Federal Reserve holds rates steady in upbeat US economic forecast September 16, 2020 The US Federal Reserve opted to keep interest rates near zero today, but improved its projections for the US economy while it waits for inflation to improve. The Fed promised to hold interest rates until inflation gets on track to “moderately exceed” its two per cent inflation target “for some time”. Fresh forecasts showed it [...]
Will the BoE inject more stimulus into the UK economy? September 16, 2020 The Bank of England is preparing to announce its latest interest rate decision tomorrow, as it closely monitors the UK economy’s rebound from the record 20.4 per cent contraction in the second quarter. Since then, there have been many positive signs. The economy grew by a huge 8.7 per cent in June and another 6.6 [...]
FTSE 100 falls but US stocks rise ahead of Fed decision September 16, 2020 The FTSE 100 fell but US stocks opened higher as investors awaited the latest decision from the US Federal Reserve and digested more economic data. London’s main stock index dropped 0.6 per cent to stand at 6,067 points just before 3pm. The FTSE 250 of mid-cap companies fell 0.1 per cent. Read more: UK inflation [...]
OECD: Global economy faring better than thought but UK lags behind September 16, 2020 The UK economy will fare better than originally expected this year, the OECD has predicted, although it will still suffer one of the biggest hits from the coronavirus pandemic in the world. The global economic organisation also said the world economy would weather the coronavirus pandemic better than initially thought. It predicted global GDP would [...]
Official figures confirm jump in UK house prices September 16, 2020 UK house prices jumped in June after the property market reopened and a wave of pent-up demand was released, the government’s Land Registry has confirmed. Average house prices in the UK rose by 3.4 per cent in the year to June 2020, official figures showed. That was up from the 1.1 per cent increase in [...]
UK inflation falls to five year low due to Eat Out to Help Out September 16, 2020 UK inflation slipped to a five-year low in August as the Eat Out to Help Out scheme dragged down prices in the restaurant sector for the first time on record. The price of goods and services in the UK rose by 0.2 per cent in August compared to a year earlier, the Office for National [...]
Impersonation scams up 84 per cent amid coronavirus crisis September 16, 2020 Impersonation scams were up by 84 per cent in the first half of the year as criminals tried to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to take people’s money, according to a new report. Banking body UK Finance said there were 15,000 impersonation scams reported to its members between January and June. That was an [...]
EU plans two-year extension of London clearing access September 15, 2020 The European Union is set to tell banks they can continue accessing London’s vital financial infrastructure for 18 more months in an effort to avoid instability when the Brexit transition period finishes at the end of this year. The bloc’s Commission has proposed that lenders’ access to London clearing houses should stay as it is [...]
FTSE 100 and US stocks jump after strong Chinese industrial data September 15, 2020 The FTSE 100 rose sharply and US stocks opened higher as investors reacted well to stronger-than-expected economic data from China. Britain’s main stock index was up nearly one per cent during the afternoon session at 6,085 points. The FTSE 250 index – which is made up of slightly smaller firms – climbed 0.6 per cent. [...]
UK unemployment: Experts say job losses to jump as furlough ends September 15, 2020 UK unemployment has finally started rising. Months of economic hardship and the winding down of the furlough scheme meant 695,000 people lost their jobs between March and August, according to payroll data. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the unemployment rate rose to 4.1 per cent in the three months to July. That was [...]
