One analyst thinks sterling could reach parity against US dollar July 7, 2016 Sterling could be on course to reach its lowest ever level against the dollar if the country does not sort out the political crisis and secure a good deal with Europe, a leading economist has warned. The chief economic adviser to insurance giant Allianz, Mohamed El-Erian, said the pound is "facing a double whammy" of [...]
Over 65s face less inflation than millennials due to the supermarket price war July 19, 2016 The over 65s have the lowest real inflation rate of any age group because of the supermarket price war, according to research from Fidelity International. The report from Fidelity shows the over 65s experience an inflation rate of 0.3 per cent, while millennials (under 30s) face an inflation rate of 0.9 per cent – the highest of any [...]
Four of the best bank accounts: Get paid £100 just to change your current account June 8, 2016 Banks are offering customers free cash for switching their current accounts. The UK’s big four – Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and RBS – have been shaken up by the arrival of newcomers, from online-only “challenger” banks to European giants. Banks are working harder to draw customers, with several offering between £100-£200 to newcomers. “It appears free-in-credit accounts [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: How did financial markets react to the first debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump? September 27, 2016 Financial markets have decided Democrat Hillary Clinton came out on top in the first US presidential debate last night, as stock markets rallied and key currencies soared. In a pattern which should sound familiar to UK market-watchers over the last few months, markets have started to move back-and-forth in response to developments on the campaign trail. [...]
HSBC chief executive Stuart Gulliver says China’s economy is unlikely to suffer a “hard landing” despite slowdown fears October 16, 2015 HSBC chief executive Stuart Gulliver has said China is unlikely to have a "hard landing", despite mounting concern over the strength of its economy. "The fears for China's economy are overplayed. I do not believe China will have a hard landing," Gulliver said in a speech today. "The last few months have obviously been difficult… (But) the [...]
Game Digital expects revenues to be down but earnings on track with expectations August 3, 2016 Retailer Game Digital was unable to claw back the ground lost in the first half of the year according to a pre-close annual trading announcement released today. The update revealed that revenues are expected to be £815m for the 12 months to July 2016, down from £867m in the previous year. And while Gross Transactional [...]
Week ahead: Banks take centre stage for results and interest rates August 1, 2016 The Bank of England is widely expected to cut interest rates for the first time in seven years this week as it assesses the fallout from the UK’s vote to quit the European Union. The Bank held fire in July in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote, catching some analysts off guard. Policy committee members [...]
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 [...]
CMA banking review pushes up banks’ share prices August 9, 2016 Shares in the UK's largest lenders rose this morning, after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its "shake up" of the UK's banking sector. Shares in Barclays were up two per cent at 160.6p in lunchtime trading, while RBS rose 1.9 per cent to 188.2p. Meanwhile, Lloyds and HSBC both edged up 0.5 per cent, to [...]
City Moves for 30 March 2016 | Who’s switching jobs March 30, 2016 RateSetter Marketplace lender RateSetter has made two senior appointments in credit and risk. Jim Gunner has joined the board as a non-executive director and chair of the risk committee. Nigel Wilkinson has joined as head of commercial credit. Both executives are ex-HSBC. Jim has spent his career in banking, most of it specialising in risk [...]