Stephen King interview: Inflation is ‘profoundly undemocratic’ and must be stopped May 3, 2023 What kind of world do we live in today? From an economists’ view, one that’s a lot different from just a handful of years ago. War in Europe. Strained global trade. Government debt stocks at multi decade highs (certainly in the UK). All fixtures of our present day lives. But there’s two things that have [...]
Eurozone core inflation falls, opening door to smaller ECB interest rate hike May 2, 2023 Inflation is receding faster than expected in Europe, raising the prospect of the bloc’s central bank slowing the pace of its interest rates hike this week, new figures out today reveal. The rate of underlying price increases – known as core inflation – in the group of 20 countries using the euro thinned to 5.6 [...]
UK lenders shun emergency Bank of England lending scheme after Credit Suisse collapse May 2, 2023 There was no take up of the Bank of England’s emergency funding scheme in the period it was open daily to lenders as UK banks weathered the storm following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Credit Suisse. In coordination with other monetary authorities around the world, Threadneedle Street increased the frequency of its [...]
Take your seat for the Bank of England, Federal Reserve and central banks’ final act May 2, 2023 This is the final act in central banks’ aggressive interest rate hike cycle. Well, so say most analysts at the moment.
US Fed points finger at Trump-era rollback for SVB demise April 29, 2023 The Federal Reserve on Friday blamed the deregulatory zeal that occurred during the Trump era for contributing to the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history, appearing to take a clear stand on an acrimonious policy divide in Washington. Amid the turmoil that Silicon Valley Bank’s implosion unleashed on the financial system last month, some Republicans [...]
FTSE 100 close: Barclays surge fails to prevent losses on London index April 27, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 slipped today, pushed lower by investors wobbling over concerns about the health of the global economy amid banking and interest rate fears. The capital’s premier index dropped 0.27 per cent to 7,831.59 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, climbed [...]
Wall Street rally lifts tech stocks in latest signal US inflation is cooling, now eyes turn to Fed rate decision April 14, 2023 A rally on Wall Street on Thursday lifted stocks to their highest level in almost two months following the latest sign that inflation continues to cool. The S&P 500 rose 1.3 per cent after a report showed inflation at the wholesale level slowed last month by more than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained [...]
FTSE 100 close: US inflation boost runs out of steam as De La Rue tumbles a third April 12, 2023 A sudden boost to London’s FTSE 100 from better than expected US inflation numbers ran out of steam toward the end of today’s trading session, although the premier index still notched gains. The FTSE 100 jumped 0.5 per cent to close at 7,824.83 points, while its mid-cap counterpart, the FTSE 250, which is more responsive [...]
US core inflation jumps to 5.6 per cent while CPI falls rapidly in mixed signal for Fed April 12, 2023 Underlying US inflation is putting up a strong fight against the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hike assault, while general price rises are falling quickly, sending mixed signals to chair Jerome Powell and co ahead of their interest rate decision next month. Official figures out from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics today showed the [...]
Soft landing? Why the latest jobs data could leave the Fed with a tricky call April 10, 2023 Analysts are divided about whether the US Federal Reserve should hike rates again as they digest last week’s figures on the labour market. On Friday last week, a closely watched survey of the US labour market showed the economy added 236,000 new jobs in March. While more jobs are still being added, the report suggests [...]