Labour policies could cause run on sterling, says think tank Cebr November 25, 2019 A Labour government could cause a run on the pound due to market fears over the party’s stewardship of the economy, a leading economic think tank has said. Douglas McWilliams, director of the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), called Labour’s plans to raise £83bn a year through higher taxes by 2023-24 “improbable”. Read [...]
Coal powered generation set for record fall in 2019 November 25, 2019 Global coal-fired electricity generation is on track for its biggest fall on record in 2019, with production expected to fall by around 3 per cent, according to a new report. This is equivalent to a reduction of around 300 terrawatt hours, which is more than the combined total output from coal in the UK, Germany [...]
What is microfinance and why does it matter for investors? November 25, 2019 | City Talk Exclusion from the financial system is widely regarded as a major obstacle to people’s efforts to grow out of poverty. In 2017, 1.7 billion adults across the globe had no access to a bank account, with the vast majority of them living in emerging and frontier markets. 56 per cent of these were women, and [...]
FTSE 100 jumps on US-China trade war optimism as Tory polling boosts pound November 25, 2019 The FTSE 100 rose more than almost half a per cent higher today as China signalled it is willing to bring an end to its prolonged trade war with the US. Meanwhile sterling jumped 0.3 per cent higher as the latest election polls put the Tories on track to win a majority in December’s election. [...]
Hopes of US-China trade deal boost Asian stocks amid Hong Kong local elections November 25, 2019 Asian stocks rallied slightly overnight, as investors hoped for progress in the trade war between the US and China. It comes in part as a reaction to comments by US national security adviser Robert O’Brian over the weekend, that an initial – or so called phase one – trade agreement with China is still possible [...]
5m customers switch energy supplier in 2019 so far November 25, 2019 Over 5m customers have switched energy supplier so far in 2019, Energy UK has revealed, as consumers continue to make the most of increased competition. The latest figures show that 626,284 customers moved to a new supplier last month – down 1.1 per cent on October 2018. Read more: National Grid and SSE shift to [...]
Conservative manifesto: How will Boris Johnson tax and spend? November 24, 2019 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has launched the Conservative manifesto with a pledge that he would increase spending by a fraction of Labour’s plans in a “sensible, moderate” approach to the economy. According to the Conservatives’ sums, the party would increase day-to-day spending by £2.9bn a year by 2023-24, compared to an £82.9bn increase under Labour. [...]
National Grid and SSE shift to overseas ownership to counter Labour nationalisation plans November 24, 2019 The backlash to Jeremy Corbyn’s sweeping nationalisation plans has begun, as two of the UK’s leading power companies said that they had shifted ownership of their British operations overseas. The Sunday Times revealed that SSE and National Grid had confirmed that they had set up offshore companies in Switzerland and Luxembourg and Hong Kong respectively [...]
Oil price growth stagnates on China trade worries after two-month highs November 23, 2019 Oil prices fell on Friday after previously hitting two-month highs, negating the week’s gains as fears over China-US trade talks were reignited. Brent crude oil futures fell by 1 per cent to end Friday on $63.39 a barrel, despite hitting a high of $64.27 earlier in the day. Read more: Oil industry reacts to Labour’s [...]
Sterling falls against the dollar as UK economy slows but US picks up November 22, 2019 The pound has fallen against the dollar as traders near the end of their week after survey data was better than expected in the US but painted a gloomy picture of the UK economy. Sterling was trading 0.59 per cent lower against the greenback by 4.40pm, taking it to $1.283. Read more: FTSE 100 leads [...]