Keith Wade: Is the world now heading for recession? March 13, 2020 As I returned to the UK last weekend, my taxi driver talked of panic-buying and impending food shortages. Having wondered if I had stepped off at the wrong airport, it subsequently became clear that his thinking was very close to that of the markets. On Monday (9 March), equities sold off and credit spreads widened [...]
US stocks regain some ground after Fed pumps trillions into markets March 12, 2020 US stocks pared some of their losses in afternoon trading after the New York Federal Reserve said it would pump more than a trillion dollars into the short-term funding markets. Stocks crashed in early trading after President Donald Trump banned all travel to and from Europe in an effort to contain coronavirus, with the falls [...]
Coronavirus: The impact on the sporting world as numerous events are disrupted March 12, 2020 In the space of a week the coronavirus pandemic has gone from having a minimal impact on the world’s sporting events to causing vast swathes of postponements and contests played out behind closed doors. This week saw the first Premier League game postponed due to Covid-19, Champions League matches played in empty stadiums and two [...]
Dow Jones closes in bear market as it plunges 1,400 points March 11, 2020 The Dow Jones has entered bear territory after plunging more than 1,400 points as investors panic over the coronavirus outbreak. The index dropped 1,464.94 points to 23,553.22, which means it is down 20 per cent from its recently set 52-week high. The benchmark S&P 500 closed 4.89 per cent lower while Nasdaq fell 4.37 per [...]
US stocks fall further into the red as investors lament lack of stimulus plan March 11, 2020 US stocks tumbled as investors grew concerned over the absence of immediate measures to counter the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. The Dow Jones is down 791.84 points to 24,226.32, weighed down by a seven per cent drop in Boeing shares. The company plans a full drawdown of an existing $13.8bn loan as early as [...]
Coronavirus: Bank of England slashes UK interest rates to 0.25 per cent March 11, 2020 The Bank of England today slashed UK interest rates to just 0.25 per cent in a bid to tackle the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak on the economy. The 50 basis point (0.5 percentage point) cut takes interest rates lower than the 0.75 per cent they were already at, in a move designed to boost [...]
Hybrids and holidays: McLaren set for race against time March 11, 2020 McLaren boss Mike Flewitt could be forgiven for being more than a little fed up with surprise announcements. It’s no easy feat to completely reconfigure the launch of your latest supercar when Europe’s flagship motor show is cancelled with barely three days before the curtain comes up, but that’s what McLaren was forced to do [...]
Coronavirus: FTSE 100 falters as European stocks fall back March 10, 2020 The FTSE 100 dipped in and out of the red in a volatile afternoon of trading after Black Monday’s global stocks meltdown, before closing up 0.23 per cent. The FTSE 100 and other European indices rose in early trading after President Trump revealed he was preparing a major economic relief strategy. However the semblance of [...]
Donald Trump brands Fed ‘pathetic’ after US stocks’ coronavirus bloodbath March 10, 2020 US President Donald Trump has labelled his country’s central bank “pathetic” for not cutting interest rates further in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, which sent stocks plunging yesterday. Trump’s intervention adds to the pressure on the US Federal Reserve to cut rates again after it slashed them by 50 basis points (0.5 percentage points) [...]
Your road map to the Isa universe: Make the most of your tax-free allowance March 10, 2020 There are just 27 days to go before the tax year ends on 5 April. For savers and investors, that means there are only a few weeks left to make use of their Individual Savings Account (Isa) allowance. Introduced in 1999, Isas allow people to invest up to £20,000 into savings each tax year, and [...]