FTSE 100 and Wall Street gain on signs of economic recovery June 23, 2020 The FTSE 100 closed up and Wall Street posted strong gains on Tuesday afternoon after new economic data signalled that business activity across the US, UK and the Eurozone was recovering faster than expected. Having risen steadily throughout the morning, the FTSE 100 pushed ahead in afternoon trading today as traders welcomed the most significant [...]
Shell announces major restructuring to accelerate net zero push June 23, 2020 Oil supermajor Shell will undergo a large-scale restructuring by the end of the year as the firm seeks to shift its focus to zero-carbon activities. Reuters reported that chief executive Ben van Beurden revealed the plan in a video interview released on Shell’s internal website. In the video, van Beurden said that the restructuring would [...]
US new home sales rebound more than expected in May June 23, 2020 Sales of new single-family homes in the US increased more than expected in May, indicating that the country’s housing market could be on the cusp of recovery after being battered by the Covid-19 pandemic. New home sales jumped 16.6 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 676,000 units last month, according to new [...]
US PMI: Downturn eases in June as coronavirus restrictions lifted June 23, 2020 US private sector activity contracted for a fifth straight month in June, but the pace of decline eased as the world’s largest economy began to lift coronavirus lockdowns, according to a flash PMI survey. IHS Markit’s flash composite PMI reading, which which tracks the manufacturing and services sectors, rose to a reading of 46.8 last [...]
Oil prices recover as Donald Trump says China deal still intact June 23, 2020 Global oil prices pushed higher this morning after US president Donald Trump soothed traders’ nerves by assuring the market that his long-sought trade deal with China was intact. The previous session had seen the market suffer a bout of jitters after White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said that the hard-fought deal was “over”. However, [...]
Eurozone PMI: Coronavirus downturn slows as lockdowns ease June 23, 2020 The historic eurozone economic downturn slowed markedly for the second month running in June as lockdowns were further relaxed, but a V-shaped recovery may be unlikely, according to new PMI surveys. IHS Markit’s flash purchasing managers’ index (PMI) reading showed the eurozone hit a four-month high with a score of 47.5 in June. Anything below [...]
UK economy set to return to growth in third quarter after coronavirus chaos June 23, 2020 The UK economy’s coronavirus-induced downturn eased in June as key health indicators hit a four-month high, according to a closely-followed survey. The UK’s economic output hit a measure of 47.6 on IHS Markit’s flash purchasing managers’ index (PMI), a four-month high. Anything below 50 represents a contraction. But it was a stark improvement from May’s [...]
Tax system to the rescue: Six policy tweaks that could kickstart the economy June 23, 2020 The past three months have seen a deluge of economic, political, and legal moves that would have been unthinkable at the start of the year. As civil liberties were curtailed on a scale never seen in peacetime and ten million children were turned away from school, new hospitals were built in a matter of weeks, [...]
Big tech vs the market: what you need to know June 23, 2020 | City Talk Big tech has led the global market recovery in the wake of Covid-19. Can the dominance of the FAMAGs continue? On 8 June the S&P 500 of US stocks recovered all their Covid-19 losses for 2020. The so-called FAMAGs (Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple and Alphabet (Google’s parent company)) led that recovery. Even before the pandemic, [...]
Trump adviser walks back comments saying US-China trade deal is ‘over’ June 23, 2020 White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Monday the US trade deal with China “continues in place”, walking back on his earlier remarks that the pact was ‘over’, stoking volatility in markets already frazzled by the coronavirus pandemic. Navarro said his comments were taken “wildly out of context”, while US President Donald Trump confirmed [...]