ECONOMISTS’ REACTION: WAS RESTARTING QE THE RIGHT DECISION? November 3, 2010 MARTIN FELDSTEIN | HARVARD UNIVERSITY The Federal Reserve’s proposed policy of quantitative easing is a dangerous gamble with only a small potential upside benefit and substantial risks of creating asset bubbles that could destabilise the global economy. Although the US economy is weak and the outlook uncertain, quantitative easing (QE) is not the right remedy. [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 2, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES ITV BLAMES REGIME FOR NEED TO CHASE RATINGS ITV could invest more in arts, factual programming and drama were it not for regulations, its managers told a Lords committee. Archie Norman, chairman of the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, and Adam Crozier, chief executive, told the communications committee that ITV had been driven into [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 2, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES ITV BLAMES REGIME FOR NEED TO CHASE RATINGS ITV could invest more in arts, factual programming and drama were it not for regulations, its managers told a Lords committee. Archie Norman, chairman of the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, and Adam Crozier, chief executive, told the communications committee that ITV had been driven into [...]
Ambac shares hit as it warns of bankruptcy November 1, 2010 AMBAC Financial Group, which was the second-largest US bond insurer before suffering huge losses on risky mortgages, said it may file for bankruptcy protection as soon as this year after skipping a bond interest payment. Ambac shares fell as much as 59.8 per cent before closing down 50.4 per cent, or 41.9 cents, at 41.2 [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING October 31, 2010 THE SUNDAYS The Sunday Telegraph MAUDE DEMANDS SERCO ANSWER Serco is to be ordered to explain to the government why it took the highly unusual step of writing to its leading suppliers to demand that they pay a blanket 2.5 per cent “cash rebate” on their work this year or risk losing future contracts. Serco, [...]
Lloyds October 31, 2010 THE market isn’t expecting any nasty surprises from Lloyds when it reports third quarter numbers tomorrow. Its net interest margin, which was at 2.08 per cent in the first half, should improve modestly, as Lloyds reprices the front and back of its mortgage and loan books. However, the momentum is beginning to falter: there’s only [...]
US economy in slim GDP rise October 29, 2010 US economic growth edged up as expected in the third quarter but not enough to chip away at high unemployment or change perceptions of more monetary easing from the Federal Reserve next week. Gross domestic product expanded at a two per cent annual rate as consumer spending rose at its fastest pace since 2006, the [...]
House prices fall for third consecutive month October 28, 2010 House prices fell for the third month in four in October, figures from Nationwide have shown. The average price of a property fell 0.7 per cent this month after a flat reading in September. That was almost twice the drop economists had expected and meant the three-month on three-month rate of decline accelerated to 1.5 [...]
Dudley: Fed has no “magic wand” October 26, 2010 The US Federal Reserve cannot “wave a magic wand” to fix the economy overnight, but it can provide “essential” support, a top Fed policymaker. Indeed, support will likely be warranted unless economic conditions improve, William Dudley, president of the New York Fed and a permanent voter on the Fed’s policy-setting panel, said in a speech [...]
UK Mortgage approvals at ten-year low October 25, 2010 MORTGAGE lending fell to its lowest level in a decade in September, the latest figures from the British Banker’s Association (BBA) showed yesterday confirming earlier figures produced by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) last week. Gross mortgage lending stood at £8bn last month, 10.8 per cent lower than a year earlier. The number of [...]