UK construction output wasn’t as bad as expected last month September 9, 2016 The UK's construction sector has been in pretty dire straits in recent months – but it turns out in the month immediately following the Brexit vote, things began to look up. Figures from the Office for National Statistics suggested today that construction output stayed flat between June and July – against expectations of a 0.5 per cent [...]
A calendar of potential investment shocks on the horizon December 2, 2016 The vote for Brexit and the victory of Donald Trump in the US election have been seen by some as an anti-establishment backlash and a vote against the economic status quo. Like Brexit, the implications of Donald Trump’s presidency remain unclear. The market’s response to both events has been to fluctuate wildly. While investing [...]
A calendar of potential investment shocks on the horizon December 2, 2016 The vote for Brexit and the victory of Donald Trump in the US election have been seen by some as an anti-establishment backlash and a vote against the economic status quo. Like Brexit, the implications of Donald Trump’s presidency remain unclear. The market’s response to both events has been to fluctuate wildly. While investing for [...]
With diverging monetary policy and more political uncertainty, should investors expect 2017 to be the year that growth makes a comeback? January 3, 2017 This year is being heralded as a new dawn for markets. The economic malaise which has dogged developed economies since the financial crisis will finally subside; the battle against deflation has been won; fiscal stimulus is firmly on the agenda, and real growth will return. Such optimistic assessments may prove to be on the money. [...]
Millennials’ “live now, pay later” motto has made them clueless about saving and understanding interest rates September 7, 2016 Millennials may be a health-conscious bunch that are drinking less and even shunning bacon as part of their lifestyle choices, but they are absolutely clueless about one thing: money. The “Yolo” (you only live once) generation is getting by on a "live now, pay later" motto, according to new research. A quarter (26 per cent) of young Britons in the [...]
Here’s how the market reacted to the Bank of England’s interest rate cut August 4, 2016 Bank of England governor Mark Carney has gone above and beyond market expectations with a massive stimulus package and taken an axe to interest rates. The Bank’s monetary policy committed (MPC) voted unanimously to lower interest rates to 0.25 per cent and extended its quantitative easing programme that will add £170bn of cash into the economy, warning growth in the [...]
Taking stock: 12 charts showing the first three months of Brexit in the financial markets September 23, 2016 Three months ago today, the UK voted to leave the European Union. Against the judgement of most experts, our own Prime Minister, the President of the United States, think tanks and international institutions that were warning of economic calamity, the Brits decided to quit. The financial markets went into turmoil. The pound collapsed, the FTSE 100 [...]
Here’s how much the average house price increased in the year to May July 19, 2016 Average house prices in the UK increased by 8.1 per cent in the year to May 2016 – unchanged from the year to April. The average UK house price was £211,000 in May – £16,000 higher than in the same month last year, and £2,400 higher than in April, according to the Office for National Statistics [...]
London sees Britain’s largest house price drop over last four weeks August 15, 2016 London house prices were the worst performing in Britain as they fell by the largest amount over the last four weeks. The average asking price for the capital's houses dropped by 2.6 per cent compared to a national decrease of 1.2 per cent, the Rightmove house price index revealed. Westminster was the worst performing in London with prices flopping 14.5 per cent from [...]
Trump follies should make Britain count its Brexit blessings October 10, 2016 Investors can breathe a sigh of relief that the biggest Black Swan is treading water. Thanks to one lewd recording – dating back a decade – Donald J Trump’s race to the White House could be in serious jeopardy. The diminishing chances of a Trump presidency have put Europe back in the market’s crosshairs, as [...]