World Trade Organization: Global trade to drop ‘precipitously’ May 20, 2020 The World Trade Organization (WTO) has said international trade is set to drop “precipitously” in the first half of 2020 as coronavirus wreaks havoc on global supply chains and consumer demand. The WTO’s gauge of the health of global trade fell to 87.6, its lowest reading since the goods trade barometer was launched in 2016. [...]
UK sells bond with negative yield for first time ever May 20, 2020 The UK has sold a bond with a negative yield for the first time ever, meaning investors want to hold government debt so much that they will pay to do so. The three-year bond sold at an average yield of minus 0.003 per cent. The bond has a “coupon” of 0.75 per cent, but because [...]
Eurozone inflation hits four-year low as coronavirus batters demand May 20, 2020 The Eurozone inflation rate plunged to 0.3 per cent in April, official figures have shown, as coronavirus lockdowns caused energy prices to tumble and demand for goods and services to evaporate. Annual Eurozone price inflation of 0.3 per cent was the lowest in four years. It was down from 0.7 per cent in March and [...]
Coronavirus: Over half of UK firms cannot reopen fully, survey shows May 20, 2020 Almost 50 per cent of UK firms are only ready to partially reopen their businesses as the government lifts the coronavirus lockdown, a survey has shown, with one in 10 saying they cannot restart at all due to Covid guidelines. The survey, from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), also showed that 85 per cent [...]
FTSE 100 and US stocks slip as investor excitement cools May 19, 2020 US stocks have followed the FTSE 100 lower as investor sentiment cools following a dramatic rally yesterday on hopes that a coronavirus vaccine may soon emerge. Wall Street’s Dow Jones index was down 0.6 per cent shortly after the bell. The S&P 500 was 0.3 per cent lower but the Nasdaq was up 0.2 per [...]
German finance minister: €500bn Recovery fund will help Europe exit crisis May 19, 2020 Germany’s finance minister has said the proposed €500bn (£450bn) European recovery fund will help EU member states “grow out of the crisis together”. Olaf Scholz’s statement came after German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French Prime Minister Emannuel Macron yesterday jointly suggested a €500bn fund in what was seen as a potential breakthrough for the bloc. [...]
Bank of England to name recipients of coronavirus loans May 19, 2020 The Bank of England has said it will start naming the companies that use its coronavirus lending facility in a bid to increase transparency about which firms are being bailed out. Firms using the Bank’s covid corporate financing facility (CCFF) will also be expected to start “showing restraint” on dividend payments, share buy-backs and senior [...]
Coronavirus loan cap increased to £200m for mid-sized firms May 19, 2020 The Treasury has raised the amount mid-sized companies can borrow through the coronavirus loan scheme to £200m, up from £50m. The changes to the coronavirus large business interruption loan scheme (CLBILS) come into force next week, ministers said. The CLBILS scheme is targeted at mid-sized companies that do not qualify for the Bank of England’s [...]
US retail sales drop at record pace amid coronavirus shutdown May 15, 2020 US retail sales plunged at the quickest pace on record for the second month in a row in April, official figures have shown, as coronavirus containment measures caused shops to close and Americans to stay in their homes. The Commerce Department said sales dropped 16.4 per cent last month compared an 8.3 per cent drop [...]
British Airways, Next and ITV at risk of credit rating downgrades May 15, 2020 Some of the UK’s biggest companies are at risk of having their credit ratings downgraded and becoming “fallen angels”, ratings agency S&P has said, raising the possibility of a sharp rise in borrowing costs in the midst of the worst downturn since the 1930s. Big names such as Next, British Airways and ITV are in [...]
