German investor confidence knocked by Ukraine crisis April 15, 2014 Investor confidence in the Eurozone reached a high last seen in July 2011 this month. The Zew survey, which is released by the Centre for European Economic Research, gave a reading of 61.2 for April, down slightly on the 61.5 seen last month and above expectations of 60.7. But the survey also measures investor sentiment [...]
Asian markets dip as Chinese credit slowdown outweighs US optimism April 15, 2014 Asian shares are in retreat as tensions in Ukraine and the credit slowdown in China tempered investors optimism after improved US economic data. Western leaders have condemned Russia's President Vladimir Putin for escalating tensions in Ukraine where pro-Russian forces ignored warnings to leave areas of the eastern part of the country. Foreign secretary William Hague [...]
West eyes more curbs on Russia April 14, 2014 FOREIGN secretary William Hague has accused Russia’s President Putin of a “gross, deliberate and premeditated violation of the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine,” after pro-Russian forces ignored warnings to leave areas of eastern Ukraine. Arriving for talks in Luxembourg with EU foreign ministers yesterday, Hague said Russia’s claims that it is not behind the recent [...]
Ukraine fatally weakened by failure to embrace real capitalism April 14, 2014 IN the dreadful communist days, Ukraine and Poland used to be equally poor. The former was part of the Soviet Union, and Poland was one of the USSR’s satellite nations, belonging to the Warsaw pact. In 1990, both countries had roughly the same GDP per capita – their economies were eerily similar. A quarter of [...]
Letters to the Editor – 15/04 – Jobs miracle, Airport debate, Best of Twitter April 14, 2014 Jobs miracle [Re: The recovery is being driven by a revolution in the jobs market, yesterday] Have you considered that the reason for the rise in self-employed consultants is the tax system? With a good accountant, moving from PAYE to self-employment, for effectively the same job, can reduce your liability. I find it increasingly difficult [...]
How the West’s utopians damned Ukraine to Russian dominance April 14, 2014 THERE is little doubt that Ukraine stands perilously on the edge of disaster, if not full invasion, as Russian troops assemble on its borders and pro-Russian activists violently demonstrate in key eastern cities. So why, in response, has the West floundered? There is a critical division between the major western foreign policy schools of thought [...]
Here’s what you need to know about today’s gold price surge April 14, 2014 Demand for the lustrous metal has seen gold prices hit a three week high, with geopolitical risks seeing investors move towards the safe-haven asset. Seen as a hedge against inflation, other metals have also spiked as tensions over Ukraine heat up. Palladium today sees an August 2011 high, as traders worry that US sanctions on [...]
What you need to know before the US open April 14, 2014 US stock futures edged higher today, following an optimistic set of results from Citigroup, which offset fears over the Ukraine situation – at least for the time being. European markets dropped to a three-week low earlier on the Ukraine worries and the continued sell-off in the US of tech shares. The Nasdaq closed below 4,000 [...]
Here’s what you need to know about today’s gold price surge April 14, 2014 Demand for the lustrous metal has seen gold prices hit a three week high, with geopolitical risks seeing investors move towards the safe-haven asset. Seen as a hedge against inflation, other metals have also spiked as tensions over Ukraine heat up. Palladium today sees an August 2011 high, as traders worry that US sanctions on [...]
What you need to know before the open April 14, 2014 Rising tensions in Ukraine are expected to hit European equities this morning. The Ukrainian government has begun a full-scale anti-terrorist operation, following the arrival of pro-Russian forces in several towns in eastern Ukraine. Russia has asked for a dialogue to be initiated, calling for Kiev not to use force. The rouble's currently down almost one [...]