A rising dollar is positive for US small capitalisation shares May 21, 2018 The dollar has started to rise following a period of weakness. This is positive for dollar dividend payers and US smaller companies. Movements in the dollar can have a significant impact on your investments. This is especially true for investors based in the UK, as many of Britain’s largest companies are significant foreign currency earners [...]
Stocks care about policy, not personalities August 6, 2018 Chaos in the Trump White House! First, Gary Cohn resigned as Director of the National Economic Council. A couple days later, President Trump fired Foreign Minister Rex Tillerson. Then we saw Scott Pruitt also step down. Some claimed these losses would cause markets to lose confidence in the administration. Hogwash! These are examples of some [...]
US-China trade war: Markets feel the strain as new tariffs take hold August 23, 2018 Fresh tariffs were accompanied by a war of words between Washington and Beijing today as the superpowers' trade war threatened to escalate. Previously announced tariffs of 25 per cent applying to $16bn (£12.5bn) worth of Chinese goods came into force today, met with equivalent retaliatory measures. China has introduced duties on 333 American products, including coal, steel products [...]
The battle for London’s business: Behind the scenes, European cities are on a charm offensive to attract City jobs October 24, 2018 Behind the scenes, European cities are on a charm offensive to attract City jobs, finds Jasper Jolly WITH Brexit negotiations reaching fever pitch, all eyes are fixed on the politicians wrangling over the UK’s new place in the world. But behind the scenes another battle is going on, with well-funded campaigns vying to attract business [...]
In the shadow of the Lehman Brothers collapse: A decade of change in the City of London September 14, 2018 The collapse of Lehman Brothers remains shorthand for the start of the global financial crisis and a period when the foundations of capitalism shook. A decade on the Western financial system is still struggling to move out of the shadow of the events of 15 September 2008. Political events around the world today are still [...]
In the shadow of the Lehman Brothers collapse: A decade of change in the City of London September 14, 2018 The collapse of Lehman Brothers remains shorthand for the start of the global financial crisis and a period when the foundations of capitalism shook. A decade on the Western financial system is still struggling to move out of the shadow of the events of 15 September 2008. Political events around the world today are still [...]
It’s been almost two years since the Brexit vote – where now for the pound? June 20, 2018 It's been an eventful two years to say the least. As our negotiators go to great lengths to untangle Britain from the European Union, no asset reflects this tumultuous journey more than sterling. In the fortnight after the June 2016 referendum, the pound plunged to $1.28 from $1.49. With most speculators pricing in a [...]
Lehman Brothers 10 years on September 4, 2018 It’s hard to believe that it’s almost ten years since financial markets globally underwent a cardiac arrest that brought the world economy to its knees. Financial markets had already been on a slow downward slope in the lead up to events in September 2008, over concerns about the stability of the global financial system that [...]
GBPUSD: Sterling reaches new post-Brexit-vote high against US dollar as traders wait for key wages data April 17, 2018 The pound rose to another post-Brexit-vote high this morning against the dollar as US President Donald Trump talked down the greenback and traders anticipated wage data to confirm a course for a rate hike next month. Sterling traded at highs of 1.4373 this morning, its highest point since 23 June 2016 when the vote to [...]
Recently disclosed UBS emails shed new light on alleged ‘ringmaster’ of Libor scandal Tom Hayes May 14, 2018 Recently disclosed emails between two senior employees at UBS shed new light on the character of Tom Hayes, the convicted former Libor trader who was accused of being the “ringmaster” in the interest rate fixing scandal that rocked the banking industry. A 2008 email exchange between two unidentified employees at the bank describe Hayes, who [...]