Biggest US trade deficit since 2012 fans the flames of Donald Trump’s economic nationalism March 7, 2017 The gap between America’s imports and exports with the rest of the world grew to its widest since March 2012, adding fuel to the fire of President Donald Trump’s economic nationalism. The US imported $48.5bn more than it exported in January, an increase of $4.2bn from the previous month, according to the US Bureau of [...]
Big upward revision for UK growth this year from the OECD March 7, 2017 The UK economy will grow much faster this year than previously expected, according to an influential economics organisation, as it revised up forecasts it slashed after the Brexit vote. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) raised its projections for 2017 GDP growth to 1.6 per cent, a change of 0.6 percentage points since [...]
Sterling falls to lowest since before Theresa May’s Brexit speech as Lords vote looms March 7, 2017 Sterling fell to its lowest value since mid-January ahead of the resumption of voting in the House of Lords on the government’s bill on Article 50. The pound fell below $1.22 against the US dollar on Tuesday morning for the first time since 17 January, when Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would leave [...]
Redirect £76bn from former EU budget to fuel inclusive growth says RSA commission March 7, 2017 The government should reroute billions of pounds that currently goes to the EU budget to support inclusive growth after Brexit, according to a commission set up by businesses, local government and non-profit groups. A new £76bn fund would deliver growth across the whole of the UK, lowering inequality and raising overall productivity, the report by [...]
Retail sales fell in February as non-food retail sales decline for first time since 2011 according to early indicator March 7, 2017 Retail sales fell in February as non-food purchases recorded their first quarterly decline in more than five years, a survey ahead of official data shows. Like-for-like sales fell by 0.4 per cent compared to February 2016, according to the retail sales monitor reported by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG, despite food sales rising [...]
Greece growth downgraded further as bailout hangs in the balance March 6, 2017 The Greek economy shrank far more than was previously thought at the end of 2016, putting the growth underpinning its bailout deal this year under further threat. Output in the embattled country declined by 1.2 per cent in the final three months of the year, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority, a big downwards revision [...]
Greece growth downgraded further as bailout hangs in the balance March 6, 2017 The Greek economy shrank far more than was previously thought at the end of 2016, putting the growth underpinning its bailout deal this year under further threat. Output in the embattled country declined by 1.2 per cent in the final three months of the year, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority, a big downwards revision [...]
Donald Trump lessened importance of central banks as driver of global markets says influential group March 6, 2017 The ascent of Donald Trump to the US Presidency lessened market reliance on central banks, according to an influential body of central bankers. The surge in US equity valuations which followed the election of Donald Trump meant central banks “stepped back from the limelight”, according to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). “Politics tightened its [...]
HMRC gets tough on finance directors at big firms March 6, 2017 British tax authorities are clamping down hard on failures in tax accounting from top executives, with penalties against finance directors rising steeply to record highs. Finance directors at large businesses have seen a 17 per cent year-on-year rise in actions under the senior accounting officer regime, according to law firm Pinsent Masons. Revenue and Customs [...]
JP Morgan Cazenove holds off challenge of Numis Securities as most popular City stockbroker March 6, 2017 Stockbroker Numis has closed the gap between it and JP Morgan Cazenove as the most popular broker for FTSE-listed companies. The US bank, which took over the blue-blooded Cazenove broker in 2009, retained its top position with 192 clients, according to figures from Adviser Rankings. Meanwhile, Numis acts as stockbroker for 189 companies, a gain [...]