Yen and bonds bullish as trade war fears weigh on global stocks August 12, 2019 Concerns that US-China trade tensions and a no-deal Brexit could spark a recession boosted the yen and bond markets today, while stock markets suffered once again. Early gains for European and Asian stocks soon faded and Wall Street futures were already in the red as traders geared up for another potentially volatile week. Read more: [...]
European stock markets bounce after rough week August 12, 2019 European stocks have opened higher as calm returned to the market following a sharp sell off on Friday driven by the US-China trade war. Read more: US stock markets fall with Donald Trump ‘not ready’ for deal with China The FTSE 100 was 0.6 per cent higher by 8.30am, Germany’s Dax had climbed 1.1 per [...]
Thomas Cook shares plunge on fresh funding talks as it nears Fosun tie-up August 12, 2019 Thomas Cook shares plummeted this morning as investors digested the news the tour operator is in advanced discussions with bond holders for a £150m cash injection, on top of the £750m rescue deal it is already working on with lead investor Fosun, which would nearly wipe out shareholders. The company’s market value dropped 17 per [...]
US stock markets fall with Donald Trump ‘not ready’ for deal with China August 9, 2019 US stock markets have fallen today after President Donald Trump said his administration was “not ready to make a deal” with China. Read more: Italian markets in turmoil as government edges closer to collapse The tech-heavy Nasdaq stock index had fallen 1.2 per cent, the S&P 500 had dropped one per cent, and the Dow [...]
Independent central banks are under threat once more August 9, 2019 Being just a couple of decades old, the widespread adoption of independent central banks is relatively new to the world. Yet this is a role which now needs to adapt to a world whose politics is changing very fast. Different inflation objectives and tools have been discussed plenty of times before, but as the objectives [...]
Top investment bank fees slide across the board in 2019 amid deals slowdown in Europe and US August 9, 2019 Fees at all but one of the world’s 20 largest investment banks tumbled in the first half of 2019, as fewer mergers in Europe and a global slowdown in initial public offerings (IPO) dented corporate pay cheques. Europe’s investment banks earned a combined $13.3bn (£11bn) worth of fees in the first half of 2019, plunging [...]
European stock markets buoyed as Chinese trade beats expectations August 8, 2019 European stock markets have risen this morning, following their Asian counterparts higher after better-than-expected Chinese trade data. Read more: China hits back after US labels rival a currency manipulator Official data showed Chinese exports benefited from a falling renminbi and rose 3.3 per cent in July year on year, far exceeding analysts’ expectations of a [...]
US and European stock markets diverge as trade war jitters continue August 7, 2019 US stock markets fell today and investors bought up so-called safe haven assets as central banks around the world slashed interest rates in response to slowdowns. Read more: China hits back after US labels rival a currency manipulator European stocks climbed, however, as deals in the German chemicals sector provided a welcome boost to equities [...]
Oil price falls to lowest point in eight months August 7, 2019 The price of international oil standard Brent crude plummeted to its lowest point since the beginning of the year today as trade war worries gripped the market. The 3.2 per cent oil price drop came after a torrid week for markets, with prices down by around $8 since last Wednesday. Read more: Market correction pushes [...]
DEBATE: Is Donald Trump right to label China a currency manipulator? August 7, 2019 Is Donald Trump right to label China a currency manipulator Alex Deane, a Conservative commentator, says YES. Once again, President Trump “triggers” his opponents by doing what he said he would do. He promised on the campaign trail to designate China as a currency manipulator; indeed, he’s late on this as he undertook to do [...]