Asian stocks mixed after Fed rate cut fails to lift Wall Street March 4, 2020 Asian stocks posted a mixed day of trading overnight after Wall Street dropped in dramatic fashion despite an interest rate cut intended to give the economy a break from the coronavirus fallout. Japan’s Nikkei eked out a 0.08 per cent rise today but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipped 0.12 per cent over the course [...]
The world’s biggest economy is scared March 4, 2020 The final weeks of 2019 saw the traditional flurry of analysts and market commentators raising the prospect of so-called black swan events in 2020. Looking back through these notes today, one is confronted with a range of nightmare scenarios ranging from military conflict in the South China Sea to the collapse of a major investment bank [...]
World Bank announces up to $12bn in immediate funds to help fight coronavirus March 3, 2020 The World Bank is to release up to $12bn (£9.3bn) immediately to fight the global spread of coronavirus. The funding emerged on the same day the Federal Banking Reserve cut interest rates to protect the US economy from the economic consequences of the outbreak. Traditionally, the role of the World Bank is to lend money [...]
Federal Reserve slashes interest rates over coronavirus fears March 3, 2020 The US Federal Reserve has slashed interest rates by 50 basis points – 0.5 percentage points – in an emergency response to the economic risks of coronavirus. Fed chair Jay Powell said rate-setters had witnessed the “broader spread of the virus” and “come to the view that it is time for us to act in [...]
Coronavirus: Stocks rise as traders expect US Federal Reserve rate cut March 2, 2020 Global stock markets have risen on expectations that the US Federal Reserve will slash interest rates to support the economy and boost confidence amid the coronavirus outbreak. A volatile morning saw Wall Street open higher before slipping into the red and then rebounding. The US’s S&P 500 stood 2.2 per cent higher two hours into [...]
Coronavirus live: OECD warning weighs down FTSE 100 recovery March 2, 2020 The OECD’s warning that the coronavirus outbreak could halve global growth in 2020 weighed down the FTSE 100 today, sending it back into the red before recovering marginally. Traders had initially sent London’s blue-chip index up 2.7 per cent this morning on the back of central banks saying they were ready to intervene to protest [...]
Could coronavirus push global stock markets into bear territory? March 1, 2020 After coronavirus fears sent US and UK stocks to their worst week since the 2008 financial crisis, some analysts are raising the prospect that equities could fall into bear market territory – a fall of 20 per cent from recent highs. The US’s S&P 500 index has slumped 13 per cent since it hit a [...]
Half of London Waterloo station to be closed this weekend February 27, 2020 Half of London Waterloo station will be closed for the whole of this weekend as South Western Railway carries out major track maintenance and renewal work on the lines. Some lines between Waterloo and Clapham Junction will be closed, with a reduced service running in and out of the former. A spokesman for the franchise [...]
Coronavirus: Global stocks spill $3 trillion as Covid-19 sends FTSE 100 staggering February 27, 2020 European stocks tumbled yet again today as fresh coronavirus concerns saw the FTSE 100 sink three per cent this afternoon as stock markets across the world dropped sharply. London’s blue-chip index plunged far below 7,000 points to 6,831.2 today after Australia’s Prime Minister warned the world is on the brink of a coronavirus pandemic. Cases [...]
Britain’s political landscape has shifted, but think tanks are struggling to adapt February 27, 2020 Think tanks occupy a unique place in the policy world. Neither academic institutions nor the parties tasked with policy implementation, their role has traditionally been as independent “policy labs”, growing ideas for politicians to use when in power. Yet, as we are all aware, the political landscape has shifted in recent years. And think tanks [...]