ECB and IMF chiefs warn trade headwinds could damage European integration June 12, 2019 The president of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have today warned that global trade “headwinds” could damage growth in Europe. Read more: Eurozone investors gloomy as trade war continues to rage They cautioned that the vulnerability of Europe’s emerging eastern economies to the current global slowdown [...]
Trump attacks euro and repeats criticism of Fed June 11, 2019 US President Donald Trump has accused the Eurozone economies of devaluing the single currency to put the US at a disadvantage, and renewed his attack on his country’s central bank. Read more: Trump says tariffs on remaining Chinese goods set to come into force Trump said on Twitter: “The Euro and other currencies are devalued [...]
Eurozone investors gloomy as trade war continues to rage June 11, 2019 Investors’ confidence in the Eurozone economy fell much more sharply than expected in May as they weighed up the escalation of the US-China trade dispute, a survey showed today. Read more: Eurozone’s ‘modest’ growth reliant on service sector Sentix, the firm that gathers the survey data, said the Eurozone economy was “once again on the [...]
UK unemployment stays at record lows as jobs market shrugs off Brexit June 11, 2019 The UK unemployment rate stayed at its near-record low level of 3.8 per cent in the three months to April, according to official statistics released today, as the jobs market shrugged off Brexit uncertainty. Read more: UK economy shrinks by 0.4 per cent in April Record numbers in work helped push up wages, which rose [...]
Private sector hiring intention hits seven-year low amid Brexit impasse June 11, 2019 Hiring intentions among UK companies slumped to their lowest level since 2012 in the second quarter of the year, a new survey has shown, as Brexit uncertainty weighed on employers’ minds. Read more: UK wages rise as employment stays at record high Plans for hiring among firms in the finance and business services sector saw [...]
Trump says tariffs on remaining Chinese goods set to come into force June 10, 2019 US President Donald Trump has confirmed that further tariffs on Chinese goods will come into force unless a trade deal between the two sides is reached. Read more: FTSE hits five-week high on Trump tariff reprieve In an interview with US news network CNBC, Trump said that if Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend [...]
UK trade gap widens as ministers seek Brexit deals June 10, 2019 The UK’s overall trade deficit widened by £2.7bn to £15.6bn in the three months to April, as Britain increased its imports of goods, official statistics today showed. Read more: Pound falls as UK economy shrinks by 0.4 per cent in April Yet if certain volatile goods are excluded, the trade deficit narrowed by £4.2bn in [...]
FTSE hits five-week high as stock markets buoyed by Trump tariff reprieve June 10, 2019 The FTSE 100 hit a five-week high this morning as the easing of global trade fears and a falling pound boosted the UK’s main stock market index. Read more: US and Mexico sign agreement to avoid tariffs US President Donald Trump’s decision to row back on tariffs on Mexico that were due to come into [...]
Pound falls as UK economy shrinks by 0.4 per cent in April June 10, 2019 The UK economy contracted by 0.4 per cent in April as car plant shutdowns due to Brexit and the unwinding of stockpiling dented output, official figures have revealed. Read more: Brexit helps manufacturing fall to 34-month low Sterling fell below $1.27 as traders digested the worse-than-expected news. It had fallen 0.4 per cent to buy [...]
Small businesses pessimistic over Brexit and regulations June 10, 2019 Small business owners are feeling increasingly negative about their prospects in the face of Brexit, a rising minimum wage, and pensions and tax changes, according to a survey. Read more: Small businesses warn of falling revenues and recruitment problems Seven in ten firms do not expect things to get better in the next three months, [...]