Former chancellor Lord Alistair Darling backs Sunak’s VAT cut plans June 22, 2020 Former chancellor Lord Alistair Darling has backed government plans to cut VAT in a bid to boost the economy, adding that the coronavirus crisis will result in an “even more profound shock” to the UK than the 2008 financial crisis. In a foreword to a new Policy Exchange report, Darling expressed his support for current [...]
Exclusive: Elixirr seeks London IPO to end coronavirus drought June 19, 2020 Management consultancy firm Elixirr, whose clients have included Barclays, O2 and RBS, is seeking a London IPO, ending a two-month drought in flotations on the London Stock Exchange. Elixirr will seek a listing on London’s junior AIM exchange this summer, City A.M. can reveal. The company, founded in 2009, plans to go on an equity-funded [...]
FTSE 100 rise as retail sales start to bounce back June 19, 2020 The FTSE 100 solidified this week’s gains on hopes of a swift economic recovery, after figures released this morning showed retail sales beginning to bounce back. London’s blue-chip index opened 26 points higher – 0.43 per cent – to 6,250 points, as investors began to digest a fresh round of economic data. By the afternoon, [...]
Oil prices hit highest levels since early March as Opec+ pledges cut compliance June 19, 2020 Oil prices topped $42 today after oil producer group Opec and its allies pledged better compliance with record production cuts in a meeting yesterday. Worldwide standard Brent crude rose 2.3 per cent to hit $42.46 this morning, extending gains from its previous session. Meanwhile, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was headed back towards $40 where [...]
Which stock markets look ‘cheap’ after the rapid rebound? June 19, 2020 | City Talk We look at how five regional markets stack up on various valuation measures. Early last week, the short answer as to which markets looked cheap was: none. Despite everything that 2020 has thrown at it, at one stage the US stock market was up for the year overall. Other markets had also regained a lot [...]
UK borrowing surges to a record £103.7bn in lockdown June 19, 2020 UK borrowing exploded to £103.7bn over April and May’s lockdown, official data showed today, as debt exceeded 100 per cent as a percentage of GDP in May for the first time in 57 years. The current financial year to date – April to May 2020 – has already seen borrowing rocket to £103.7bn. That is [...]
UK retail sales start to rebound in May following record drop June 19, 2020 UK retail sales began to rebound in May, exceeding expectations by rising 12 per cent month-on-month following a record plunge in April, with the proportion spent online hitting a record high. With fuel excluded, retail sales climbed 10.2 per cent month-on-month, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed. The reading had been expected [...]
FTSE 100 closes lower after BoE boosts stimulus by £100bn June 18, 2020 The FTSE 100 closed lower this afternoon following the Bank of England’s announcement that it would expand its quantitative easing programme by £100bn. London’s blue-chip index finished 0.57 per cent lower at 6,217 points, having opened 0.48 per cent down this morning. The central bank said it would boost its bond-buying programme by £100bn after [...]
BoE’s Bailey: Jobs data could scupper UK economy’s coronavirus recovery June 18, 2020 The UK economy is recovering slightly quicker than the Bank of England expected a month ago as the coronavirus lockdown is eased, but news from the labour market is mostly negative, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said. “As partial lifting of the measures takes place, we see signs of some activity returning,” Bailey said [...]
US jobless claims: 1.5m more file for benefits as total hits 46m June 18, 2020 A further 1.51m people filed for unemployment benefits last week in the US, taking the total number of claims to 46m. The figure is a slight drop from the 1.56m who filed for benefits the week before, the US labor department said. It also marks the 11th week the figure has declined since reaching highs [...]