FTSE 100 soars above European rivals as pound weakens November 22, 2019 The FTSE 100 jumped this afternoon, ending the week with a strong finish amid a drop in the pound and strong gains in some sectors. The UK’s blue-chip index led its European counterparts upwards, rising 1.21 per cent. Read more: Sterling falls as UK economy slows and US accelerates France’s CAC 40 index had climbed [...]
Huawei: The fake choice between US and China will weaken the world economy November 22, 2019 Over the last year, the UK and its European partners have been asked to make a false choice between the US and China. What started with a series of false claims about Huawei’s role in telecoms infrastructure has broadened into a wider campaign that places the very concept of globalisation and the global economy at [...]
Here’s how much you need to earn to be considered rich November 22, 2019 A fiery debate was sparked last night about what makes a person “rich” after a man on BBC Question Time wrongly claimed he was not even in the top 50 per cent of earners – despite bringing home £80,000 a year. The man laid into Labour candidate Richard Burgeon, who was on the show to [...]
Eurozone PMI: Economy stagnates as German services sector plummets November 22, 2019 The Eurozone economy remained close to stagnation in November as activity sank to a two-month low. The bloc’s economy barely registered growth, hitting a measure of 50.3 on IHS Markit’s closely followed Flash Eurozone Purchasing Managers; Index (PMI). Read more: Pound slips as UK private sector suffers worst fall since 2016Read more: How the pound [...]
New ECB president Christine Lagarde tells governments to hike spending to tackle downturn November 22, 2019 New European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde has encouraged governments to use fiscal policy to boost the Eurozone’s lacklustre growth, continuing the message of her predecessor Mario Draghi. In her first speech as ECB president, the former French finance minister said there is “a cross-cutting case for investment in a common future” as growth [...]
Exports and extra spending help Germany avoid recession November 22, 2019 Rising exports, consumer consumption and an increase in government spending helped Germany avoid recession in the third quarter of the year, a breakdown of the statistics showed today. German GDP grew by 0.1 per cent quarter on quarter in the three months to September, data showed last week, meaning it dodged a technical recession after [...]
Asian markets edge up but US-China trade war uncertainty lingers November 22, 2019 Asian markets began to recover on Friday after hitting three-week lows the day before, but gains were subdued by investor caution over the chance of a US-China trade deal being struck. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.13 per cent by 7.30am UK time. The index had dropped as much as [...]
Oil industry reacts to Labour’s new £11bn tax pledge November 21, 2019 A controversial Labour pledge to raise up to £11bn from a new levy on oil and gas companies to help retrain 37,000 workers in the industry to “make the transition to a clean economy” has met with fierce criticism from industry bodies. Jeremy Corbyn revealed the tax at the launch of the Labour manifesto in Birmingham earlier [...]
Thyssenkrupp shares plunge as future looks grim for industrial giant November 21, 2019 Shares in Thyssenkrupp fell over 14 per cent today as the German industrial group’s new chief executive Martina Merz scrapped its dividend, warning that deeper losses were still to come. Merz, who took over last month in an emergency move, asked investors to be patient after the company’s half year results showed net losses had [...]
National insurance payment cut to mostly benefit middle and higher-earners, says IFS November 21, 2019 Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to raise the national insurance contribution (NIC) threshold would mostly benefit middle and higher-income households, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said. The Conservatives intend to raise the point at which workers pay national insurance to £9,500 in 2020/21 from its currently-planned level of £8,788. The party also intends [...]