FTSE continues upward surge – London Report April 7, 2015 THE BENCHMARK FTSE 100 rose nearly two per cent yesterday as trading resumed after the Easter weekend. Shares around the world have been boosted by hopes that the US Federal Reserve will push back rate rises following weak American jobs data last week. The benchmark FTSE 100 index closed up 128.31 points, or 1.88 per [...]
Wall St slips on strong dollar – New York Report April 7, 2015 A STRONG dollar sent US stocks slightly lower yesterday, reversing course late in the session as optimism about deal news disappeared. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 5.43 points, or 0.03 per cent, to 17,875.42, the S&P 500 lost 4.29 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 2,076.33 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 7.08 points, or [...]
Fedex to buy TNT Europe in €4.4bn deal April 7, 2015 FedEx is making a major acquisition to expand its business in Europe with a billion-euro bid for TNT Europe. The US delivery firm has made an all-cash offer of €8.00 per share for the Dutch delivery group, valuing TNT at €4.4bn (£3.2bn). The offer represents a 33 per cent premium on its previous closing price. A major shareholder, PostNL [...]
The investment democrats April 6, 2015 Harriet Green talks investment gurus, Asian expansion and putting £1m of your own savings on the line with the founders of meetinvest, Michel and Maria Jacquemai LAST summer, Michel Jacquemai found himself under a pile of books by investment gurus. The portfolio manager, former Credit Suisse vice president, partner of investment manager Partners Group and [...]
European stocks’ impressive first quarter – CNBC Comment March 30, 2015 DESPITE suffering their biggest weekly fall of the year last week, European markets have enjoyed a good first quarter. While Bank of America Merrill Lynch notes that US equity funds have seen $44bn worth of outflows in 2015, chalking up their worst start to the year since 2009, Europe’s equity markets have been benefitting. The [...]
European markets rise on Fed rate hike caution March 30, 2015 European markets started the day higher, after comments made by US Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen hinted at "gradual" rate rises, reassuring investors. The FTSE 100 opened 0.6 per cent up, while Germany's Dax jumped 1.23 per cent and France's Cac 40 rose one per cent. Investors have showed caution in recent weeks after a [...]
Investors wait for Fed moves – New York Report March 29, 2015 WALL STREET investors may find little reason to make big moves this week as they await monthly US jobs data and any news that could change expectations for the first rate hike in almost a decade. The Labor Department report is due on Friday, when the market will be closed for Good Friday, leaving investors [...]
The Shanghai’s the limit in this city that never stops March 29, 2015 Londoners are obsessed with christening skyscrapers. From the Walkie Talkie to the Cheesegrater, new buildings are barely granted planning permission before they are slapped with a nickname, reducing years of meticulous planning to a childish slogan. If the residents of Shanghai had a similar habit, they’d have little time to do anything else. The skyline [...]
Rate hike might be delayed until 2016, warns leading Fed official March 25, 2015 THE US Federal Reserve should not hike interest rates until 2016, one of its officials said yesterday. “I think economic conditions are likely to evolve in such a way that it will be appropriate to hold off on raising short-term rates until 2016,” Charles Evans – a member of the committee that decides policy – [...]
Asset bubbles may be forming but rapid rate hikes would only jeopardise growth March 24, 2015 Everybody seems to agree on the need for full employment and price stability. But these objectives leave central bankers with a perennial dilemma when managing an economy: act too soon in normalising monetary policy and they’ll prevent the attainment of full employment; act too late and they’ll damage price stability. It is less a matter [...]