Eurozone inflation unexpectedly steady in August but core prices fall giving ECB new headache August 31, 2023 Eurozone inflation held steady this month but underlying price growth fell as expected, a mixed picture that complicates life for the European Central Bank as it weighs the merits of a pause in rate hikes. Overall inflation in the 20 countries sharing the euro was unchanged at 5.3 per cent in August, defying expectations for [...]
FTSE 100 Close: London finishes in red on fears of stubborn inflation August 31, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 was subdued today on fears of stubborn inflation keeping investors quiet, finishing in the red after being on one of its longest winning streaks in months. The capital’s premier blue-chip index finished 7,452.87, 0.28 per cent down, after spending all day in the green. By 2.30 it was at 7,488.29, about 0.2 [...]
Are central banks to blame for the inflation crisis? August 1, 2023 As we enter what looks like the final leg of central banks’ interest rate rising journeys, it’s as good a time as ever to trace why they have been jolted into action after over a decade of ultra loose policy and whether their response to the inflation crisis has been effective. Coming out of the [...]
Eurozone economy pulls away from recession as inflation slips again to 5.3 per cent July 31, 2023 The European economy is outperforming expectations and pulling away from recession as inflation continues to descend, official data out today shows. Growth across the 20 countries that use the euro hit 0.3 per cent in the three months to June, according to the bloc’s statistics agency Eurostat. That topped analysts’ expectations of a 0.2 per [...]
Eurozone edges nearer to recession while UK economy ‘stalls’ July 24, 2023 The European economy has edged closer to recession, while the UK is on the brink of slipping into negative growth, closely watched surveys out today reveal. A snapshot of the eurozone’s respective economies showed high inflation and the European Central Bank’s (ECB) efforts to tame it with interest rate rises is cooling activity. Hamburg Commercial [...]
Federal Reserve and European Central Bank may back final rate rises this week, experts bet July 24, 2023 US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank officials could launch their final interest rate rises this week as inflation ebbs in their respective economic blocs, experts are betting. Members of the federal open market committee (FOMC) are on Wednesday tipped to raise borrowing costs 25 basis points to a range of 5.25 per cent and [...]
European Central Bank hikes rates 25 basis points to 2001 and hints at more to come June 15, 2023 The European Central Bank (ECB) today signed off what many thought would be its final interest rate rise, but lingering concerns about high inflation may lure the monetary authority into further increases, experts have bet. The monetary authority of the 20 countries using the euro sent borrowing costs up 25 basis points to 3.5 per [...]
Pound records strong week as London markets expects Bank to hike rates further June 2, 2023 The pound has recorded its strongest week against the dollar in half a year as investors expect the Bank of England to keep hiking rates after the Fed has paused. Across the week, the pound gained more than 1.5 per cent against the dollar to trade at over $1.2530 on Friday afternoon. The pound performed [...]
Euro inflation slumps faster than expected to 6.1 per cent leaving UK further afield June 1, 2023 Inflation in Europe is falling much faster than expected, further marking Britain out as suffering the toughest price pressures in the developed world. The rate of price increases in the 20 countries using the euro dropped to 6.1 per cent last month, down from seven per cent in the previous month, according to eurostat. That [...]
UK isn’t alone in this recession merry-go-round – just look at Europe May 16, 2023 It’s worth remembering that Britain isn’t some sort of pariah in the rich world that’s undergoing a tough economic slump, which is threatening to extend the growth slow down since the 2008 financial crisis. Europe’s major economies, led by Germany, its powerhouse, are also in the teeth of a slump. Numbers out last week revealed [...]