Chinese industrial output growth slows to 17-year low August 14, 2019 China’s industrial output growth slowed to a 17-year low in July as the signs mount that the trade war with the US is beginning to take a toll on the world’s second-largest economy. The 4.8 per cent year-on-year growth in factory output was the weakest since February 2002 and far below economists’ expectations of a [...]
Asian stock markets fall as embattled Hong Kong leader urges calm August 13, 2019 Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has said the protests that have rocked the city for over two months have caused “severe wounds” and that the recovery will be a long process. Read more: Hong Kong airport cancels flights for Monday amid protests As Lam spoke this morning (afternoon in Hong Kong), Asian stock markets slipped [...]
European stock markets bounce after rough week August 12, 2019 European stocks have opened higher as calm returned to the market following a sharp sell off on Friday driven by the US-China trade war. Read more: US stock markets fall with Donald Trump ‘not ready’ for deal with China The FTSE 100 was 0.6 per cent higher by 8.30am, Germany’s Dax had climbed 1.1 per [...]
Businesses vent fury at handling of Brexit after economy shrinks August 9, 2019 UK business organisations have condemned the continuation of Brexit uncertainty after it helped push the economy into contraction in the second quarter. They called for “decisive action” to turn the situation around. Read more: UK economy shrinks for first time in six years GDP fell by 0.2 per cent in the first quarter, data from [...]
Into the red: UK economy shrinks for first time in seven years August 9, 2019 The UK economy contracted for the first time since 2012 in the second quarter of the year as the unwinding of Brexit stockpiling and global trade tensions damaged growth, official figures showed today. UK GDP shrank by 0.2 per cent in the second quarter compared to the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) [...]
This cottage might be the cheapest house on one of the world’s wealthiest streets August 9, 2019 As the name suggests, Billionaire’s Row in Hampstead Garden Suburb is home to some of the capital’s most prestigious properties, as well as some of the priciest. Also known as The Bishops Avenue, the street is known for its palatial mansions and attracts super-wealthy buyers looking for more space and seclusion than the likes of [...]
Top investment bank fees slide across the board in 2019 amid deals slowdown in Europe and US August 9, 2019 Fees at all but one of the world’s 20 largest investment banks tumbled in the first half of 2019, as fewer mergers in Europe and a global slowdown in initial public offerings (IPO) dented corporate pay cheques. Europe’s investment banks earned a combined $13.3bn (£11bn) worth of fees in the first half of 2019, plunging [...]
UK GDP preview: Banks down, sterling ready to break out? August 8, 2019 Ahead of the UK Q2 GDP print on Friday, gilts and UK bank stocks betray concerns about the economy that the official figures are likely to back up. Meanwhile GBPUSD is nearing the end of a narrowing wedge that could signal it’s ready to move out of its August range on whatever the GDP point [...]
London will retain financial firepower even in ‘worst possible’ Brexit, says Central Bank of Ireland August 8, 2019 London is likely to remain a leading global financial centre even in the most adverse Brexit scenarios, the Central Bank of Ireland has concluded in a new report. The EU-based Central Bank has said that even in the worst possible outcome of Britain’s departure from the EU, the impact on the capital’s financial and related professional [...]
Insurer Zurich expects to beat targets as profits jump August 8, 2019 Zurich Insurance Group hailed its best performance in a decade this morning after reporting a double-digit rise in profits and predicting that it would beat previous financial goals it had set. Read more: Aviva confirms strategic review of Asia Europe’s fifth largest insurer reported business operating profits of $2.8bn (£2.3bn) in the first six months [...]