DEBATE: Will this year be as politically tumultuous as the last? January 3, 2019 Will this year be as politically tumultuous as the last? Robert Colvile, director of the Centre for Policy Studies and author of The Great Acceleration, says YES. Sorry to puncture the New Year cheer, but the turmoil of 2018 wasn’t a one-off – in fact, it’s the new normal. The parliamentary situation, with the Tories supported [...]
Resilience, risk, and regulatory changes: What lies ahead for the UK finance sector January 3, 2019 As we look ahead to 2019, the banking industry could be excused for trying to catch its breath. A decade on from the financial crisis, the path forward still remains fraught with difficulties. Return on equity remains stubbornly low across the board, while cost-income ratios remain high. This year will clearly be defined through the [...]
From Brexit to tariffs, brace yourself for an uncertain 2019 January 3, 2019 Get ready for a 2019 full of uncertainty. On the political scene, headline events range from Brexit to the US-China trade tensions to EU reforms – all coming at a vulnerable stage in the business cycle, with half of US chief financial officers expecting a recession in 2019, and over 80 per cent by 2020. [...]
Do markets have much to celebrate going into 2019? Analysts say anything is possible January 2, 2019 Is a rebound across global indices on the cards in 2019? Callum Keown asks top analysts for their predictions. AS 2019 begins, the year inherits a smorgasbord of risks and uncertainty from a tumultuous 2018, which was characterised by market volatility, global growth concerns and emerging market crises. US stock markets had their worst year in [...]
Global stock markets stumble into New Year as investors spooked by economic fears in China and US January 2, 2019 Stock markets staged a recovery this afternoon after economic fears continued to weigh on both the FTSE and Wall Street into 2019 after they recorded 10-year lows in 2018. The FTSE 100 recovered to close 0.04 per cent down after an initial 1.8 per cent fall, and Wall Street also rallied after tumbling as it opened, spooked [...]
Theresa May will ‘find a way’ to get her Brexit deal through parliament, says Jeremy Hunt January 2, 2019 Theresa May will "find a way" to get her Brexit deal through parliament, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has said. In Singapore today the foreign secretary said May would be able to get her deal through the Commons once she has come back with "reassurances" from the EU on the Irish backstop that has prevented many MPs from [...]
Chris Grayling defends decision to award £13.8m Brexit ferries contract to firm with no ships January 2, 2019 Transport secretary Chris Grayling has defended the controversial decision to award a £13m contract to a firm that has never run ships in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Grayling has come under fire for awarding Seaborne Freight the £13.8m contract after it emerged it has never run ferries before. Speaking to the BBC, Grayling said: [...]
Brexit stockpiling helps UK manufacturing hit six-month high January 2, 2019 Manufacturers are in an “edgy mood” despite Brexit stockpiling and other preparations pushing the sector to a six-month high amid concerns of a global slowdown, according to a closely followed measure of industry activity. Businesses stockpiling raw materials and goods at near-record rates to mitigate supply chain disruptions as Britain leaves the EU accounted for [...]
FTSE 100: These are the biggest winners and losers of 2018 January 2, 2019 THE UK market felt the impact of Brexit last year as politicians scrambled to reach a deal on Britain’s fast approaching departure from the European Union. With a vote on Theresa May’s heavily criticised deal not expected until mid-January, and as the government pumps billions into planning for a no-deal Brexit scenario, it seems unlikely [...]
Theresa May still has ‘more work to do’ to secure Brexit deal with EU December 31, 2018 A spokesperson for the Prime Minister has said Theresa May still has "more work to do" in order to secure assurances on the UK's exit from the European Union before the next parliamentary debate. May is said to have spoken to EU leaders over the Christmas period about reassurances on the deal, particularly on the so-called [...]