Lovely Laos: Asia’s unspoilt sanctuary is the perfect couple’s retreat July 5, 2015 I arrived in Laos shortly after sunset with my boyfriend in tow. As the tuk tuk trundled into town I caught my first glimpse of the Mekong, a silver streak beneath blueish mountains, lined by flame-red Poinciana trees. Our first stop was 3 Nagas, a boutique hotel spread across three colonial buildings. With original [...]
Athens keeps things volatile in New York – New York Report July 2, 2015 THE GREEK debt crisis continued to play havoc with Wall Street stocks, after the International Monetary Fund warned Athens ahead of its Sunday referendum that it faces a huge financial hole. Meanwhile, mixed jobs data dampened the US economic outlook. While the IMF was warning that Greece needed an extra €50bn euros over the next [...]
US unemployment falls to 5.3 per cent as the economy comes closer to full employment July 2, 2015 The US created 223,000 jobs in June, with the unemployment rate falling to 5.3 per cent, down from a gain of 254,000 new roles in May. The unemployment rate fell further from 5.5 per cent in May, pushing it closer to the Federal Reserve’s estimate of the longer-run 5-5.2 per cent. This compares to a [...]
Crowdfunding Greece: This Indiegogo Grexit bailout crowdfund has reached a six-figure sum June 30, 2015 Sceptical of the power of people? Us too. But you can't help but be impressed by the fact this crowdfunding campaign to help Greece meet its debts has already reached a six-figure sum. At 2pm on Tuesday the total raised had reached nearly €125, 000 from donations made by 7,743 people in just one [...]
US interest rate rises: Investors fear blue chip equity sell-off June 29, 2015 Blue chip equities may be set for a sell-off if the US Federal Reserve raises interest rates this autumn, investment managers are predicting. Base rates in the US have been held at a historic low of 0.25 per cent since December 2008. One consequence of this long period of near-zero rates is that some parts [...]
Investors edgy on Greek fears and rates talk – New York Report June 28, 2015 ANXIETY about Greece and uncertainty about the timing of higher US interest rates may keep Wall Street on edge early next week, but one ray of hope for investors could be an unusually long streak of ambivalence on Main Street. Seen by some as a contrarian indicator of future stock market performance, a weekly poll [...]
With the Fed expected to raise rates later this year, should investors be concerned? June 28, 2015 Anton Eser is co-head of global fixed income at Legal & General Investment Management, says Yes. The impact of tighter US policy seems to be underestimated. When markets were unsettled by the potential for QE tapering in 2013, bond yields rose, equity markets corrected, and high yield and emerging markets saw heavy fund outflows and [...]
Fall in first quarter US GDP was less than we thought June 24, 2015 The fall in US first quarter GDP was less than we previously thought, after the Bureau of Economic Analysis revised its figure up. GDP contracted 0.2 per cent in the first three months of the year, less than the 0.7 per cent originally mooted. However, it's a fall from the first estimate of a 0.2 [...]
Nasdaq rises to record high on Fed interest rate hint June 18, 2015 The Nasdaq closed at a record high on Thursday, rising 68 points to 5,132.95. Read more: Nasdaq hits a record high as US stocks rise The 1.3 per cent rise was triggered by encouraging economic data released by the Federal Reserve yesterday which indicated interest rates could be raised for the first time since 2008 later [...]
Bank of England to launch new blog “Bank Underground” June 18, 2015 The old lady of Threadneedle street will lift up her skirt tomorrow with the launch of a new staff blog entitled "Bank Underground". The blog, named after the nearby tube station, will let Bank of England staff write editorials which support, as well as challenge, existing orthodoxies. Previously, Bank of England staff were limited to communicating with [...]