Before the Bell: Reflation concerns prompts yields spike while UK CPI is up next February 17, 2021 Over the past few weeks, it’s been notable that bond markets, both in the UK and in the US are starting to price the risk of higher inflation pressures, as long-term yields move to the upside. Yesterday, US 10-year treasury yields jumped sharply higher to 1.3 per cent, in a move that suggested that markets [...]
The Week Ahead: Barclays, Natwest, retail sales, public borrowing February 15, 2021 City A.M. takes a look at some of this week’s market-shaping events. Barclays – Full year results (Thursday) The past 12 months have been difficult ones for banks in general, but UK banks have underperformed relative to their peers, Hewson said, with the unknowns of what a final Brexit deal might look like also weighing [...]
Where to find shelter from rising inflation February 10, 2021 In the wake of Covid-19, investors have started debating whether long-dormant inflation risks will soon resurface. Stay-at-home orders and government spending have left consumers with extra savings and pent-up demand that could eventually drive a spending splurge. At the same time, lockdowns have kept many businesses shut, destroying capacity in some sectors of the economy [...]
Energy bills rise could see customers trapped in ‘vicious circle of debt’ February 5, 2021 April’s price cap increase could plunge consumers into debt that suppliers have been unable to recover during the pandemic, according to Uswitch.com. Industry observers have responded to Ofgem’s announcement today that energy bills will rise by £93 to pre-pandemic levels from 1 April. The price cap, which will affect 11 million default tariff customers, has [...]
The Kalifa Review can be the launchpad for UK fintech to take off February 5, 2021 When the Fintech Founders group that I chair recently hosted an event with Ron Kalifa, to discuss his ongoing Fintech Review, the energy and enthusiasm of the founders on the call was palpable. Many of the men and women who took part, all of them Fintech entrepreneurs, have been struggling over the last twelve months. [...]
Why renewable energy could gain from the green hydrogen trend February 1, 2021 What effect will net zero have? One of the most notable features of climate policy over the last couple of years has been the rise of national and supranational “net zero” targets. Countries and regions adopting these targets include Europe, the UK, China, South Korea, Japan, Canada, South Africa and a handful of US states. [...]
Renewable energy production surpasses fossil fuels in 2020 January 28, 2021 Renewable energy sources surpassed fossil fuel energy production in the UK for the first time ever in 2020, led by wind power generation. According to analysis by think tank Ember, renewable sources provided 42 per cent of the UK’s energy, while fossil fuel sources like gas produced 41 per cent. The remaining 17 per cent [...]
Best of travel: A food odyssey across the South China Sea January 16, 2021 Throughout January we’re remembering better times and sunnier climes by reposting some of our favourite travel stories from the last decade. In this instalment, our Life&Style editor Steve Dinneen eats a path across the South China Sea. ••• Hong Kong’s most celebrated restaurants are the kind of Michelin-rated palaces to gastronomy that you can find [...]
Rolls-Royce betting small is beautiful when it comes to UK nuclear power January 9, 2021 For many, nuclear power stations are eyesores – great slabs of gun-metal grey cluttering up the UK’s coastlines. But that could be about to change. Last year FTSE 100 blue-bloods Rolls-Royce announced it was planning on building a fleet of 16 so-called “small modular reactors” (SMRs) in a move that would shake up the UK’s [...]
Will Europe’s smaller companies deliver big returns? January 7, 2021 European equities have been largely unloved by investors for some time, having lagged their global peers over the past decade: the MSCI Europe ex UK Index has grown by circa 6% pa whilst the MSCI World Index is up circa 11% pa. European smaller companies have fared markedly better than their large cap counterparts however, [...]