By: Jake Cordell

I'm City A.M.'s economics reporter, looking at the news, stories and data that move markets in the UK, Europe and around the globe. I also cover broader developments in the business and political worlds at home and abroad.

All 1029 Articles

IMF chief Christine Lagarde: Yes, global recovery is shaky – but don’t panic

April 5, 2016

Christine Lagarde has warned that she is “on alert” over the shaky foundations underpinning the global economic recovery and called on politicians and central banks to make sure they are doing everything they can to promote sustainable growth. In an address to Goethe University, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said the [...]
FTSE 100 traders catch breath, but oil prices still raising temperatures on steady day for markets

April 4, 2016

It was easy-going on the stock markets today as investors caught a rare breather after a 2016 which has already had more than its fair share of twists and turns. The FTSE 100 closed the day up a modest 0.27 per cent at 6,164, though it was a day of up-and-down as an unconvincing mid-morning assault on last week's summit [...]
These are the four things which have the ECB’s top economist worried

April 4, 2016

Eyebrows may well have been raised at the European Central Bank (ECB) this morning after its chief economist said the organisation was in danger of losing credibility. Peter Praet, who also sits on the ECB’s six-strong executive board with the Bank’s president, Mario Draghi, said that low inflation was bringing into question the ECB’s remit [...]
The European Central Bank is losing credibility, according to one of its board members

April 4, 2016

Low inflation and defunct monetary policy risk threatening the European Central Bank’s (ECB) reputation as an effective organisation, according to one of its top economists, Peter Praet, who sits on the ECB’s executive board alongside its president, Mario Draghi. Praet warned that if the ECB fails in its efforts to save Europe from a period [...]
Double-digit unemployment leaves Eurozone residents twice as likely to be out of work compared to those living in Britain

April 4, 2016

The unemployment rate across the Eurozone edged down to 10.3 per cent in February 2016, its lowest rate since August 2011, according to official figures out this morning, though economists warned the pace of job creation could be slowing down. The share of people out of work in the single currency bloc has fallen to [...]
UK construction industry growing at slowest rate for three years, according to purchasing managers’ index

April 4, 2016

The construction industry is expanding at its slowest pace since 2013, according to the closely-watched Markit/CIPS purchasing managers' index (PMI) out this morning. The survey, which measures business activity across the construction sector, came in at 54.2 for March – on an index where a score above 50 indicates expansion – though Markit said this was sluggish compared to the last few years. "The [...]
Slow and steady for the FTSE 100 as it stumbles into Monday, edging up in early morning trading

April 4, 2016

The FTSE struggled to get going this morning with a so-so start to the first full week of the new financial year. The blue-chip index crawled up 12 points in the first hour of trading to stand at 6,158, after slipping back at the end of last week from its highest close of the year [...]
Watch out, London: Brexit could mean fewer new homes as investors eye up Paris and Berlin

April 4, 2016

Houses, hotels and office blocks may start sprouting up across London at a slightly slower pace this summer, as a survey of top property investors revealed investment in real estate will take a temporary knock in the event of Brexit. KPMG asked 25 global property investors, with combined portfolios of more than $400bn (£281bn), about [...]
Is China reforming fast enough? Standard and Poor’s doesn’t think so

March 31, 2016

China has been told to get a move on with economic reforms if it wants to maintain its top-notch credit rating today, after Standard & Poor’s (S&P) warned that its economic rebalancing is taking too long. The ratings agency said it was downgrading its outlook for China’s sovereign debt from “stable” to “negative”, firing a [...]
Eurozone trapped by deflation in March, but there could be signs of life on the horizon

March 31, 2016

The Eurozone could not shake-off its deflationary funk in March as prices fell for a second consecutive month according to official numbers out this morning. Inflation, as measured by the "harmonised index of consumer prices" (HICP), was down by 0.1 per cent on the year, with tumbling energy prices dragging down the cost of goods for [...]

Know your OBR from your CPS? Take City AM’s politics quiz of 2025

Private capital is reshaping sport’s financial future, and it’s structural

Central London Alliance Launches Podcast to Debate London’s Opportunities and Obstacles for Growth

By: Jake Cordell

All 1029 Articles

Subscribe