Santa Clause ain’t coming to town: Why you shouldn’t expect stocks to rally – CNBC Comment November 24, 2015 Last week was the year’s best for the S&P 500. October also saw a very strong bounceback from the late summer malaise. I’ve been surprised by the recent recoveries in markets in the short term. When you pair that with the huge long-term gains we have had since March 2009 alongside my fundamental bearishness, [...]
Brands without borders: OMD’s Nikki Mendonca on the digital single market November 22, 2015 Sharing data across jurisdictions remains a headache for brands that operate within a number of different markets. The situation may be about to become a lot easier in Europe, however, due to the European Commission’s digital single market strategy. “I’m optimistic about what these changes would mean for brands,” says Nikki Mendonça, president of OMD [...]
What’s going to happen to the economy in 2016? From persistently low oil prices to improved global growth, here are Goldman Sachs’ top 10 market themes November 19, 2015 Economists at Goldman Sachs have just released what they believe will be the 10 biggest economic themes of 2016. Here they are: 1. Global growth, more stable than it looks. The Goldman economists believe global growth is bottoming out this year at 3.2 per cent and expect it to accelerate to 3.6 per cent next year. [...]
Fallen hopes: Brazil was a shining star among emerging economies – but Dilma Rousseff and the Petrobras scandal leave it in crisis November 19, 2015 Once the leading light of Latin America, 2015 has seen Brazil gripped by a corruption scandal of epic proportions, while its economy has slid into the worst crisis for a generation. In the midst of a economic quagmire that has drawn the once-thriving Brazilian powerhouse into a deep recession, the country’s politicians are firefighting on another [...]
Twitter back up after going down on website, Android and iPad apps – but not iPhone app for UK, Europe and US-based users November 19, 2015 Update: Twitter has returned after being out of service for around 45 minutes, although some users are still complaining of it being sluggish. Problems started being reported at around 9:48, with users on website, iPad app and Android app all reporting problems. Tweetdeck was also affected. The iPhone app worked throughout – and people used it to complain about the service [...]
Fintech Lookahead 2016: The disruptors you should be looking out for November 19, 2015 What can we expect to see from the fintech industry over the coming year? And what kinds of companies are leading the charge? In its 2015 Global Banking Annual Review, McKinsey said that “banks are under attack from new technology companies and others seeking to poach their customers. To date, banks’ losses to attackers have [...]
SMMT: UK car manufacturing hits 10-year-high as car makers keep the pedal to the metal November 19, 2015 Car manufacturing in the UK has hit highs not see for a decade, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). From the beginning of the year through to the end of October, production volumes were recorded to be at their highest levels since 2005, with 36,000 more units made this [...]
FTSE 100 investors remain bullish on UK defence – London Report November 18, 2015 News yesterday that UK consumer price inflation remained in negative figures for the second straight month – largely due to falls in food and fuel prices – pushed the FTSE up. The blue-chip index rose by 122.4 points, or 1.99 per cent, to close at 6268.7 pushing up the combined value of UK listed companies by [...]
Sharm el-Sheikh crash: Metrojet A321 flight 7K9268 was brought down by bomb, Russian President Vladimir Putin admits November 17, 2015 Russia has offered a $50m reward for information that helps catch the culprits behind the bombing of Metrojet A321 flight 7K9268, having finally acknowledged it was an act of terror. Alexander Bortnikov, director of the security service FSB, said an improvised explosive device weighing up to 1.5kg went off on board the plane, bringing it down [...]
Paris attacks: Islamic State planning deadly cyber attacks, chancellor George Osborne will say November 17, 2015 Terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS) is trying to develop capabilities to launch deadly cyber-attacks on the UK, chancellor George Osborne is expected to say today. The chancellor will speak today, days after the group launched a series of attacks on Paris, killing 132 people. Today he will announce the UK's investment in fighting cybercrime will double to [...]