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

UK business optimism shattered by “potent combination” of global threats and fears of Brexit

April 14, 2016

Confidence among Britain’s businesses slumped in the first quarter of the year, plummeting by the sharpest level anywhere in Europe, according to new research out today. A “potent combination of fragile financial markets, volatility in oil prices, concerns over terrorist attacks and regional issues including the prospect of a Brexit and the US presidential race” [...]
Have we reached peak millennial? If these products and slogans are anything to go by, maybe

April 13, 2016

Millennials are, apparently, hot property. You only need to look at Google’s search trends to find out just how hot. While the term ‘Generation Y’ has been kicking about for some time, ‘millennial’ didn’t really get going until 2013. But when it did, it sure took off fast. Companies have cottoned on fast. This time-poor, high-spending [...]
City A.M. shadow MPC: Hold rates until after the EU referendum

April 13, 2016

City economists want the Bank of England to hold interest rates on Thursday, citing stuttering growth and Brexit uncertainty as signs that the economy is too fragile to handle higher borrowing costs. City A.M.’s shadow monetary policy committee, made up of nine banking and business economists and analysts, voted seven to two to hold interest [...]
One-third of Europe’s banks are struggling to make money as IMF calls for urgent reforms to their business models

April 13, 2016

European banks are set to be hit by a profitability crisis, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as stock market volatility, negative interest rates and low growth have shattered the financial services industry’s ability to make money. One-third of all Europe’s lenders – calculated by their share of total assets – are facing “significant challenges to [...]
Property bubble shows no sign of popping yet as mortgage lending marches higher

April 13, 2016

Mortgage lending grew by one-fifth over the last twelve months as the number of first time buyers, people moving homes, buy-to-let investors and remortgages all grew according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). In total, £8.7bn was taken out for new mortgages in February 2016, up 21 per cent on last year, while another [...]
Stocks surge on strong Chinese trade figures, while Tesco’s return to profit proves every little doesn’t help

April 13, 2016

Strong trade data from China was enough to offset disappointing results from Tesco this morning and push UK stocks to their highest level of the year. Gobal shares rallied on the latest sign that the process of rebalacing in the world’s second largest economy is on course. Exports from China jumped by 11.5 per cent in March in dollar terms [...]
EU referendum: Business leaders tell David Cameron that Europe needs Britain in one more warning on Brexit

April 13, 2016

Europe’s top business leaders will issue a personal plea to the Prime Minister today to do everything he can to keep Britain in the European Union, arguing that the continent’s economies benefit from the role the UK plays in Europe. Business lobby groups from Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands, along with the heads of [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Goldsmith attacks Khan’s allegations of Islamophobia as transport and housing prove the key battlegrounds

April 12, 2016

Zac Goldsmith and Labour rival Sadiq Khan clashed from the word go at Tuesday's packed City A.M. debate, with the Tory candidate using his opening statement to dismiss the accusation that his campaign was divisive and Islamophobic. The Richmond Park MP tackled head-on the allegations from Khan and Labour supporters that he had allowed his campaign [...]
London mayoral debate: Goldsmith and Khan clash over Islamophobia accusations at City A.M. hustings

April 12, 2016

Zac Goldsmith has questioned Sadiq Khan’s judgement and his suitability to lead London at the opening exchanges of tonight’s City A.M. mayoral debate, as the Conservative candidate went on the offensive over accusations that his campaign was “Islamophobic”. This morning, Labour’s Yvette Cooper wrote in The Times that Goldsmith’s campaign that “started as a subtle dog-whistle is [...]
Should we trust today’s forecasts from the IMF?

April 12, 2016

The half-yearly growth forecasts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are a big deal. They move markets, shape local politics and are generally relied upon around the world. But how accurate are they? Depending on your take, today's substantial revisions are either an indicator or rapid change and sharp volatility, or bring into question the [...]

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By: Jake Cordell

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