Trump versus Hillary: How to make money whoever wins the US presidency November 8, 2016 This presidential campaign has been nothing if not unpredictable. Less than a fortnight ago, a victory for Hillary Clinton looked all but certain. Then it emerged that the FBI was investigating a new set of emails connected with her private server. Now, she has been cleared, but Donald Trump is arguing that her latest exoneration [...]
As inflation rises, central banks have their eyes on economic growth, not prices: Here’s what’s causing the bond sell-off November 1, 2016 Inflation is back, it would seem. After years of deflation and disinflation, recent data shows that price levels have been rising in the US, the UK and in the Eurozone. After a peak in bond prices in July, holders of debt are now concerned that the yield on long-dated securities could be eroded over the coming [...]
Audi and VW have set aside another €1bn between them to pay for the diesel emissions scandal October 27, 2016 Audi and Volkswagen have set aside another €1bn (£893m) between them to address the diesel emissions scandal which which has beset the pair since September last year. Ahead of results from the Volkswagen Group today, Audi, which is owned by VW, said it expected additional financial burdens of €620m in the third quarter. That's partly [...]
Leading the charge: How to invest in the nascent, but lucrative, electric power storage sector October 27, 2016 One word captures the holy grail for the energy industry: storage. A Carbon Trust report from March found that better energy storage could save £2.4bn a year by 2030 in the UK. If certain regulatory hurdles are overcome, this could rise to £7bn a year. New developments and innovations are coming to market all the [...]
America is embracing the opportunities of AI while the rest of the world frets October 25, 2016 The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to generate concerns. The latest furore emerged at the start of this week. Researchers in the top ranked University College London computer science department claimed that an AI algorithm correctly predicts the outcome of 79 per cent of cases heard at the European Court of Human Rights. The current fear [...]
Saudi Arabia’s bonds have broken the record for an emerging market issue, but are they good value? October 25, 2016 With three huge sovereign bond debuts, this has been a bumper year for emerging market government debt issues. First came Argentina, with a record-breaking $16.5bn (£13.5bn) sale in April, followed the next month by a $9bn issue from Qatar – double the amount it had originally planned for. Both were overawed last week, however, when [...]
Investors suddenly think that we’ve seen the worst of the oil price slump October 19, 2016 Oil speculators and a few major investment banks have suddenly turned bullish on crude prices, betting that the rally above $50 per barrel has more room to run. "Global oil inventories (industry and government) increased by 17 million barrels to 5.618 billion barrels in 3Q16. This is the smallest build since 4Q14, confirming that inventory [...]
Utilitywise share price buzzes on double-digit turnover and 97 per cent cut to net debt October 18, 2016 Shares in utility cost management consultancy Utilitywise rose this morning after the company posted double-digit revenue growth and announced the appointment of a new chief financial officer. The figures Revenue at the group rose 22 per cent to £84.4m in the year to 31 July, up from £69.1m in 2015. Profit before tax grew by seven per [...]
Government’s Brexit dance is maiming the pound October 18, 2016 Inflation is coming to eat the pound in your pocket. Today, data for September is expected to show that prices in the UK rose by an annual 0.9 per cent rate, up from 0.6 per cent in August, driven by energy and food prices. However, the full impact of the recent plunge in sterling will [...]
The new centre ground: The full text of Theresa May’s Conservative Party conference speech October 5, 2016 In the speech which closed the Conservative Party conference, Theresa May spoke of a country in transition, and new opportunities. The full 7,600 words is below – although if you'd rather a cut-down version, her best quotes are here – or you can read how businesses reacted. The new centre ground: May's speech in full When [...]