Electoral loss for Turkey’s authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is good news for markets June 9, 2015 The one thing Sunday’s game-changing election result in Turkey has definitely given us is uncertainty. But while markets initially reacted with dismay after the incumbent Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) 13 years of solid majorities came to an end, in the longer term, they may wonder if uncertainty is that much worse than the alternative [...]
Global turbulence to rock UK: Trouble in the Eurozone, Fed rate hikes and a Chinese slowdown could hit markets June 8, 2015 Yesterday, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) revised its UK economic growth forecasts to 2.4 per cent and 2.5 per cent for 2015 and 2016 respectively, down from 2.7 per cent and 2.6 per cent. It wasn’t troubles at home that concerned the business organisation. The CBI cited economic instability in Greece, a sluggish Eurozone, [...]
Car review: The Mini John Cooper Works is a new classic of the hot hatch genre June 8, 2015 The daddy of all hot hatchbacks is the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Introduced in 1976, Volkswagen shoehorned a 1.6-litre engine into its popular family hatch and boasted of its 110mph top speed. It’s a shame, then, that today the Volkswagen Golf GTI is such a lardy number. Sure, it’s fast – and you can buy [...]
Investors still uncertain over Fed’s rate hike – New York Report June 7, 2015 STOCK investors are expected to tread carefully next week, as speculation about the timing of a US Federal Reserve interest rate hike adds to concerns about valuations. Since hitting record levels two weeks ago, the US stock market has struggled for direction, and investors said the next several sessions might prove no better. A run of better-than-expected economic figures [...]
US jobs growth bolsters chance of Fed rate hike June 5, 2015 US JOB growth accelerated sharply in May and wages picked up, signs of momentum in the economy that bolster prospects for an interest rate hike in September. Nonfarm payrolls increased 280,000 last month, the largest gain since December, the Labor Department said yesterday. While the unemployment rate rose to 5.5 per cent from a near [...]
US stocks fell ahead of jobs data out today – New York Report June 4, 2015 US STOCKS fell yesterday, hit by nervousness ahead of today’s jobs report and lingering uncertainty over a Greece aid deal with creditors. Declining oil and gold prices also weighed on energy and materials shares, which led declines in the benchmark S&P 500. Data showed the labour market tightening, with first-time applications for unemployment aid down [...]
The US corporate debt market is close to boiling over – and Europe could be next June 4, 2015 How close is the corporate debt market to boiling over? Given the vast volumes of institutional and retail money that have flowed into high yield funds and other leveraged finance vehicles in recent years, it’s a key question for financial markets in both the US and Europe. For the last six years, corporate borrowers have [...]
From Field Day to the Chelsea Fringe, the best of summertime in London June 4, 2015 The summer season is finally upon us! This means music festivals, rooftop drinking and lounging around in the park. Don’t wait for the weather to arrive, take advantage of all the adventures you can have outdoors this weekend Field Day Saturday and Sunday, Victoria Park, fielddayfestivals.com This may have been Field Day’s [...]
Fed Fischer says he’s a fan of the BoE’s policy set-up June 2, 2015 Federal Reserve vice chairman Stanley Fischer has revealed he's a fan of the Bank of England approach to financial stability policy – with the creation of a separate committee devoted solely to it. "The British approach of setting up nearly parallel committees for monetary policy and for macroprudential financial supervision and regulation appears to be a [...]
Traders remain cautious as US rate hikes loom – New York Report June 1, 2015 LAST week’s losses were partly recovered yesterday, as stocks made modest gains in a session marked by cautious trading as investors reacted to mixed economic data. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 29.69 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 18,040.37, the S&P 500 gained 4.34 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 2,111.73 and the Nasdaq [...]