Supply and demand at work, or just good bargaining? The reality behind CEO pay August 28, 2019 A report published by Deloitte a couple of weeks ago will have enhanced the feeling of holiday wellbeing for many people. The median annual pay for bosses of FTSE 100 companies fell in 2018 to £3.4m, compared to £4m in 2017. This is the lowest level since 2014, when the UK brought in rules which [...]
UK employers growing gloomier but still looking to hire August 28, 2019 UK employers are losing confidence in the economy but are nonetheless looking to hire workers, a new survey has shown. Read more: Into the red: UK economy shrinks for first time in seven years The balance of employers’ confidence in the UK economy stood at minus 26 in the three months to July, down one [...]
BP sells Alaskan fields and pipeline to Hilcorp for $5.6bn August 27, 2019 BP sold all its assets in Alaska to Hilcorp for $5.6bn (£4.5bn) today as the oil giant looks to divest $10bn in assets and re-focus on its core business. The deal includes all of BP’s upstream and midstream business in the US state, and its stake in a major pipeline, the company said. Read more: [...]
Norway’s $1tn sovereign wealth fund could shift investment away from Europe August 27, 2019 Norway’s $1tn (£820bn) sovereign wealth fund should shift billions of dollars of investments from European stock markets to the US, its fund manager recommended today. The world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, which invests Norway’s oil wealth, has traditionally given a greater weighting to European stocks and a lower weighting to US equities. However, the Norwegian [...]
Facebook libra: Could regulators crush Mark Zuckerberg’s dream cryptocurrency? August 27, 2019 Mark Zuckerberg’s decision this summer to launch a digital currency – Facebook libra – sparked the interest and concern of regulators around the world. Watchdogs have warned that without tight regulations libra could be used for money laundering and financing terrorism. They have also raised concerns over the potential risks it poses to data protection [...]
US consumer confidence dips as expectations about economy fall August 27, 2019 US consumer confidence fell slightly in August following an increase in July, according to a closely-watched gauge, as expectations about the economy’s short-term prospects declined. Read more: Fed will ‘act as appropriate’ to maintain US expansion, vows chair Jay Powell Nonetheless, the drop in confidence was less than economists had predicted as consumers remain relatively [...]
China announces measures to tackle trade war-driven slowdown August 27, 2019 The Chinese government has announced measures to boost consumption in the country as its economy slows under the weight of its raging trade war with the US. Read more: Donald Trump announces tariff hikes as US-China trade war escalates As part of the drive to increase consumption the Chinese state council, equivalent to its cabinet, [...]
The chart that reveals the secret of value investing August 27, 2019 | City Talk Value investing is the art of buying stocks which are valued at less than their true worth and are awaiting a correction. History suggests that over the longer term value investing works, although past performance is no guarantee of future returns. But why does it work? Using data going back to the late 1800s, the [...]
German economy racked by biggest export drop in six years, figures show August 27, 2019 Germany’s economy contracted in the second quarter, official statistics confirmed today, as exports fell at the fastest rate in six years. Read more: German economy shrinks in second quarter as exports slump Exports fell by 1.3 per cent quarter on quarter in the months from April to June, a detailed breakdown of Germany’s economic performance [...]
Asian stocks rise cautiously after Trump softens trade war rhetoric August 27, 2019 Stock markets in Asia climbed cautiously into the green this morning after President Trump made more optimistic comments about the trade war following what he described as two “very good calls” from Beijing. “China called last night our top trade people and said: ‘Let’s get back to the table,’” he said at the G7 summit [...]