Disaster fears batter markets March 16, 2011 Fears of another nuclear explosion in Japan have been compounded by a revival in eurozone debt worries and an upscaling in violence against pro-democracy protesters in the Middle East to leave markets lower again. The FTSE 100 closed down 1.7 per cent at 5,598.23 after a plunge in mid-afternoon caused by EU energy minister Gunther [...]
US wholesale prices rise fastest in 18 months March 16, 2011 US producer prices surged in February at their fastest pace in just over 18 months, pointing to a build-up in pipeline inflation pressures from soaring food and energy costs. The US Labor Department says its seasonally-adjusted index for prices paid at the farm and factory gate jumped 1.6 per cent, the largest increase since June [...]
New goods basket to measure prices March 15, 2011 DATING websites and smart phone applications are among new items included in the calculation of UK inflation rates, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed yesterday. The “basket of goods” used to measure changes in prices reflects technological shifts in Britons’ spending habits. Out go mobile phone downloads (such as ring-tones and wallpapers) and in [...]
US import prices rise on fuel costs March 15, 2011 US import prices rose for the fifth consecutive month in February as political turmoil in the Middle East helped pushed oil prices higher, a Labor Department report has shown. Import prices jumped 1.4 per cent, significantly more than the consensus forecast of 0.9 per cent in a Reuters poll of economists. Fuel import prices accounted [...]
Factory gate inflation rises on oil price March 11, 2011 Factory gate inflation rose to its highest annual rate in more than two years in February, led by surging oil and food prices, official data showed. The Office for National Statistics said producer output prices rose 0.5 percent on the month for an annual rise of 5.3 percent – up from an annual five per [...]
Inflation in British stores still growing March 8, 2011 PRICES in British shops rose again in February, despite a slowdown in food price inflation, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) revealed today. Overall prices grew 0.7 per cent compared to January, when they increased by 0.6 per cent on December. Inflation in February rose to an annualised rate of 2.7 per cent, up from 2.5 [...]
FED CARRIES ON WITH QE REGARDLESS March 7, 2011 CFD MARKET STRATEGIST, GFT EQUITY markets are attempting to shrug aside the civil unrest taking hold across north Africa and the Middle East. Yet the attendant rally in crude oil has taken both Brent and WTI contracts well above $100 per barrel, and this is not looking like a temporary phenomenon. Despite this, stocks rebounded [...]
No double dip but UK faces weak recovery March 3, 2011 BRITAIN’S recovery looks set to be weighed down by sluggish growth, the latest business surveys suggest. The economy is on course to grow by 0.5 per cent this quarter, according to Markit’s surveys, rebounding from the snow-affected 0.6 per cent contraction in the final three months of last year. Yet much of the recovery is [...]
Polish Bank holds interest rates March 2, 2011 The National Bank of Poland kept its benchmark 3.75 per cent interest rate unchanged yesterday, triggering a weakening of the zloty down to 3.9706 zlotys to the euro. Polish inflation climbed from 3.1 to 3.8 per cent in January amid rising food and petrol prices.
What the other papers say this morning March 1, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES TOP 10 HEDGE FUNDS MAKE $28BN The top 10 hedge funds made $28bn for clients in the second half of last year, $2bn more than the net profits of Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Barclays and HSBC combined, according to new data. Even the biggest of the hedge funds have only a [...]