Markets live: FTSE 100 rebound sours as traders await Fed rates decision June 10, 2020 The FTSE 100 faltered as an initial rebound quickly turned sour and the UK index fell back into the red by the afternoon. London’s blue-chip index pushed 0.74 per cent higher as markets opened today, before dipping into the red by mid-morning. The FTSE pared back some of the losses by the afternoon but edged [...]
OECD: UK economy to take world’s biggest hit from Covid-19 June 10, 2020 The UK will suffer the largest economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic among major nations this year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has warned. Predicting that the UK economy could contract between 11.5 and 14 per cent in 2020, the organisation said Covid-19 represents the biggest peacetime economic downturn in a century [...]
US inflation falls for third straight month as coronavirus hammers economy June 10, 2020 US consumer prices fell for a third straight month in May and underlying inflation was weak as demand remained subdued amid the recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell 0.1 per cent in May, after decreasing 0.8 per cent in April, new figures from the US Labour Department showed. Read [...]
FOMC decision: Four things to expect from the Federal Reserve’s June meeting June 10, 2020 Policymakers at the US Federal Reserve are set to publish their first set of economic projections of 2020 later today when the Open Market Committee (FOMC) makes its June decision. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave interest rates near zero at its FOMC June decision. But all eyes are on the meeting for [...]
Global gas demand set for record decline in 2020 June 10, 2020 Global demand for natural gas is set for its biggest fall on record, the International Energy Agency revealed today, due to the combination of the coronavirus crisis and a particularly mild winter. This year, gas demand is due to drop four per cent – or 150bn cubic metres – which is double the size of [...]
Get the Bank of England focused on the real economy June 10, 2020 Economic policy is returning to its usual position of prominence. Fears of a major rise in unemployment are starting to worry the government more than fears around Covid-19. The chancellor’s imaginative schemes concerning furlough and other measures to protect jobs create potential problems elsewhere. So much money is being borrowed that the ratio of public [...]
EU must boost capital markets due to coronavirus and Brexit, say finance chiefs June 10, 2020 The European Union needs to deregulate its capital markets to help the economy recover from coronavirus and reduce its reliance on the City of London, according to a panel of industry executives. With huge amounts of debt being sold to counter the economic hit caused by Covid-19 and the bloc set to lose its major [...]
Asian shares crawl higher ahead of Fed meeting June 10, 2020 Asian shares crept higher this morning, marking a 10th session of consecutive gains, but slowed momentum on doubts of a swift global recovery from coronavirus ahead of today’s US Federal Reserve meeting. MSCI’s index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbed 0.3 per cent, while Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.1 per cent. Safe havens such as gold [...]
Let the economy reboot itself June 10, 2020 How can the government best support the UK’s economic recovery after the crushing impact of the pandemic? Today, the Institute of Economic Affairs and Civitas are publishing a joint report on the economics of the Covid-19 crisis, written by Professor Len Shackleton and myself. Many are arguing that the crisis has demonstrated the need for [...]
Coronavirus: UK economy set for ‘most severe downturn in modern times’ June 10, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has dragged the UK into the “most severe economic downturn in modern times” with the economy set to contract over seven per cent this year, new forecasts suggest. The UK economy is expected to shrink 7.2 per cent in 2020 and is unlikely to fully recover from the impact of Covid-19 until [...]