Against a backdrop of prolonged uncertainty over Brexit, the UK economy still expanded in Q1 by 0.5% as nearly all major sectors added to national GDP growth. UK GDP grew by 2% year-on-year despite the distractions. Business investment has fallen…
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There are concerns about the growth prospect for the Eurozone as the region delivered a disappointing performance in 2018. The Eurozone ended the year with a GDP growth rate of 1.8% the lowest for 4 years. This was driven by…
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There are concerns that if Europe falls into a recessionary phase, the European Central Bank (ECB) may not have the firepower to support the economy to the extent it may need to. The ECB shut down its QE bond purchasing…
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While we in the UK have been obsessing with Brexit, the real concern in Europe goes virtually unreported. The EU has a problem with Italy. Last year there was a standoff between Brussels and Rome over the Italian government’s plans…
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World markets were uplifted when China officially posted year-on-year growth of 6.4% for Q1 ahead of the expected 6.3%. In March, China saw an 8.5% increase in industrial production and an 8.7% rise in retail sales. This indicates that the…
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The world’s two largest economies have imposed tariffs on US$ billions worth of one another exported goods over the past year. The US is accusing China of stealing intellectual property from American firms, limiting access to Chinese markets for US…
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There have been two major factors aiding emerging markets in recent months. The Chinese stimulus package which has spilled out into greater Asia and that US interest rates have hit a high, stabilising the value of the US$. These factors…
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Japan is another country to have its growth forecast for 2019 downgraded in recent months.The Japanese economy is now expected to grow by 0.9% this year despite the Bank of Japan (BoJ) on-going fiscal and monetary stimulus programme. Japan’s public…
Read more...Equity markets recovered sharply in the first five months of 2019 leading to the S&P 500 index hitting a new all-time high in early May. This rebound is attributed to the heavy sell off in Q4 and the Fed ending…
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