Oil prices plummet on surging Covid cases August 3, 2021 Oil prices plummeted on Tuesday as the resurgence in Covid cases globally driven by the Delta variant fuelled concerns that restrictions on economic activity may be reimposed. Global benchmarks WTI and Brent Crude slid 1.39 per cent and 1.12 per cent to hit $70.41 and $72.22 respectively – WTI briefly dipped below $70. Prices have [...]
“DinoBanking”- Prehistoric U.S. Legacy Banking August 3, 2021 U.S. banking is primitive. It forces some to write checks in this day and age. Yet some politicians and paid lobbyists are doing everything they can to kill off the vastly superior platforms of DeFi through onerous regulations. Typical banks and credit unions offer no ACH transfer, no automatic payroll. The check can’t be too [...]
Sunday Read: Bank of England’s QE programme has muddied the water between right and wrong August 1, 2021 “The problem with QE is it works in practice but it doesn’t work in theory,” an often quoted joke said by former Fed chair Ben Bernanke. But, some are testing that hypothesis. The backdrop to Thursday’s Bank of England meeting is much more unforgiving than previous ones. A House of Lords committee recently accused the [...]
Covid case rates fall in every English local authority as R rate dips for first time in weeks July 30, 2021 Covid case rates have fallen in every local authority in England for the first time since comparable figures have been recorded, while the “R” rate has decreased for the first time in weeks. Not one of England’s 315 local authorities recorded a rise in Covid cases in the week to 26 July, according to analysis [...]
US economic growth falls short of expectations July 29, 2021 The US economy is rebounding sharply from the damage inflicted on it by the Covid crisis, but output growth is falling well below analysts’ expectations, new figures released today reveal. The Commerce Department estimated the US economy grew at an annualised rate of 6.5 per cent in the second quarter of this year, driven by [...]
Fed says US economy has ‘made progress’ but holds rates at near-zero July 28, 2021 The Federal Reserve deems the US economy to be “strengthening” despite rising coronavirus cases, but not so much that it feels ready to wind down its economic support policies. In a new policy statement released on Wednesday following its two day meeting, the US central bank said: “With progress on vaccinations and strong policy support, [...]
Global ETF boom continues with record inflows in first half of the year July 28, 2021 Global exchange traded funds (ETFs) attracted record inflows in the first six months of 2021, as investors poured in amid low interest rates, an equities rally and “cheap money” lending. Investors worldwide ploughed $639.8bn into ETFs between January and June, a half year record and more than double that of the same period last year, according [...]
US stocks open flat as investors await outcome of Fed meeting July 28, 2021 US stocks were broadly flat on Wednesday morning as investors held off from making any sudden moves until the Fed announces the outcome of its latest round of talks. The blue-chip S&P 500 inched up 0.02 per cent to 4,404 during opening trading, while the Dow Jones lost 0.12 oer cent. The Nasdaq led the [...]
Weaker economic backdrop presents fresh headaches for Fed July 28, 2021 Today’s Federal Open Market Committee announcements come amid mounting concerns that the rapid rise in Covid cases could dampen the global economic recovery. This backdrop presents a different set of problems for Fed Chair Jerome Powell to when he last spoke in June. Recovery prospects are still good, but have tempered. Investors around the world [...]
UK Covid cases have now fallen for seven days in a row. Is this the beginning of the end? July 27, 2021 The number of people testing positive for new cases of Covid-19 has now fallen for seven days in a row, prompting thoughts that the UK may be through the worst of the third wave of the pandemic. But are they justified? A seven day stretch of falling case rates last happened in summer last year, [...]