Another hedge fund bites the dust as Nevsky Capital unveils plans to close flagship fund January 5, 2016 There goes another hedge fund: it's been reported that Nevsky Capital is planning to close its $1.5bn flagship fund – with the fund's founders saying the market environment "is increasingly incompatible" with their investment process. Money will be returned to investors after managers of the Irish-domiciled fund, which invests in emerging and developed market equities, voiced concern [...]
Dow Jones suffers worst start to the year since 2008 – as more than £38bn is wiped off FTSE 100 thanks to China volatility and Middle Eastern uncertainty January 4, 2016 Fears over China sent US stocks tumbling yesterday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 467 points at its low for the day – headed for its worst first-day percentage drop since 1932. The index fell by 1.58 per cent to 17,149. The Nasdaq dropped 2.08 per cent and the S&P 500 lost 2.35 per cent, giving both [...]
Skills shortages, EU uncertainty, and a rate rise before the summer: What to expect from 2016 economics January 4, 2016 The UK economy is in a period of steady growth and low inflation which should continue in 2016. Economic growth this year should be around 2.5 per cent – very respectable in the post-crisis New Normal, keeping us close to the top of the G7 growth league along with the United States. Unemployment is likely [...]
The payment buzzwords to expect in 2016: Wearables, biometrics and banking APIs December 30, 2015 As the new year approaches and the retro reviews for 2015 and predictions for next year start to fill my Twitter feed. I take a look back at the year and put out my early calls on what 2016 will have on the books (or is that on your device, or is that in your Virtual Reality [...]
Winter Solstice 2015: What you need to know about the shortest day of the year December 22, 2015 Today is officially the shortest day of the year, meaning we will see less sunlight than on any other day in 2015. By the time the sun goes down this afternoon, we will have experienced a total of seven hours, 49 minutes and 41 seconds of sunlight in the UK. So, what is the winter [...]
Don’t expect surprises before year end – eToro Tips & Picks December 21, 2015 The last trading days before Christmas have been a major anti-climax. The Fed rate rise had a minimal immediate effect on the markets: the volatility that many expected failed to occur. The wilder speculation about capital flight from emerging markets has so far been proved wrong. Indices in Indonesia and other emerging markets saw small [...]
Bank of England’s Martin Weale says an interest rate rise is less urgent December 21, 2015 Bank of England rate setter Martin Weale has signalled a less hawkish tone on interest rates, saying the need for them to rise was "less immediate". Downward pressure on inflation, weak wage growth and falling commodity prices has given the monetary policy committee (MPC) more breathing space than expected, Weale told the Daily Telegraph. "I initially thought that the weak [...]
FTSE 100 set to close out 2015 around 6,000 – London Report December 21, 2015 THE FED “feel good factor” and the Santa rally that historically has resulted in 80 per cent of December trading sessions closing positive have not been enough to sustain positive numbers for the FTSE. On Friday the FTSE 100 closed down 50 points at 6052, bringing to an end the brief surge following the Federal Reserve [...]
The biggest economic stories of 2015 and 2016 – Investec Comment December 21, 2015 Seven years after cutting them to record lows, last week, the US Federal Reserve finally put speculation to rest about when it would begin the process of increasing interest rates, announcing a small 25 basis points rise. This was hardly a surprise: it was almost completely factored into markets, so the real question was over [...]
Oil lows offset Santa rally and Fed hike – New York Report December 20, 2015 THERE are now just seven full trading days left in the year and some investors are still hoping for an end of year surge to close out what has been a sluggish 2015. The S&P 500 index is down three per cent so far this month, and the recent and persistent slide in oil prices [...]