Best of the Brokers for 20 October 2014 October 19, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com BSKYB S&P Capital IQ reiterated its “sell” rating, and stated that despite a good first quarter which saw a six per cent rise in recurring revenue and total customer numbers up five per cent year-on-year, it remains concerned about content and product costs. [...]
Former environment secretary warns UK will miss energy target October 15, 2014 THE UK will miss a key legally-binding energy emissions target in 2050 unless it builds a new Hinkley Point nuclear power station every three years, the former environment secretary Owen Paterson MP claimed last night. Giving an address to the Global Warming Policy foundation, Paterson warned that the UK’s current plan to use alternative energy [...]
Oil prices have hit a four-year low October 15, 2014 Brent crude was continuing its long march down today. Already below $90 a barrel, the benchmark price has now gone south of $82. This cost represents the lowest price in four years, dragged down by a deluge of supply and dwindling demand. The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently reduced its 2014 forecast for global oil [...]
With Brent crude prices at a four-year low, is Opec’s power over the oil market waning? October 14, 2014 Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, says Yes. Opec’s control over global oil prices is waning because supply growth increasingly comes from non-Opec producers. An example is the US, where production has risen to the highest level in 28 years – largely due to the shale revolution, which has added almost 4m [...]
Inflation falls again: Consumer Price Index falls to a five-year low of 1.2pc in September October 14, 2014 The consumer price index (CPI) of UK inflation fell even further than expected, down to 1.2 per cent in September from 1.5 per cent the previous month, hitting a five-year low. CPI was expected to slow slightly to 1.4 per cent according to analyst forecasts. But the slump is even further below the Bank of [...]
Thames Deckway: Could this floating cycle path on the river solve London’s transport problems? October 7, 2014 A group of architects, entrepreneurs and engineers are proposing to build a cycle path that floats on the river Thames to help solve the capital’s congestion problems. The traffic-free Thames Deckway could stretch from Canary Wharf in the east as far as Battersea in the West, offering cyclists and pedestrians a safer route through the [...]
Tax cuts and deregulation: How free markets can slash the cost of living September 25, 2014 Rolling back state intervention across the economy and cutting taxes could save some families up to £7,800 a year, according to a new report from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). The free market think tank has produced the report as part of it's 2020 Vision initiative, which provides a host of publications and films [...]
Labour’s misdiagnosis: A larger state is not the way to raise living standards September 23, 2014 To paraphrase the economist John Maynard Keynes, Ed Miliband’s speech yesterday to the Labour Party conference was an extraordinary example of how, starting with a mistake, a remorseless logician can end in Bedlam. For Miliband, the market has failed to deliver rising prosperity, and it is now time for big government to get back in [...]
Cost of living crisis myths: How Miliband could deliver a real pro-poor agenda September 22, 2014 Labour’s party conference will see Ed Miliband try to shift public focus away from the Scottish referendum fallout and back towards the choice at next year’s general election. In particular, he’ll seek to refocus our minds on the “cost of living crisis” narrative that he’s been composing since 2011. Policy announcements over the weekend suggest, [...]
As CPI inflation falls to 1.5 per cent, should the Bank hold off rate hikes until next summer? September 16, 2014 Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, says Yes. Quite possibly. The case for rates to stay low for longer is being aided by several factors. Global oil and commodity prices are low, and likely to stay historically weak due to subdued global demand (especially in key emerging markets such as China) and, in the case [...]