As with many global indices the UK FTSE has benefitted from the loose monetary policies of countries such as the USA and Japan in 2013. The trillions of yen and dollars, pumped into the higher levels of finance at the very top of the food chain by way of monetary easing/asset purchase schemes, caused many […]
In a relatively slow day for news events that could affect market sentiment European retail data for December has been published this morning. The print came in at 47.7, down from the 48 in November. The fall would had been steeper had Italy’s retail PMI not reached a 33 month high. WTI oil has once
As Friday develops we’re beginning to witness a sense of ‘normality’ returning to the markets after the Xmas holiday. Key relevant data is beginning to be published. Markit Economics published its PMI on Japan’s manufacturing sector indicating that the level had reached a 7.5 year high. New order and employment growth in the region grew
European markets are closed on Thursday for a bank holiday therefore volatility and trading activity in the markets will be ‘thin’. In the overnight session yen reached a six year low versus the greenback as investors speculate that the BOJ will continue to maintain its stimulus (of circa $66 billion per month) whilst the USA
In a relatively quiet overnight and early morning session for high impact news or policy decision making the bank of Japan published its rather bullish notes regarding the Japanese economy. It cited unemployment being low, exports rising and corporate profits increasing as reasons to be cheerful for 2014. This bullish statement helped propel the Nikkei
The Nikkei index breaches the critical 16,000 level for the first time since 2007 Read More »
The International Monetary Fund has improved its outlook for the USA economy in a sign that the world’s largest economy may have reached a turning point and is poised for stronger growth almost five years since the devastating recession. The IMF forecast in October that the U.S. economy would expand 2.6 percent in 2014 after
There’s been a raft of data published this morning relating to the UK government’s borrowing and the UK economic performance. The good news for the UK economy is that the UK’s GDP has now grown to 1.9%, due in the main part to the upward revisions of previous quarters adding 0.2% to the GDP figure.
UK GDP spikes to 1.9%, however negative balance of payments balloons Read More »
Whilst attention was focused on the Fed’s monetary easing taper last night, European finance ministers reached a crucial deal on banking union, ahead of their European summit today and tomorrow. Important breakthroughs were finally made in the early hours of this morning. EU ministers agreed a broad agreement for a banking union agency and a
All investor eyes will no doubt be focused on the FOMC meeting the afternoon and the impending decisions regarding base rates and the monetary easing programme. However, in the meantime, there are several news events that have been published overnight and in the morning trading session that will be of interest to investors and traders
UK inflation has fallen by a modest 0.1% according to the latest figures published this morning by the UK’s official data agency, the ONS. The figure came in at 2.1%, versus expectations of 2.2%. However, with real wages in the UK only rising by 0.8% over the past year the cost of living gap continues
