European markets cautious as Nato summit begins September 4, 2014 European markets took a break from recent rallies as the leaders of Nato countries prepared to meet at the Celtic Manor resort in Wales this morning. Having hit its highest level in 14 years yesterday, the FTSE 100 rose a modest 0.1 per cent to 6,880 in early trading, while France's Cac fell 0.4 per [...]
Easyjet passenger numbers rise despite crisis in Ukraine September 4, 2014 Sanctions and conflicts are causing problems for the airline industry – and with some areas off limits, investors were watching to see how EasyJet's latest passenger figures would stand up. Very nicely indeed, it turns out. In a statement posted this morning, the airline said passenger numbers rose 510,731 on the same month last year, [...]
Finally: France puts Russian warship delivery on hold September 4, 2014 The French government has halted the controversial delivery of a warship to Russia over the escalating tensions in Ukraine. President Hollande said conditions were “not right” to deliver the first of two warships to the Russian navy as part of a €1.2bn (£959m) contract. The French government had previously resisted calls from other countries to halt [...]
FTSE 100 touches a 14-year high after Ukraine cease fire rumours September 3, 2014 THE FTSE 100 opened at a 14 year high yesterday morning, driven upwards by strong UK services data and rumours of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. The index climbed to over 6,897 yesterday morning, the highest level since 2000, before settling at 6,873.58 later in the day, having risen by 0.65 per cent on the [...]
London Report: FTSE rises on reports of Ukrainian cease fire deal with Russia September 3, 2014 BRITAIN’S top equity index yesterday touched its highest level in more than 14 years amid signs that Ukraine and Russia were working to end the conflict between them over eastern Ukraine. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index briefly hit 6,898.62 points, its highest level since early 2000, after Ukraine said a “permanent ceasefire” had been agreed [...]
Ukraine can’t win in this crisis – but Putin can be made to pay for his victory September 3, 2014 IT IS a standard rule of thumb in global risk analysis that the side in a conflict calling for a ceasefire is the side that is losing. Until two weeks ago, President Putin of Russia – seeing his Kremlin-sponsored separatists on the run in the face of a rejuvenated Ukrainian army – was all for [...]
Which European countries would be hardest hit by a Russian gas embargo? September 3, 2014 With relations between Europe and Russia at their worst point since the fall of the Berlin wall, the Institute of Energy Economics (EWI) has taken it upon itself to examine what would happen to various European nations if Russia imposed a gas export embargo in November 2014. The good news for the UK is that [...]
Kremlin quashes “permanent” ceasefire claim as blasts heard in Ukraine September 3, 2014 In this morning's newsletter we noted our scepticism at the use of the word “permanent” when it came to the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Sadly, within two hours of the announcement from Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, it turns out that phrase has indeed met with some stumbling blocks. Although Poroshenko's Tweet has not [...]
Eurozone PMI in graphs: Spain and Ireland report strong services growth, while France and Italy lag behind September 3, 2014 More economic problems for France and Italy. Both countries slipped in to contractionary territory in the Markit PMI stakes, recording composite (manufacturing and services) scores below the 50 point that indicates growth. The Eurozone overall posted at 52.5, revised down from 52.8. BNP Paribas has suggested that the downward revision points to mid-month events affecting [...]
Growth in UK services is accelerating – so what does this mean for interest rates? September 3, 2014 Could this be the news the hawks have been waiting for? Markit/CIPS PMI data out today shows an acceleration in growth in the services industry which, when combined with the two previous surveys, suggests August saw the fastest economic growth since last November. Adjusting for seasonal factors, the Business Activity Index stood at [...]