Oil bulls at risk of being complacent July 17, 2018 Crude oil prices have continued to struggle today with Brent prices trading near three month lows. Recent weakness in commodity prices appears to be starting to act as a bit of a drag on equity markets more broadly, with the current weakness in Brent crude oil suggesting contrary to some indications that we may well [...]
Tit for tat trade response risks 1930s mistake July 4, 2018 “Trade wars are good and easy to win”, so says US President Trump who last weekend railed against the EU for being as “bad as China” when it comes to trade practices that he perceives as being disadvantageous to US jobs and business. Over the past few weeks the rhetoric over global trade has been [...]
Are US oil prices set for a test of $76? June 27, 2018 For someone who has claimed to be unhappy about rising oil prices the Trump administration sure has a funny way of showing it, or taking steps to achieve it. Having implemented a raft of tax cuts at the beginning of the year to put more money in consumers’ pockets the White House administration’s action since [...]
Bank of England surprises with a hawkish hold June 21, 2018 When the Bank of England held rates at its May meeting it was merely reaffirming what governor Mark Carney had warned the markets about only a few weeks previously at the IMF meetings in Washington. Up until those comments by the Bank of England governor a rate rise was more or less a done deal [...]
Why Opec matters June 20, 2018 Whether we like it or not oil prices matter, as they affect everything connected with a modern economy, from movement of goods and services, to the amount of disposable incomes for ordinary consumers. That is why this week’s Opec meeting is important in the context of future direction for oil prices, which have risen over [...]
CYBG agrees deal with Virgin Money June 18, 2018 This morning CYBG confirmed that it had reached a £1.7bn deal with Virgin Money to create a new challenger bank to the big four of HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds and RBS. While some have suggested that the terms of the deal aren’t exactly generous I think the deal is less about the terms than whether it's [...]
RBS in focus as UK government offloads 7.7 per cent share stake June 5, 2018 When Chancellor Philip Hammond outlined plans in his Autumn Budget to sell off the government’s stake in RBS over the next few years there were the predictable raised eyebrows of those who questioned the logic of selling off the remaining 70 per cent stake of the bailed out bank at a loss to the taxpayer. [...]
UK economy looks more positive for the second quarter May 31, 2018 Last week European markets posted their first weekly loss since March, breaking a run of eight consecutive weekly gains, raising the prospect that we could be on the cusp of a period of consolidation after a run that has seen the FTSE100 run up from lows of 6,840 in March to a new record high [...]
