George Osborne and the government share some of the blame for post-Brexit uncertainty July 5, 2016 "Businesses and markets hate uncertainty”. How many times have we heard that recently? In the aftermath of the referendum result, when the value of the pound fell and the FTSE 100 and 250 indices contracted, “uncertainty” was the buzzword. This suggests that the market reaction was a manifestation of investors asking the question: “what is [...]
Ding Dong! Hostess to IPO under a new owner July 5, 2016 The US maker of cream-filled cakes Twinkies is set to be sold to private equity firm Gores Group, who will then take it public. The $725m (£555m) deal for Hostess Brands will leave current owners Apollo Global Management and consumer industry investor C Dean Metropoulos as major share holders in Gores. Hostess generated sales of about [...]
As Mark Carney warns of a “material slowing in the economy”, can Britain avoid a recession? July 5, 2016 Simon French, chief economist at Panmure Gordon, says Yes. Avoiding a recession is now the number one challenge facing our economic policy-makers. Despite a base rate at 0.5 per cent and public sector deficit still in excess of 4 per cent of GDP, the Bank and the Treasury still possess a well-resourced policy arsenal. Nimble use [...]
Canada is the world’s best-performing investment market this year July 5, 2016 Canada has been the best-performing stock market in the world this year, defying the knock-on effects of Brexit carnage to give investors double-digit returns. The MSCI Canada index has risen 15.5 per cent year to date in US dollar terms compared to just 1.6 per cent from the MSCI All Countries World index. Many global stock [...]
Sterling sinks below $1.30 for the first time in over three decades July 5, 2016 Sterling has been knocked back today, tumbling against the dollar and the euro as the ramifications of the Brexit vote continue to filter through. The pound was off by two per cent against the dollar, falling to exactly $1.2997 shortly after the London market close. It bounced after falling under the psychological barrier, climbing back to dizzy highs [...]
At the close: Sterling and stocks break apart July 5, 2016 In yet more proof the stock markets and the UK economy don't always move in lock-step, the FTSE 100 jumped today, while the pound slumped, and signs of a post-referendum slowdown grew. The index of the UK's top 100 companies started the day down as it looked like the post-referendum bounce was drawing to a [...]
Aviva and M&G become the latest property funds to suspend trading as investors flee the Brexit-battered industry July 5, 2016 Two more property funds have suspended trading today as investors pull their money out of UK commercial property. M&G announced this afternoon that it was temporarily suspending trading in the shares of the M&G Property Portfolio. And earlier today Aviva suspended trading in its property fund, just after the Bank of England said this morning that it was [...]
Banks agree to dish out Carney’s £150bn loan windfall July 5, 2016 The UK's biggest lenders have agreed to dish out up to £150bn in extra loans to households and businesses after George Osborne and Mark Carney heaped pressure on them to prop up the economy after the EU referendum. This morning, Carney announced a cut to major UK banks' capital requirements which will reduce the amount of capital [...]
iPhone builder plans float for cloud unit that could raise $1bn as demand for data transfer products soars July 5, 2016 The builder of Apple's iPhone has filed to float its cable and connector unit in Hong Kong in a deal that's thought could raise as much as $1bn (£765m). Taiwanese firm Hon Hai Precision Industry – known as Foxconn Technology Group – assembles most of Apple's iPhones and many of the other smartphones in use around the world. The planned initial public offering [...]
Carney for PM? Bank of England governor praised for Brexit response July 5, 2016 With political crisis engulfing Westminster in the wake of the EU referendum, businesses have increasingly had to rely on other sources of authority to fill the void. David Cameron has been conspicuously absent from the big stage since he resigned in the hours after the vote, while the Conservative leadership race has hijacked much of the decision [...]
