London Metals Exchange eyes China expansion with new warehouse plans May 7, 2019 The London Metal Exchange (LME) is in talks with the government of Guangdong province in southern China to expand its warehousing operations into the country, its parent company said today. Read more: London miner Central Asia Metals looks for acquisitions in copper space The plan would see the Hong Kong stock exchange (HKEX), which owns [...]
Five reasons why global cities are the ultimate investment super-trend October 3, 2019 Cities are becoming more important than countries, with their success determined by innovation, efficiency and the clustering of industries. What does this mean for investors? The global economic focus is shifting from countries to cities. Cities are efficient and the economic output that can be derived from cities is much greater than from countries. Cities [...]
Is this market losing its marbles? July 4, 2019 The chart that caught the eye of the Schroders Multi-Asset Investment team this month shows that the relationship between the ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) and the S&P 500 index has broken down. The PMI is based on a survey of purchasing managers from more than 300 manufacturing firms. It is a widely followed [...]
What happens to high yield bonds in times of market stress? November 6, 2019 The current macroeconomic backdrop is creating challenges for investors. Global growth is slower and inflation is benign. Meanwhile, central banks appear to be returning to more accommodative policies and geopolitical tensions have increased. Downturns in the business cycle, often caused by adverse economic conditions, can lead to a number of trends that are negative for [...]
The death of yields in six charts October 30, 2019 There has been a relentless downward move in global bond yields since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. This trend – underpinned by highly supportive central bank policies and stubbornly low inflation – has been a defining characteristic of the post-crisis world. Another defining trait of this period, and a landmark for financial markets, has been [...]
Vodafone commits to using Huawei equipment in its 5G network May 14, 2019 Vodafone will use Huawei equipment in non-core parts of its 5G infrastructure when it launches the high-speed network in July. A spokesperson for Vodafone confirmed the telecoms company will go ahead with plans to use Huawei technology in non-core parts of the network such as radio antennas, but said the Chinese firm would not participate [...]
Nicky Morgan calls for investigation into possible regulatory failings in collapse of lender London Capital & Finance March 19, 2019 The chair of the Treasury Committee Nicky Morgan MP has called for an investigation into whether there were regulatory failings surrounding the collapse of lender London Capital & Finance (LC&F) which went into administration in December. Morgan has written to the board of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ask it to consider whether the [...]
Major companies could be exempt from joint audit rules in competition watchdog report April 14, 2019 The UK’s competition watchdog reportedly could exclude some major companies from a new rule that would require many business to appoint joint auditors. Sky News reported that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is set to publish its long awaited report into the audit sector this week. According to the report, the CMA has been [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan ramps up affordable housing starts in race to meet yearly target | City A.M. February 15, 2018 Sadiq Khan has ramped up the number of affordable housing starts in London over the past month as he races to meet his yearly target of 12,500 starts. In the year to the end of January, the Greater London Authority recorded 4,125 housing starts across all of its affordable housing programmes, up 86 per cent [...]
There’s a first time for everything… including marrying your friends June 21, 2019 Over the years I’ve ticked off most of the public speaking formats. I’ve enjoyed after dinner speeches, panel discussions, debates and events of all sizes. Last week, I ticked off another category of performance by conducting my friends’ wedding. The only other time I’d been as surprised at a suggestion was when the proprietors of [...]