Analysis: Why oil prices turned negative, and might do again April 22, 2020 On Monday night oil prices turned negative for the first time in history, as traders started paying to have barrels of oil taken off their hands due to the total collapse in demand caused by coronavirus. The unprecedented scenes were a result of a number of coalescing factors which created a situation in which buying [...]
FTSE 100 rises as investors look past tumbling oil prices April 22, 2020 The FTSE 100 has risen as investors look past the chaos in oil markets to signs that the coronavirus outbreak could be peaking and some surprisingly positive company results. Britain’s FTSE 100 stock index closed up 2.3 per cent this afternoon, at 5770.63. It had fallen around three per cent yesterday. European stocks were also [...]
Fuel prices knock UK inflation rate down to 1.5 per cent in March April 22, 2020 The UK inflation rate fell 0.2 per cent in March to 1.5 per cent, as coronavirus restrictions hit fuel prices. A drop in the price of fuel and clothing resulted in the largest downward contribution to the change in the UK inflation rate between February and March. The rate marks eight consecutive months below the [...]
Global bosses predict U-shaped coronavirus recovery April 22, 2020 Global business leaders have predicted economies will fail to post a quick recovery bounce back quickly from the coronavirus crash. Many CEOs worry their firms could cease trading altogether, according to a new survey. Roughly 60 per cent of bosses surveyed by business network YPO said they expect a ‘U-shaped’ coronavirus recovery that features a [...]
Bank governor Andrew Bailey warns against lifting coronavirus measures too quickly April 22, 2020 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has warned against lifting coronavirus lockdown measures too quickly and putting people’s safety at risk in a bid to boost the economy. Bailey added that a “false start”, when lockdown measures had to be reinstated, “would damage people’s confidence very severely”. The governor’s intervention come amid a heated debate [...]
Brent crude tumbles overnight to lowest oil prices since millennium April 22, 2020 The price of worldwide benchmark Brent crude tumbled overnight as the global rout of oil prices continued on fears that storage space is rapidly running out. At its nadir, Brent crude fell over 18 per cent to $15.98, a level last seen before the turn of the millennium in mid-1999. As trading opened in London, [...]
The City View podcast from City A.M., with David Buik April 22, 2020 In this episode Christian is joined by legendary City commentator and market analyst, David Buik. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS David is one of the best known and most recognisable financial commentators in the City with more than 40 years of experience behind him. His weekly emails [...]
June oil futures crash as market grapples with unprecedented glut April 21, 2020 Prices for June oil contracts dramatically crashed this evening as the market faces the prospect of massive oversupply amid plunging demand. The price for a June West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude future contract fell below $10 (£8.14) this evening, following yesterday’s drastic crash of May WTI contracts. Yesterday, May WTI future contracts went negative for [...]
Donald Trump calls for state aid to protect battered oil companies April 21, 2020 US president Donald Trump said this afternoon that he had asked the federal government to develop plans to protect domestic oil firms after extraordinary levels of volatility sent prices negative for the first time in history. On Twitter, the president wrote: “We will never let the great US Oil & Gas Industry down. “I have [...]
US home sales slump in March as coronavirus bites April 21, 2020 US home sales tumbled at the fastest rate in over four years in March, figures have shown, as coronavirus containment measures choked off buyer demand in one of the biggest markets in the world. Existing home sales slumped 8.5 per cent in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.27m units, the National Association [...]