Christine Lagarde confirms plans to run for a second term as director of the IMF January 22, 2016 IMF director Christine Lagarde has confirmed she will be standing for a second term when her tenure runs out. Lagarde confirmed her plans to run in an interview with French television news channel France 2. Lagarde’s term as head of the IMF is drawing to a close as her five-year tenure is up in July, [...]
The bear is back in his cage: FTSE 100 gains and Japan’s Nikkei 225 roars into positive territory on global stimulus hopes from the European Central Bank’s Mario Draghi January 22, 2016 Finally some good news: the FTSE 100 got off to a flying start this morning, gaining up to 1.8 per cent in early trading as dovish remarks from Mario Draghi sent investors' spirits soaring. Global bourses surged, with Japanese stocks roaring out of bear market territory to make their second-biggest one-day gain in five years. The Nikkei [...]
Davos 2016: An outlook as chilly as the setting January 22, 2016 So much for a fourth industrial revolution. It’s an inexorable law of the World Economic Forum that each year’s summit must be more crowded, expensive and pessimistic than the last. Whether it’s robotics, fintech or climate change, you can take your pick of this year’s buzz-themes – many dreamed up with the aid of handsomely [...]
ECB chief Mario Draghi sends dove to tame bear market by hinting at ramp up of stimulus package January 22, 2016 Mario Draghi went some way to taming bear markets yesterday by hinting that the European Central Bank (ECB) will ramp up its trillion-euro stimulus package as soon as March. The ECB chief said that, with “downside risks” increasing, it will be “necessary to review and possibly reconsider our monetary policy stance at our next meeting”. The dovish [...]
London rents accelerate as amount of payments in arrears increases January 22, 2016 London rents grew 6.3 per cent year-on-year in December, according to figures released this morning. The rate of growth was the joint-fastest for a calendar year since 2011, estate agents Your Move and Reeds Rains said. Across England and Wales, rents rose 3.4 per cent on the year, the fastest rate of calendar-year growth for [...]
The big short: Market volatility increases short selling on the FTSE 100 by 15 per cent in 2016 as the number of non-disclosed short positions increases January 21, 2016 The turbulent start to the markets has encouraged short sellers to increase their positions – the number of shares on loan has increased 15 per cent since the start of the year, and is now worth $25bn (£17.6bn) according to the latest data from Markit. Short selling is when an investor borrows shares in order to sell and [...]
Oil industry leaders bullish in Davos, BP boss and Saudi Aramco forecast recovery in price January 21, 2016 The chairman of Saudi Arabia controlled oil company Saudi Aramco Khalid Al-Falih labelled the current oil price as “irrational”, and said it should be higher than $30 a barrel. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the chairman also made it clear if the oil price stays low Aramco would be able to endure [...]
S&P: China’s financial sector faces “tougher” 2016 January 21, 2016 Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has warned that China’s embattled financial sector must navigate an even tougher playing field this year. Mounting concern over the pace of China’s economic slowdown, coupled with falling oil prices, have sparked a sell-off across global financial markets since the beginning of this year. S&P said a slump [...]
Wall Street markets open to more volatility, but S&P 500, Nasdaq and Dow Jones all currently trading up January 21, 2016 Volatility characterised US markets again as they tentatively opened higher only to fall back before rebounding again in the first 20 minutes after markets opened. The S&P 500 is up 0.71 per cent, or 13.1 points to 1872.46, having fallen to 1850. The Nasdaq recovered from a low point of 4438, and is currently up 28 [...]
London housing crisis? Deloitte and other businesses might soon have to build houses for staff January 21, 2016 The ever increasing cost of living in London has led one of the City's biggest employers to consider building its own housing for junior staff. Deloitte has already helped younger staff joining the firm with securing rental accommodation because of the struggles of finding somewhere affordable to live in the capital. But now it has said it may even need [...]
