020 Goldman Sachs is advising its clients to buy sterling, with analysts predicting that the UK and EU could reach a post-Brexit trade deal by early November. Analysts at the US investment bank said that while the risk of a breakdown in negotiations could not be ruled out, their “core view” was that a “‘thin’ zero-tariff/zero-quota [...]
UK PMIs: Business activity slowed less than thought in September October 5, 2020 Britain’s economy proved more resilient than initially thought last month, with business activity continuing to grow despite the introduction of fresh lockdown restrictions and the end of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, a major survey showed. The IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the services sector dropped to 56.1 in September from [...]
Airbnb aims to raise roughly $3bn in IPO October 3, 2020 Home rental company Airbnb is aiming to raise around $3bn in its upcoming initial public offering (IPO), people familiar with the matter said on Friday, taking advantage of the unexpectedly sharp recovery in its business after the Covid-19 pandemic roiled the travel industry. Airbnb will be one of the largest and most anticipated US stock [...]
Oil prices slump as Trump contracts coronavirus and global output increases October 3, 2020 Oil prices fell more than four per cent on Friday after US President Donald Trump tested positive for Covid-19. The sell off saw oil post its second weekly decline as rising global crude output threatened to overwhelm the market’s recovery. The uncertainty around the health of Trump contributed to a number of factors causing uncertainty, [...]
US stocks and FTSE 100 fall after Donald Trump gets coronavirus October 2, 2020 US stocks tumbled and the FTSE 100 was lower after US President Donald Trump tested positive for coronavirus just a month before the presidential election. Wall Street’s S&P 500 index was 0.6 per cent lower in early trading, having recovered some ground after a sharp fall at the open. The Dow Jones was down 0.5 [...]