Hamilton Lane’s Erik Hirsch: We’re seeing a private credit witch hunt Markets Depending on which central banking chief you talk to, the burgeoning private credit industry is either a cause of insomnia, a “dark corner” of finance or an arcane lending practice whose participants are behaving like bankers in the run-up to the global financial crisis. To Hamilton Lane boss Erik Hirsch, though, it is simply an [...]
Gold continues to glitter as investor demand reaches record highs Business Gold has continued its record breaking rally, as investors and central banks scramble to get their hands on the safe haven asset in the face of ongoing geopolitical uncertainty. Total gold demand exceeded 5,000t for the first time in 2025, with the precious metal setting a staggering 53 new all time highs during the year. [...]
US inflation jumps to 2.9 per cent, setting up key rate decision Economics US inflation edged up to 2.9 per cent in August, leaving the Federal Reserve with a difficult decision to make on interest rates next week and all but vanquishing any chance of a ‘super-sized’ 50 basis-point cut. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Thursday that the annual consumer price index (CPI) figure for inflation [...]
Mood towards global economy remains sour August 11, 2025 Fund managers are expecting inflation to rise over the next year as the mood towards the global economy coarsens. Over 40 per cent of fund managers believe the global economy is set to weaken over the next 12 months, with US economic policy and weaker consumer demand seen as the largest forces dragging it down, [...]
EU-US trade deal faces criticism from European leaders July 28, 2025 European leaders have poured scorn on the EU-US trade deal struck by President Donald Trump and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen over the weekend, with many viewing the agreement as a victory for Trump rather than their own countries. While the pact announced on Sunday has helped dodge a potential transatlantic trade war, [...]
Euro weakens as markets rally following EU-US trade deal July 28, 2025 The euro fell against the dollar in early morning trading, as currency markets focused on the risks to the European economy from the EU-US trade deal despite a positive reaction from global stock markets. The currency was down 0.5 per cent against the dollar at $1.169, wiping away gains made last week after Trump’s “big [...]
FTSE 100 shrugs off Israel-Iran strikes June 16, 2025 The FTSE 100 was unmoved by simmering tensions in Israel and Iran, despite reports that the UK was scrambling to send fighter jets, and conflict in the Middle East was on the brink of a significant escalation with US involvement. The UK’s leading index was up 0.2 per cent after the first hour of trading, [...]
Gold tops euro to become central banks’ second favourite reserve asset June 11, 2025 Central banks now hold more gold than euros in the face of global trade tensions and volatile markets, according to a report produced by the European Central Bank (ECB), making it the world’s second largest reserve asset after the US dollar. Purchases of gold were twice as high in 2024 as the average seen over [...]
ECB cuts interest rates as UK ‘hesitation’ risks dealmaking strength June 5, 2025 Interest rates in the eurozone have been cut, taking the deposit facility rate to two per cent as fresh data suggested inflation came in just under the European Central Bank (ECB)’s two per cent target rate in May. The cut means the ECB’s rate now stands at two per cent, a halving of rates set two [...]
UBS creates AI tool to monitor interest rate cuts May 21, 2025 UBS has created an AI model that takes a view on central bank’s hawks and doves when interest rates are set in a bid to cut through the noise of hard-to-read press conferences. In a new policy paper spanning 38 pages, the Swiss bank revealed that its new tool is adept at “measuring the tone [...]