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.

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Cautious UK companies begin belt-tightening as business investment stutters in the face of oil price crash and fears of Brexit

March 31, 2016

British firms may be battening down the hatches and trimming back on business investment in the face of global turmoil and the Brexit referendum, according to statistics released this morning. Official figures showed that the amount invested by firms into new assets like buildings, machines, equipment, and intellectual property, slipped by two per cent in [...]
Mining glory takes FTSE 100 past 6,200 to post highest close of 2016

March 30, 2016

Traders got out their spades and went digging for value today, striking gold in the topsy-turvy commodities sector and helping the FTSE to put on an impressive 1.59 per cent to close at 6,203 – its highest level of the year. Markets started cheerily this morning, surging by 63 points at the open, and the feel-good [...]
Uncertainty, sure. Turmoil, probably. But this economist says Brexit might not be a disaster

March 30, 2016

Britain will not awaken to a post-apocalyptic nightmare on 24 June if it votes to leave the European Union, a top economist has told City A.M. Dismissing the notion that Brexit would be a "disaster" for the UK economy, Jean-Michel Six, chief economist for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Standard & Poor's (S&P), also said [...]
Draghi’s “Big Bazooka” losing steam as Standard & Poor’s slashes Eurozone growth forecasts

March 30, 2016

Standard and Poor’s (S&P) has slashed its growth forecasts for the Eurozone, saying that low growth and weak inflation looks set to stalk the continent for the foreseeable future. The ratings agency reckons the Eurozone will expand by a miserly 1.5 per cent this year, down from its previous forecast, made just four months ago, [...]
Europe gets the jitters as confidence crumbles in the face of global turmoil

March 30, 2016

Confidence in the Eurozone remains on shaky foundations as the EU’s official monitor of economic sentiment crumbled for a third consecutive month, feeding fears of a continent-wide slowdown. Both business and consumer jitters dragged the Economic Sentiment Indicator down from a score of 103.9 in February to 103.0 in March, its lowest level in 13 [...]
Buy to let rule changes proposed by the Bank of England see economists and landlords butt heads

March 29, 2016

Economists and landlords were at loggerheads today in an unlikely battle between homeowners and number-crunchers over the latest clampdown on the buy to let (BTL) market. Following a four-month investigation, the Bank of England today announced plans to tighten the terms and conditions under which banks and building societies can offer mortgages to anybody purchasing residential rental [...]
Market close: FTSE holds steady, but Glencore leads the commodities sector down

March 29, 2016

The FTSE 100 clocked a so-so first day back in the office after Easter, remaining unchanged at 6,105. However, there was more than just leftover Easter eggs for traders to sink their teeth into. Commodities giants were left bruised after a note from Barclays warned that the sector could be in for a fresh rout. [...]
Markets await key speech from US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen on US economy and interest rates amid Federal Reserve divisions

March 29, 2016

Financial markets are in limbo today as they stand by for a key speech from the chair of the US Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, on her latest outlook for the health of the US economy. US rate-setters have been deeply divided on how fast interest rates should rise since a shaky start to the year [...]
Landlords braced for tough new lending restrictions, as Bank of England concludes investigation into buy-to-let mortgages

March 29, 2016

The Bank of England could today respond to concerns about a frothy housing market by announcing new lending restrictions on landlords and those taking out buy-to-let mortgages. This morning the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), the Bank’s supervisory arm, will publish the results of a four-month long investigation into underwriting standards – the terms and conditions lenders [...]

Business activity rebounds but Budget nerves could damage growth

Europe or US: Which sports league system will come out on top?

BMW i7 review: Flagship luxury saloon suits being electric

By: Jake Cordell

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