Oil prices surge after US kill Iran general Qassem Soleimani but Wall Street stocks stutter January 4, 2020 Oil prices surged as much as $3 per barrel on Friday as it and other safe havens such as gold all rallied following the US airstrike which killed Iran’s top military commander, General Qassem Soleimani. While the attack on the head of the elite Quds Force and promise of revenge from Iran left traders concerned, [...]
US jobs growth data beats expectations despite trade war concerns December 7, 2019 The US economy added 266,000 jobs last month despite economists’ expectations of a slowdown. It was the highest number of jobs added to the economy in 10 months, aided by striking GM workers returning to work and a rise in healthcare posts. The unemployment rate also reduced slightly from 3.6 per cent to 3.5 per [...]
Strong Roots’ Sam Dennigan talks exporting and the environment October 10, 2019 Exporting is a major topic ahead of the Brexit deadline of 31 October. Hundreds of thousands of business across a range of sectors are understandably concerned about how to overcome the challenges associated with exports after leaving the EU. Sam Dennigan, founder and chief executive of Strong Roots, managed to crack this conundrum with a [...]
Strap in, impeaching Trump is going to be a bumpy a ride September 26, 2019 On Tuesday night, speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry into the unlawful conduct of the US President. Donald Trump is therefore almost certainly going to become the third American President in history to be impeached by the House – the first step in a long process that could signal [...]
US markets fall while oil prices rise after attacks on Saudi supply September 16, 2019 Wall Street fell this afternoon after the weekend’s attack on Saudi crude oil facilities knocked out five per cent of the world’s supply. The attack on the world’s biggest oil exporter boosted oil prices by as much as 20 per cent before they eased off, as US President Donald Trump gave the green light for [...]
Management lessons in kindness from TV icon Mister Rogers August 27, 2019 Say the name Mister Rogers to a certain generation of Americans, and they will likely go misty-eyed and start humming the same tune. Fred Rogers hosted a US children’s television programme called Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood that ran from 1968 all the way to 2001. The show was revered for its host’s gentle nature and the [...]
Trump announces tariff hikes as US-China trade war escalates August 24, 2019 Donald Trump has hit back at China by announcing plans to increase the tariffs on imports by a further a five per cent. The trade war between the US and China escalated further on Friday, with China revealing plans to hit $75bn of US goods with duties. Read more: Trump tirade against China sends stock [...]
A food chain to get your teeth into August 8, 2019 | City Talk By Rodney Hobson from interactive investor. McDonald’s is spending money on developing personalised apps after upgrading its burger beef. It made its name by being cheap and cheerful but food chain McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) has long had a keen eye for innovation and for enhancing the quality of its ingredients, both of which generate welcome publicity. The successful formula is still [...]
Global markets recoil and China warns of retaliation after Trump trade war threat August 2, 2019 Stock markets around the world have fallen after a sharp escalation in the United States’ trade war with China. Indices in the US fell after the open, amid fears of an economic slowdown if President Donald Trump follows through on his threat to impose a further 10 per cent tariff on $300bn worth of Chinese [...]
Populism is back, and the Democratic candidates are veering left August 2, 2019 The Democratic primary is heating up – and some of the policy proposals are as red as fire. This week, 10 hopefuls took to the stage in Detroit, for the second debate leading up to the 2020 presidential election. And what we saw was an extreme ebbing and flowing of liberalism and socialism, raising serious [...]