FTSE 100 bucks the trend as global stocks fall on US-China tensions May 4, 2020 The FTSE 100 has climbed into the green in afternoon trading, faring better than European and US stocks which fell after the Trump administration stoked tensions with China over coronavirus. Britain’s FTSE 100 index was up 0.1 per cent just after 3pm at 5,770 points. London trading was choppy but helped by a fall in [...]
Hong Kong recession deepens due to coronavirus pandemic May 4, 2020 Hong Kong’s recession deepened in the first quarter as its economy, which had already been impacted by anti-government protests last year, was hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Hong Kong’s economy shrank by 5.3 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the previous quarter. On an annual basis the economy contracted 8.9 [...]
Coronavirus lockdown takes heavy toll on Britons’ wellbeing May 4, 2020 The coronavirus lockdown is taking a heavy toll on Britons’ mental health, new data has shown, with anxiety and unhappiness hitting record levels as people fret over their finances and are forced to stay indoors. Nearly half of people aged 16 and over reported high levels of anxiety between 20 and 30 March, according to [...]
Eurozone investors deeply pessimistic in May amid coronavirus May 4, 2020 Eurozone investors remained deeply gloomy at the start of May, a survey has shown, although there was a minor improvement as countries such as Germany and Austria start to ease coronavirus lockdowns. The Sentix Eurozone investor sentiment index came in at minus 41.8 in May. This was below expectations of a pick up to minus [...]
Oil prices slip on fears of renewed US-China trade war May 4, 2020 Oil prices dropped this morning after last week’s gains amid fears that heightening tensions between the US and China could impair global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. After their first week of gains in over a month last week, both worldwide benchmark Brent crude and US standard West Texas Intermediate (WTI) slipped back. Having [...]
Coronavirus: Eurozone factory output plunges at fastest pace on record May 4, 2020 Eurozone manufacturing output plunged at the fastest pace on record in April, survey data has confirmed, as coronavirus lockdowns caused production and trade to dry up. The IHS Markit Eurozone manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI), a gauge of the health of the sector, fell to 33.4 in April. This was the lowest score ever recorded [...]
Diversified Gas and Oil sticks with dividend as firm prepares for main market move May 4, 2020 Diversified Gas and Oil today confirmed it would stick with its dividend despite unprecedented volatility in global oil markets as it prepares for its move to the main market of the London Stock Exchange later this month. In an update on its first quarter performance, the US-based firm said it had maintained production levels in [...]
Asian stocks slip as Donald Trump blames virus on China May 4, 2020 Asian stocks slipped this morning as renewed tensions between the US and China over the origin of coronavirus stunted optimism about the lifting of lockdown measures. With China and Japan on holiday, other Asia-Pacific shares fell 2.5 per cent, according to an MSCI index. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng returned from a two-session holiday to suffer [...]
British Chambers of Commerce tells PM to ramp up public spending May 3, 2020 The government must sustain high levels of public spending to help the private sector recover from the coronavirus, according to one of the country’s largest business bodies. British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) president Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith has written to Boris Johnson to say it was “a time to be bold” and that “an expansionary fiscal policy, [...]
FTSE 100 extends losses after worst daily drop in a month May 1, 2020 The FTSE 100 extended its losses today after suffering its worst daily drop in a month yesterday as dire economic reports and weak earnings weighed on traders. London’s blue-chip index was down roughly 2.3 per cent at 5,762 points by around 10.20am today. By the mid-afternoon the FTSE 100 had trimmed its drop to just [...]