Debate: Should investors panic about a US recession after the Treasury bond yield curve inverted? April 4, 2019 Should investors panic about a US recession after the Treasury bond yield curve inverted? Yes, says Michael Horan, head of trading at Pershing EMEA. The inversion has been on the cards since December last year. The yield curve represents real investors, putting real money to work, and at the moment, they are willing to accept [...]
Unexpected rise in US oil stockpiles steals the wind from Opec’s sails April 3, 2019 Oil prices ended a three-day winning streak today despite edging close to the $70 per mark in the morning. International standard Brent crude reached up to $69.95 per barrel at around 9.20am, its highest point since November, before slowly giving back gains. Read more: Oil price hits 2019 peak as Trump moots new sanctions against [...]
Mark Carney warns of “alarmingly high” no-deal Brexit risk April 3, 2019 Bank of England governor Mark Carney has warned the risk of a no-deal Brexit has become “alarmingly high.” Carney also hit out at suggestions from Brexiters that the UK could leave the EU on World Trade Organisation terms and maintain zero tariffs as “absolute nonsense.” Speaking to Sky News, he said that despite parliament, the [...]
Anti-fracking protesters deal blow against Ineos in court April 3, 2019 Anti-fracking campaigners declared victory today as they gave Britain’s biggest private company Ineos a bloody nose at the Court of Appeal. Joe Corre, the son of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, and Joe Boyd were appealing a “draconian” 2017 High Court injunction, which restricted anti-fracking protests at Ineos sites. Read more: Cuadrilla blocked from fracking at second [...]
US services sector continues its trend of solid growth April 3, 2019 US services sector growth weakened in March but continued its three-year long run of expansion, data released today showed. Read more: Eurozone services sector grows faster than expected Business expectations dropped to the lowest level since December 2017, however, as firms highlighted concerns about global trade tensions, economic growth worries and intense competition. The US services business [...]
Cryptocurrency bitcoin jumps back above $5,000 after hitting yearly high April 3, 2019 Bitcoin is trading back above $5,000 this afternoon after hitting a 2019 high earlier this week. The cryptocurrency soared 20 per cent within an hour yesterday morning reaching a high of $5,087, breaking the $5,000 barrier for the first time since November last year. Read more: Bitcoin hits yearly high as it rises above $5,000 Bitcoin’s [...]
European stock markets rise ahead of US-China trade talks April 3, 2019 European stock markets rose today as markets reacted well to upcoming US-China trade talks, and took heart in a growing Eurozone service sector and better-than-expected retail sales. Read more: Global stocks rise with investors optimistic about US-China trade talks Germany’s benchmark Dax index was the biggest climber, rising 1.2 per cent by 1.30pm UK time, [...]
Turkish inflation stays below 20 per cent as election results remain uncertain April 3, 2019 Turkish annual inflation stayed just below 20 per cent in March, according to data posted by the country’s statistics institute today as wrangling over local elections continues. Read more: Turkish lira falls against dollar as US suspends fighter jet delivery The inflation rate increased very slightly from February but was well below the highs seen towards [...]
Six tips to protect your portfolio during a market downturn April 3, 2019 When equity markets took a turn for the worse towards the end of last year, the onslaught of predictions about the end of the 10-year bull run came flooding in. With the markets creeping upwards since the start of 2019, it now seems that expectations of a bear market were premature. Even experienced fund managers [...]
UK services sector shrinks for first time in over two years April 3, 2019 The UK’s crucial services sector contracted in March amid widespread reports of Brexit uncertainty constraining demand, bringing to an end over two-and-a-half years of growth. Aside from a brief dip seen after the European Union referendum, the latest reading of the services purchasing managers’ index (PMI), which gives an overall view of the sector, was [...]