Can an overseas role help your career prospects? February 26, 2020 Even a short posting abroad can have significant, long-term career benefits. It’s never been easier for people all over the world to communicate; international teams can be connected by email, intranet, phone and even video calls. However, there is still no real replacement for face-to-face interaction. Companies post staff overseas for a number of reasons; [...]
Australian Dollar to GBP – Could this be one to watch? January 24, 2020 Singapore Dollar Fears of the coronavirus which has been spreading from China have affected global market sentiment. This week in Singapore December consumer price inflation results beat expectations; with food, transport, communication, and education costs the highlights. Beating November’s 0.6 per cent and the prediction of 0.7 per cent, December’s 0.8 per cent result is in line with the Monetary Authority of Singapore [...]
‘Markets got what they really did not want’: The City reacts to knife-edge US election November 4, 2020 Investors didn’t want this to happen. They had bet on a Joe Biden win in the US presidential election that they hoped would unleash a big stimulus, but found themselves rapidly adjusting their positions as the race became too close to call. Bonds and the dollar rose as investors sought safety. US stocks were volatile, [...]
November 2020 a month full of takeaways November 23, 2020 It’s now over a week since Joe Biden was declared the winner of the US 2020 elections. The uncertainty leading up to 3rd November was palpable and pervasive and placed a ceiling on significant capital gains. However, the week of the election was superb for risk markets, even as votes were counted. The S&P 500 [...]
Why are UK mid caps in such an M&A sweetspot right now? February 22, 2021 It would be difficult to miss the fact that UK mid cap companies are attracting a renewed level of bid interest at present. So much so that, every morning, when I log in to my virtual workplace, I am mentally preparing myself to see a new headline about the next one to be bid for. [...]
The C-word March 6, 2020 And we aren’t just talking about coronavirus There are a number of ways coronavirus has affected economies, shares, production and of course currency markets. From currencies experiencing decreased demand to Asian currencies bearing the brunt of the market’s aversion to risk, the foreign exchange market began to show clear signs of being impacted by the [...]
E-naira: Digitising Nigeria, improving lives, and advancing national infrastructure August 25, 2021 Nigeria is more amazing than the world realises, and the nation deserves far more attention, says Alex Lightman.
This week: Why the Pound shone over the Euro January 24, 2020 After a poor end to last week, the pound responded with a dominant performance this week, gaining an average of 0.8 per cent against the other major currencies. Indeed, it was only the Japanese yen that it lost out to (dropping 0.2 per cent). Such a performance has helped the pound climb to the top [...]
What happened to the pound, euro and US dollar in 2019? January 20, 2020 It has been a year of ups and downs for sterling, largely dominated by political and geopolitical factors. Investors’ concern over the outcome of Brexit largely overshadowed other factors. Despite celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2019, it wasn’t a banner year for the euro. Over the last 20 years, the euro has strengthened by 27 [...]
Brexit boost: Natwest pledges an extra £2bn to help businesses through EU divorce October 23, 2018 Natwest has tripled its funding to prepare British business for Brexit. The bank has set aside an extra £2bn to support companies which rely on EU exports, labour or foreign exchange rates. Read more: Philips warns no-deal Brexit will hit British manufacturing The bank says it beleives nearly 2,000 of its customers could benefit from [...]