Search Results for: Economic Outlook
Bank of England maintains Bank Rate at 0.5% and the size of the Asset Purchase Programme at £375 billion
December 10th, 2015
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets monetary policy in order to meet the 2% inflation target and in a way that helps to sustain growth and employment. At its meeting ending on 9 December 2015, the MPC ...
HBOS and KPMG tensions exposed by report
November 24th, 2015
TENSIONS between HBOS’s senior management and the bank’s auditor KPMG have been exposed in the long-awaited bumper report into the financial institution’s epic failure. The 500-page tome, which took over three years and £7m to compile, reveals that the ...
US Stock Market Regained The Lead In Last Week’s Rally
October 26th, 2015
US stocks reclaimed the top spot in last week’s performance race for the major assets classes, based on a set of proxy ETFs. The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) gained 1.7% for the five trading days through Oct. ...
Oil Market Showdown: Can Russia Outlast The Saudis?
October 19th, 2015
“Two men enter, one man leaves, two men enter, one man leaves, two men enter…” Oil consuming countries will celebrate the first anniversary of the Saudi decision to let market forces determine prices. This decision set crude prices on ...
Asian shares rise to two-month highs, dollar gains on U.S. data
October 16th, 2015
Asian shares hit a two-month high on Friday, catching some of Wall Street’s shine after upbeat U.S. price and jobless claims data calmed some concerns about the strength of the U.S. economy. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside ...
Asian shares extend losses after China prices cool
October 14th, 2015
Asian shares tottered on Wednesday, extending losses after consumer inflation in China eased more than expected and heightened concerns about deflationary pressures in the world’s second-largest economy. China’s consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.6 percent in September from a ...
Asia stocks shine as Fed minutes hint at patience on hike
October 9th, 2015
Asian shares rose on Friday, taking their cue from a jump in oil prices and Wall Street gains after minutes of the Federal Reserve‘s latest meeting damped down expectations of an imminent Fed rate hike. The Fed minutes revealed ...
IMF: Uncertainty, Complex Forces Weigh on Global Growth
October 7th, 2015
Global growth moderate and uneven, forecast at 3.1 percent this year, 3.6 percent in 2016 Disparate fortunes between the advanced and emerging market and developing economies Lower commodity prices weigh on commodity exporters The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) foresees ...
NIRP, its likelihood and effect on commodities
October 5th, 2015
In last week’s article I pointed out that negative interest rates should lead to a general shift in consumer preferences from money towards essential goods. Central bankers may wish for this outcome on a controlled basis to allow them ...
From ZIRP to NIRP
September 25th, 2015
The sudden end of the Fed’s ambition to raise interest rates above the zero bound, coupled with the FOMC’s minutes, which expressed concerns about emerging market economies, has got financial scribblers writing about negative interest rate policies (NIRP). Coincidentally, ...