The EU is set to suffer in the Czech Republic election January 12, 2018 | City Talk This year could be a tough test for the European Union (EU). Not only does it have Brexit looming over the horizon and a stubborn unemployment, but it also faces yet more potentially destabilising elections. Much has been written on the Italian parliamentary vote in March for its potential consequences for the Euro, but the [...]
The beauty parade for the next Bank of England Governor has begun January 11, 2018 | City Talk Not that long ago this column mentioned the fact that speculation over who would succeed Mark Carney as Governor of the Bank of England would begin in earnest this year. Just a few short weeks later and it has already begun. On Tuesday Reuters speculated as to who the possible successors to Mr Carney might [...]
Europe’s economic recovery isn’t complete yet and Brexit is distracting Brussels January 10, 2018 | City Talk On Tuesday, official figures showed unemployment across the Eurozone edged lower in November. The jobless rate among the nations that make up the single currency bloc fell to 8.7% of the working population overall, down from 8.8% in October. While this isn’t in itself that impressive a decline, the year-on-year fall in unemployment tells a [...]
Revealed: The seven best-value stocks to watch in 2018, according to Canaccord Genuity January 9, 2018 Despite a rocky 2017 which saw a number of lawsuits come to a head, Lloyds Banking Group has been named one of the most promising stocks to watch this year by Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management. Based on the value of the stocks at the moment and their potential to generate strong returns over the next [...]
The global economy looks strong but confidence in Britain is weak and getting weaker January 9, 2018 | City Talk Optimism among British manufacturers about the state of the global economy is at a four-year high. So says a survey from the manufacturers' organisation EEF. It found 40% of factories are planning for growth this year compared with 19% who are forecasting a decline. Sales are expected to grow at home, according to 62% of [...]
Wall Street soars ever higher, but is the Dow approaching its Icarus moment? January 8, 2018 | City Talk How high can the Dow Jones go? 26,000? Or 30,000 as President Donald Trump has suggested? Why not even further? In the current heady climate it’s easy to get carried away, especially given that President Trump’s tax reforms are still to take effect. So what is driving Wall Street’s extended bull run? Behind its “Goldilocks [...]
Is the end of QE in sight? Why what the markets want may not be what they get January 5, 2018 | City Talk After years of loose monetary policy, the money presses in several of the world’s biggest markets are finally winding down – if not yet falling silent. In the US, the era of easy money is already over. But with a huge $4.5 trillion of assets to return to global stock markets, it has always been [...]
London’s tech scene pulls in record £2.5bn in 2017 venture capital bonanza January 5, 2018 London’s tech venture capital investment reached another all-time high in 2017 as firms raked in four times more cash than Paris, the nearest European rival. Venture capital investment into the UK’s tech sector reached an all-time high of £2.99bn, almost double the total invested in 2016, according to figures compiled by data firm Pitchbook for [...]
Too big to list? Why the international scramble for the Aramco IPO might prove a wild goose chase January 4, 2018 | City Talk Last week, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced a delay to its proposed introduction of a new listing category for the London Stock Exchange. The proposal – which has already endured a six-month consultation – is widely seen as an attempt by the regulator to bend its own rules on stock market flotations… in ways [...]
Jeremy Grantham, who predicted the last two bubbles, warns the stock market is ready for a “melt-up” January 4, 2018 Jeremy Grantham, the founder of asset management firm GMO who is credited with predicting the housing bubble of 2007 and the dot-com bubble of 2000, has warned the stock market is likely heading for an imminent "melt-up". This sudden dramatic improvement in the performance of equities, driven by investors who don't want to miss out [...]
