A complicated outlook for oil prices May 13, 2019 | City Talk Oil prices have surged by around 30% this year, but the rally off the Christmas lows has paused for breath. Despite the unrest in Venezuela and Iran sanctions denting the short-term supply outlook, coming at a time when OPEC and its allies are already curbing output in a bid to raise prices, Brent crude has [...]
The real revolution in electric vehicles… May 13, 2019 | City Talk Electric vehicles (EVs) have reached a clear inflection point. Product quality has improved and consumer availability is expanding rapidly. Perhaps most importantly, the cost of electric car ownership is finally approaching parity with traditional combustion engine cars. The colourful stories within the industry have also helped generate interest: the spectacular and turbulent growth story of [...]
Bitcoin soars above $7,000 to hit nine-month high May 13, 2019 Bitcoin has broken through the $7,000 (£5,383) mark after hitting its highest level in nine months over the weekend. Read more: Hackers steal $41m in bitcoins from crypto exchange Binance The cryptocurrency built on a recent period of gains to climb as high as $7,585 yesterday, its highest level since September, according to data from [...]
Grave danger: Dignity posts falling profit as death rate dip takes bite out of results May 13, 2019 A dip in the number of Brits dying in the first three months of the year buried profits at Dignity, the funeral provider reported today. It comes as pressure has been growing on the funeral industry, which is facing a competition probe into its practices and prices. Read more: Hymns fall out of funeral charts as [...]
Tariffs are just the first shot in the looming US-China war May 13, 2019 As a friend of mine who works in higher maths put it: “John, if America as an integer is present in every major foreign policy equation, and if after 75 years that integer radically changes, then everything changes”. Donald Trump’s America is that rarest of beasts: the strongest global power distrustful of the very global order [...]
Britain has too many shops – no wonder more and more are being boarded up May 13, 2019 Boarded-up shop fronts are a common sight during recessions. In the early 1990s, they became an eyesore for town centres and the Conservative government alike, an everyday visual reminder of the economic slump that dragged the Tories lower and lower in the polls (albeit not low enough to deliver Neil Kinnock into Downing Street, once [...]
Art exports from UK hit three-year high in 2018 ahead of Brexit May 13, 2019 The value of art exports from the UK hit a three-year high in 2018, reaching £5.4bn, according to analysis by private wealth law firm Boodle Hatfield. Read more: UK service exports fall as Brexit and global economic slowdown bite Exports of art, collectors’ pieces and antiques from the UK to the EU surged in 2018, rising [...]
UK business confidence lowest since 2012 as output drops for first time in 2019, says BDO May 13, 2019 Business optimism in the UK fell to its lowest rate since 2012 in April, according to a report released today, in a sign that the Brexit extension has done little to cheer up the country’s gloomy businesses. Read more: UK economy bounces back, but is growth just a ‘flash in the pan’? UK business output [...]
From low expectations to future hopes: Four things we learnt from Uber’s stock market debut May 11, 2019 It was billed as one of the most anticipated initial public offerings (IPOs) in years, but yesterday Uber's investors were left disappointed when it set sail on the public markets for the first time. Here are four things we were looking out for during yesterday's trading. Read more: Uber shares begin NYSE trading in $82.4bn [...]
Labour might ban London-listed companies from stock exchange over climate change targets May 10, 2019 London-listed companies could be thrown off the stock exchange for not doing enough on climate change under new plans which are being drawn up by Britain’s Labour party, it was revealed today. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said today his party would delist companies which do not have plans to combat climate change. Read more: Britain [...]