Driverless cars’ arrival looks set to shake up the automotive, oil and tech sectors December 16, 2016 The energy markets are starting to recover from their multi-year swoon, but there may be a bigger change ahead. It’s starting to look like the rise of self-driving vehicles is not only inevitable, but that it will be here sooner than many would have thought possible. That will likely upend the oil markets in ways [...]
Domestic energy bills may jump as S&P Global Platts data shows wholesale gas and electricity prices soared in November December 12, 2016 Domestic energy bills could be set to rise even further as new data shows wholesale electricity and gas prices sharply rose in November. Outages at French nuclear plants, from which the UK imports power, and shrinking spare capacity margins in the power market drove up day-ahead wholesale electricity prices by 16 per cent on average last month [...]
A short history of investing in gold – and what to expect for 2017 December 8, 2016 Gold is coveted by investors for its rarity. As a precious metal with limited supply, it is seen as a store of value when the real value of other assets, and currencies, can be manipulated. But fundamentally, its high worth is underpinned by its usefulness and attractiveness. Not only is it highly malleable but it [...]
OPEC’s celebrated and unexpected deal has papered over the market’s cracks December 8, 2016 The outcome of the Vienna meeting came as a pleasant surprise to oil markets. A deal had been hammered out and, despite the resistance, OPEC and Non-OPEC producers had agreed to cut a total of 1.8mbpd. Saudi Arabia − suffering from a major dent in its economy− has agreed to the largest cut. OPEC producers [...]
Brent crude oil just broke $55 for the first time since July 2015 December 5, 2016 Brent crude oil shot above $55 per barrel today as oil traders continued to celebrate Opec's agreement, after months of in-fighting, to put a cap on production. Global benchmark Brent crude rose as high as $55.33 per barrel in late morning trading, up more than 1.4 per cent, though it dipped 0.3 per cent to $54.30 by the [...]
Venezuela introduces new higher-value notes in response to the world’s highest rate of inflation December 4, 2016 Venezuela’s central bank has announced that it will introduce a new set of coins and notes as the country with the world’s highest inflation struggles to make its currency usable. Six new bills will enter circulation from 15 December, ranging in value from 500 Venezuelan bolivars up to 20,000 bolivars. This means the highest-value note [...]
China has hit supercar owners with a 10 per cent tax as it cracks down on luxury December 1, 2016 China's crackdown on luxury just went up a gear. It's imposed an additional 10 per cent tax on super cars, so the likes of Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and Ferrari are all affected. The tax will be applied to cars costing more than 1.3m yuan (£151,024) and is part of an effort to clamp down [...]
Autumn Statement TL;DR? Here’s our at-a-glance guide November 23, 2016 Chancellor Philip Hammond spoke for around an hour while delivering today's Autumn Statement. If you don't have time for that, here's our at-a-glance overview of the announcements you need to know: Economics, public spending and politics The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast for growth increased to 2.1 per cent, up from two per cent, for 2016, but [...]
Autumn Statement 2016: Here’s how analysts have reacted to Philip Hammond’s speech November 23, 2016 Here's how analysts have reacted to chancellor Philip Hammond's first – and last – Autumn Statement. National Living Wage hike Guy Stallard, director at KPMG, said: Today’s announcement will see a significant number of workers aged 25 and above get a pay rise of 30p an hour to £7.50 from next April. This may seem [...]
No new support for North Sea oil and gas industry announced in Philip Hammond’s Autumn Statement November 23, 2016 The government will continue to deliver its pre-existing commitments to the North Sea oil and gas industry, but has not made any significant new pledges to boost the ailing sector. To help provide a "stable tax regime" to the UK's biggest oil-producing region, the government said it "recommits" to its long-term 'Driving Investment' plan for the [...]