TfL updates Tube map to include Crossrail stations for the first time December 5, 2019 Transport for London (TfL) has released a new Tube map for December that features several new Crossrail stations all the way out to Reading. The new map is the first to feature a section of the Elizabeth Line, which goes to Reading through Maidenhead, Slough, Langley, Burnham and Twyford. Crossrail – called TfL Rail on [...]
Pound hits 31-month high against euro ahead of General Election December 5, 2019 The pound hit a 31-month high against the euro this morning as the Conservatives edged closer to victory in the 12 December General Election. The latest poll, from Savanta Com Res last night, put the Tories ten points ahead of Labour, boosting traders hopes’ that a Boris Johnson-led government would leave the European Union with [...]
Global growth to pick up next year despite US and China slowdowns, says report December 4, 2019 Global economic growth is set to pick up in 2020 despite the world’s two biggest economies slowing, according to asset manager Investec. The world economy will expand 3.3 per cent in 2020, Investec said, picking up from a post-crisis low of 2.9 per cent growth this year. Read more: FTSE 100 slumps as Trump suggests [...]
‘Clearance to take off’: Tory majority to propel UK economy, report says December 4, 2019 A convincing Tory majority at the upcoming election will send the pound surging to a three-year high and put rocket boosters under the UK economy, according to asset manager Toscafund. In a new poll shared exclusively with City A.M., Toscafund predicted Boris Johnson’s Conservatives will win a majority of about 30 in the 12 December [...]
GBP/USD: Sterling hits seven-month high as traders hope for Tory election victory December 4, 2019 The pound climbed to a seven-month high today as traders grew hopeful that the Conservatives would gain a majority at the upcoming General Election, bringing some certainty to the Brexit process. Sterling topped $1.306 this morning before falling back slightly. The GBP/USD exchange rate was 0.4 per cent higher by 10.15am at $1.304, a level [...]
UK economy sent ‘staggering’ as services sector shrinks ahead of election December 4, 2019 The UK services sector contracted last month at the fastest pace since March, survey data has shown, as domestic political uncertainty drove Brits to be cautious with their spending. The IHS Markit/Cips services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 49.3 in November, down from a score of 50 in October. Although the reading was above [...]
John McDonnell: A Labour government would save families thousands December 3, 2019 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell will tomorrow tell families that a Labour government could save them thousands of pounds a year as he seeks to shrug off criticism of his spending plans. In a speech in Birmingham ahead of the 12 December polling day, McDonnell will attack the Tories for overseeing a “cost of living crisis” [...]
IFS questions Labour’s nationalisation plan for utilities December 3, 2019 The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has questioned Labour’s plans to renationalise swaths of the economy, suggesting that the party’s aims could be achieved by changing regulations instead. The economic think tank also said the up-front costs of nationalisation were much less relevant than how well the assets would be managed by the public sector. [...]
FTSE 100 slumps as Donald Trump says China deal could wait until end of 2020 December 3, 2019 The FTSE 100 plunged this afternoon along with global stock markets after US President Donald Trump suggested he could wait until after the 2020 presidential election to strike a trade deal with China. Trump’s comments shook investors whose nerves had already been frayed by the President’s decision to slap tariffs on Brazil and Argentina yesterday [...]
UK construction sector shrinks again amid election uncertainty December 3, 2019 The UK construction sector contracted for the seventh month running in November as new work fell sharply amid yet more political uncertainty, survey data has shown. The poor performance of the sector led firms to lay off workers for the eighth month in a row, in the latest sign that Britain’s jobs boom is slowing. [...]