China may have stumbled – but the UK still has much to gain from closer links September 20, 2015 Next month, there is an immensely important event on the diplomatic calendar. The Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay us a state visit and, as a result, the eyes of over 1bn people will be on us. I for one relish the prospect – it’s an opportunity for the City to pull out all [...]
Chancellor George Osborne is optimistic about the slowing Chinese economy September 20, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne has said he isn't worried about China's slowing economy, which is undergoing a period of very challenging but necessary transformation. Renewed fears over the health of the world's second biggest economy rippled through global financial markets this summer. "Black Monday" wiped nearly $300bn (£193bn) off the value of Chinese shares, while US, Europe, Japan [...]
Chancellor George Osborne in bid to strengthen ties with China September 18, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne is due to announce plans for a "new era" of ties between the UK and China, as he embarks on a week-long visit to the world's second largest economy. Osborne will meet with senior ministers from the Chinese government, as well as senior Chinese business leaders, in a bid to open up billions [...]
Fed up markets down? It’s about funding not rates September 18, 2015 Global markets were sent into a tailspin yesterday after the Federal Reserve held fire on interest rates amid fresh concerns over the Chinese economy and emerging markets. But market mavens should be paying attention to funding, rather than interest rates. It’s frequently said and not always in jest, that the credit markets are smarter than the stock [...]
AB InBev and SABMiller need to tap into craft beer trend September 18, 2015 The long-awaited announcement that Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) was officially considering a takeover of rival SABMiller saw the companies’ share prices jump 19.89 per cent and 6.41 per cent respectively. However, yesterday the hangover kicked in, and SABMiller’s shares closed down 0.25 per cent at 3,605p, having dropped as low as 3,593p. The [...]
Federal Reserve puts US interest rate rise on hold: Global risks trigger Fed chair Janet Yellen’s dovebomb September 18, 2015 The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged last night, sending markets on a roller coaster ride as investors struggled to understand the economic factors behind the dovish decision. Trading was turbulent after the Fed announced its decision to hold rates, with the three major US indices first hitting session highs, and briefly turning negative [...]
Children’s rights and business: The quality of corporate reporting on child abuse is key to tackling it – ACCA Comment September 17, 2015 In the twenty-first century, businesses have come to depend on the value of their brand more than they ever have in history. In March this year, Ocean Tomo released the 2015 update to its annual study of intangible asset market value, which revealed that intangible assets grew to represent an average of 84 per cent [...]
MPs grill Bank of England’s Mark Carney on Beijing and interest rate rise timings September 17, 2015 Despite raising questions over the accuracy of Chinese economic data, Bank of England governor Mark Carney maintained yesterday that the threat to the world economy from China’s stock-market slump did not signal a slowdown for Britain. Giving evidence to the Treasury Select Committee (TSC), Carney said: “Certainly, the Chinese statistics are published with remarkable speed [...]
A sharper slowdown in China could derail the global economic recovery September 17, 2015 A slump in China poses a major threat to the global economy, especially if financial markets deteriorate further, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said yesterday. China’s economy is expected to grow 6.7 per cent this year and 6.5 per cent in 2016, representing a slowdown from recent years’ growth. Some [...]
Beer giants AB InBev and SABMiller in takeover talks: The long-awaited superbrew merger starts September 17, 2015 The world's largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) has set its sights on a takeover of rival SABMiller, which would create a mammoth global brewery worth $275bn (£177bn). Shares in SABMiller shot up by nearly 20 per cent on the news, pushing the FTSE 100 to a one-week high during yesterday’s trading. The [...]