Asian markets remain subdued as Bank of Japan holds firm April 8, 2014 Asian markets are holding steady after the Bank of Japan maintained its stance on monetary policy and disappointed some investors with a refusal to hike purchases of risk assets. Japan's current account balance showed a surplus for the first time in five months in February, this was attributed to strengthening exports and an increase in [...]
How QE has harmed the economy April 7, 2014 LET ME begin with a confession. I admire former Fed chair Ben Bernanke for undertaking quantitative easing (QE) back in 2008. It was a brave decision, which involved taking a bold step across an unknown monetary horizon. It was also the right decision for the time, as it prevented the money supply from collapsing – [...]
HTC’s losses widen as flagship smartphone attracts slim sales April 7, 2014 TAIWANESE smartphone firm HTC reported a wider than expected first-quarter loss as its flagship smartphones continue to attract modest sales. Despite the rave reviews that HTC’s recent devices have received, the company posted a 22.6 per cent drop in revenues to 33.12bn Taiwanese dollars (£659m). “The company expects to see positive trajectory of its revenue [...]
How QE has harmed the economy April 7, 2014 LET ME begin with a confession. I admire former Fed chair Ben Bernanke for undertaking quantitative easing (QE) back in 2008. It was a brave decision, which involved taking a bold step across an unknown monetary horizon. It was also the right decision for the time, as it prevented the money supply from collapsing – [...]
Osborne mauls regulator over insurance mistake April 3, 2014 CHANCELLOR George Osborne slammed last week’s fumbled announcement of a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) investigation into the insurance sector as an “egregious error” yesterday, speaking in front of a panel of MPs. During a quizzing from the MPs on the Treasury Select Committee, Osborne said that he was also “profoundly concerned” about the incident. Last [...]
Asian markets cheer Chinese stimulus policies April 3, 2014 Asian stocks have been buoyed in trading today, rising for the seventh day in a row, after the Chinese government said it’d be cutting taxes for smaller companies. It also announced plans to speed up construction on railways, selling 150bn yuan (£14.5bn) of bonds this year to fund work in less-developed areas. The Nikkei has [...]
London Report: FTSE spurred to three week high by US outlook April 1, 2014 THE UK’S top share index touched a three-week high yesterday, with cyclical stocks rallying on the back of an improving US economic outlook and expectations of more stimulus from China. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index extended earlier gains to set its highest level since 12 March after data showed US factory activity accelerated for a [...]
What you need to know before the open April 1, 2014 European markets are expected to make a positive start to the day, with investors hopeful of US and Chinese stimulus to counter economic slowdown. Corporate data UK broker ICAP has announced a fall in revenue for February and March of 14 per cent. The company believes it will achieve results in line with market expectations, [...]
London Report: FTSE records its first quarterly drop since June March 31, 2014 BABCOCK was the star performer among Britain’s top shares yesterday as a nuclear contract win helped it outperform a lacklustre showing on the broader blue-chip index, which suffered its first quarterly drop since June. The FTSE 100 ended down 17.21 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 6,598.37 points, after a see-saw session which saw it [...]
Nikkei climbs as hopes of Chinese stimulus grow March 31, 2014 Chinese stimulus hopes are pushing Asian equities higher today, with the Nikkei gaining one per cent to a two-and-a-half week high and a softer yen encouraging exporters. China’s yuan, meanwhile, has fallen to a one-week low. On Friday, premier Li Keqiang moved to alleviate concerns over China’s slowdown by reassuring that the government has the [...]