20th December 2019
Andrew Bailey announced as new Bank of England Governor
Andrew Bailey, formerly head of the Financial Conduct Authority, has been selected to take over from Mark Carney as the next Bank of England Governor. Bailey has previously held the position of deputy governor at the BoE for 30 years before his move to the FCA. Given his extensive work within the UK’s financial circles this appointment is seen as a positive move to by the UK government to insert a highly qualified domestic candidate into the role.
13th December 2019
Conservatives secure convincing election majority
The UK electorate voted with their feet yesterday to give Prime Minster Johnson’s government a majority in the Houses of Parliament not seen since the days of Margret Thatcher. The Conservatives secured 363 seats comprising of 43.6% of the total vote and a massive 49 seat increase from their previous position. Labour on the other hand, suffered one of the worst defeats since the war with just 202 seats secured which represents a loss of 60 seats. Labour’s performance has prompted many in the country and within the Labour party to call for Jeremy Corbyn to stand down as leader of the Labour Party. The pound jumped 2% on the news with UK equity futures pointing to a rally when the market opens.
12th December 2019
FED votes to keep rates on hold in December
The US Federal Reserve has voted in unison to keep rates on hold at its December meeting. December for the FED has, over the last three years, proved a critical point in the year for implementing rate decisions. The FED maintained that they would be happy to leave rates on hold for 2020 but this, as always, is dependent on the current economic climate remaining supportive.
6th December 2019
US posts another bumper employment number
The US employment market has once again stunned investors around the world by posting a large jobs number well ahead of economist’s expectations. 266,000 jobs were created in November against expectations of just 180,000 with unemployment at 3.5% of the population. This number has served to draw yet another line under the strength in the US economy at present which flies directly in the face of talks around a US recession. US manufacturing and business investment remain subdued but the US consumer numbers and employment remain very strong. US equity indexes jumped up on the news as investors moved back into US equities with enthusiasm.
7th November 2019
BoE holds interest rates, signals possible future cuts
The Bank of England (BoE) has opted to leave UK interest rates at 0.75% in its latest rate decision meeting, but has surprised markets with two of its members voting to cut interest rates. The change in sentiment has been duly noted considering the BoE had hiked rates twice since Q4 2018 and adds weight to the idea that the central bank might cut interest rates in the near future. Having said that the UK's growth prospects had slowed materially in 2019, the BoE pointed towards a combination of weakening global growth and continued Brexit related uncertainty as the reasons for the more dovish sentiment at this month's meeting. Following the rate decision, sterling fell around half a per cent against the US dollar as markets priced in increased expectations of lower interest rates in future, which tends to spark outflows from a central bank's home currency.
15th October 2019
Neil Woodford resigns from equity income fund
Neil Woodford has today announced the flagship Woodford equity income fund will be shuttering and returning cash to shareholders as soon as the fund’s holdings can be liquidated. The fund’s board concluded the strategy could not be repositioned into sufficient liquid assets ready for the fund to reopen again without it immediately shutting on the level of redemptions. Once cash has been returned, Neil Woodford announced he will himself be stepping away from the fund which marks the most high-profile resignation of a fund manager in recent history.
11th October 2019
Stocks surge on Brexit and China trade deal combo
Global stocks have surged ahead today driven higher by the increased potential for a Brexit deal at the same time as a trade deal between the US and China appears on the cards. With global markets pinning a lot of hopes on these two events coming to pass today has seen most equity indexes rally over 2% with safe haven trades such as government debt, gold and the Yen very much on the back foot. Whilst these announcements are positive TAM remains focussed on downside protection and will be looking to build out its defensive assets at a discount.
4th October 2019
Mixed US jobs numbers calm markets
The latest US non-farm payroll figures revealed 136,000 new jobs were added in September, down from 168,000 in August and just below analyst forecasts of 145,000. The unemployment number painted a brighter picture, falling from 3.7 per cent last month to 3.5 per cent this month, the lowest it has been in 50 years. Markets took the news positively, as it suggested that the Federal Reserve may continue on its dovish path by cutting interest rates a third time in its next meeting later this month. US equities were up following the announcement, while the demand for safe havens such as government debt and gold initially declined.
2nd October 2019
US manufacturing sector contracts to lowest level since recession
The US manufacturing sector reached a decade low growth numbers in September sending global markets tumbling on fears the US economy might be spluttering. US Manufacturing for September was pegged to post a slight gain in growth but instead returned a sharp decline in numbers against analysts expectations. This sparked off fears that the US was closer to a recession and saw markets pull back on the news. Trump took to twitter to blame the FED and the dollar for the decline rather than focus on the real driver of the weakness which stems from the trade war with China.
25th September 2019
Democrat’s initiate impeachment proceedings against Trump
Donald Trump has become the fourth president in US history to face impeachment proceedings. Nancy Pelosi, US Democratic speaker of the house, last night announced the start to formal impeachment proceedings. The issue centres around allegations the President enlisted the help of the Ukrainian government to boost his re-election campaign by investigating the son of Democratic front runner Joe Biden. Whilst the proceedings are not seen as a market moving event, Asian markets closed down on the impeachment news predominantly because of its ramifications on the US China trade deal.
24th September 2019
UK’s Supreme Court rules against proroguing of Parliament.
The UK’s supreme court made a monumental decision to rule that the information given to the queen on which she approved the proroguing of Parliament was unlawful and thus renders the prorogation void. The Supreme Court advised that parliament be reconvened at the earliest possible opportunity. The ruling has further hampered the prime minister’s efforts to take the UK closer to a no deal and taken the party into a potential constitutional crisis. The pound rallied on the news as investors took the news as a positive for a softer Brexit.
19th September 2019
Bank of England keeps rates on hold
The Bank of England has voted unanimously to keep interest rates on hold at 0.75 per cent in its most recent policy meeting. Although it set a dovish tone when it signalled that it might look to cut rates if we see continued Brexit uncertainty and weak global growth, it also reiterated a commitment to hike rates in the event that an orderly exit from the EU is eventually achieved. Government debt strengthened modestly on the news, while sterling weakened as a result of the overall dovish tone of the meeting.
19th September 2019
Federal Reserve cuts rates for second time this year
The Federal Reserve has cut interest rates by 25 basis points for a second time this year, to a target range of between 1.75 and 2 per cent, amid concerns about slowing global growth and trade wars. The policy statement was little changed from the July statement, with little indication of whether we will see further reductions in the months ahead. There were divisions among individual policymakers as to what should happen next, which painted a slightly more hawkish picture than markets expected. The dissent among policymakers dampened expectations for faster easing which prompted the US dollar to strengthen against most major currencies, while US equities initially fell before regaining some ground towards the end of the trading session. US Treasuries were relatively unchanged, suggesting the decision was roughly in line with what markets were expecting. Markets are preparing for the series of policy decisions by other central banks to follow later on Thursday.
12th September 2019
European Central Bank moves rates further into negative territory
Mario Draghi, in one of his last Central Bank meetings has today launched a new package of stimulus for the Eurozone economy in an attempt to restart economic growth and address sluggish inflation. Specifically, Draghi lowered the Eurozone interest rate further into negative territory to -0.5% from -0.4%. Alongside this the ECB restarted its asset purchasing programme which they had paused last December. Markets began buying European sovereign debt on the announcement whilst selling down the Euro much to the ire of President Trump who accused the ECB stimulus as a way of tactically devaluing their currency.
5th September 2019
Boris suffers third parliamentary defeat
Following on from yesterday’s vote, MP’s last night backed legislation to block the UK leaving without a deal. This loss prompted the Prime Minster to call for a snap election to regain his majority in parliament. With 434 votes needed to push through a snap election there were only 298 in favour meaning the vote will need to be tabled once again. The pound continued to tread water on the news as the deadlock remains in place.
4th September 2019
Miton Group and Premier Asset Management set to merge
Asset managers Miton Group and Premier Asset Management have agreed to merge into a single entity named “Premier Miton” The new entity will have combined assets under management of £11.5bn making it the fifth largest net seller of retail funds in the UK based on 2018 numbers. With Premier seeing assets drop by £100m to £6.7bn in 2019 and Miton seeing asset inflows increasing over the same period the larger group should be able to sustain and increase net inflows for the new entity not to mention leverage off the larger group to increase its research and investment capabilities. TAM is an investor into both of these houses and as a result will be watching the deal very carefully to establish if any effects of the merger begin to spill negatively into the underlying strategies our clients are invested into, if so TAM will be quick to act.
4th September 2019
PM defeated in the commons, snap election beckons
The UK Prime Minster was defeated in the Commons last night as rebel Tory MP’s joined with Labour MP’s to vote 328 to 301 in favour of taking control of parliament in order to pass legislation to force the government to delay the UK’s exit from the EU until January 2020. The PM’s red line in the sand is that the UK will leave the EU on the 30th of October 2019 with or without a deal. The only way to achieve this now is to call a snap election to regain a majority in the house of parliament to enable Boris to force through a departure on the 30th. The pound steadied on the news but remains at low levels as investors stay away from investing in the currency.
28th August 2019
Pound suffers as Boris Johnson suspends Parliament
Boris Johnson, with approval from the Queen, has agreed to suspend or “prorogue” Parliament for at least a month. MPs’ efforts to rule-out a no-deal Brexit have been hampered as legislative attempts to block a no-deal are now a near-impossible task in the time frame. A vote of no confidence appears imminent, but crucially, a no-deal Brexit is now a very plausible outcome. Earlier this week, sterling had risen above near-historic lows as investors looked favourably upon opposition plans. With these plans under threat, the currency fell on Wednesday to the benefit of the multinational-heavy FTSE 100 index.
13th August 2019
Stocks gain as US delays tariffs on Chinese goods
New developments in the US-China trade negotiations have seen the Trump administration agreeing to delay the imposition of 10 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports until December this year. Retailers such as Apple, Microsoft and Amazon have led the way in terms of gains within the S&P 500 index, as the delay will likely prove extremely beneficial to retailers such as these during the holiday shopping season towards the end of the year. Equities in general rallied strongly on the news, having suffered earlier in the month when tensions between the US and China resurfaced, while government debt weakened as investors left the safety of bonds in favour of riskier assets. China’s currency also rallied sharply following the announcement, as investors became more hopeful of an easing in trade tensions.
9th August 2019
UK economy shrinks for first time in seven years
The UK economy unexpectedly contracted in the second quarter of 2019 against analysts’ expectations of a flat number. The contraction in the UK economy is the first in seven years and shows up some of the effects on UK growth as a result of a protracted exit from the EU. Manufacturing was mainly to blame with a contraction of 1.4% which, despite the pickup in service sector growth, was enough to force the overall number into negative territory. This fall back in growth comes off the back of a positive start in Q1 where companies began front running stock orders ahead of the UK departure from the EU. The pound reacted negatively on the news as did the UK’s domestic equity market with internationals faring better against a weakening pound.
5th August 2019
China weaponizes its currency against the US.
For the first time since 2008 the Chinese renminbi has weakened to 7.00 per dollar. This level of currency weakness has always represented a watershed level which the Chinese government had sought to avoid, in part to avoid being accused of currency manipulation given the boost to international exports China would gain from this level of weakness in their currency. The move past 7.00 to the dollar would appear in direct response to the recent escalation in US tariffs and would indicate the Chinese government are now content to weaponize their currency against the US which is a step in the wring direction when it comes to securing a trade deal.
2nd August 2019
US July jobs number comes in on consensus
US jobs in July have come in bang on consensus at 164,000 new jobs created. The number neither confirmed nor denied concerns the US had begun to enter a period of slowing economic growth which many feared this month’s jobs number would betray. The downward revision of Junes jobs number from 224,000 to 193,000 did serve to leave some pessimism on the table about the state of the US economy as we move through the second half of the year.
31st July 2019
First Fed cut in over a decade disappoints markets
The US Federal Reserve (the Fed) has disappointed markets by cutting interest rates by 0.25 per cent, leaving the US rate at 2 to 2.25 per cent, whilst failing to indicate they will continue reducing rates further in the coming months. In their subsequent press conference, Fed chairman, Jerome Powell, struggled to justify or confirm a single cut, though did announce an end to the Fed's balance sheet reduction plan two months early. The comments, which were perceived to be more hawkish than expected, caused US equities and precious metals to sell off between 1 and 2 per cent, whilst the US dollar strengthened considering the prospect that rates could be left higher than hoped in the medium term. An initial bond market rally later faded, though precious metals have yet to recover while the US dollar presses ahead.
29th July 2019
Sterling under pressure as no-deal Brexit risk heightens
Sterling has fallen around 1.2 per cent against developed market peers today as markets perceive the risk of no-deal Brexit increasing following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's victory last week and his governments subsequent public dialogue on the subject. Whilst markets speculate if threatening to leave the EU without a deal is just posturing in preparation of attempting to renegotiate a deal with the EU, the currency continues to be volatile and has now fallen to the level last seen when the previous Prime Minister, Theresa May, triggered article 50 in March 2017. In response to the weakening currency, the internationally focused FTSE 100 index has rallied strongly today as oversees earnings swell, leaving the index up around 2 per cent on the day
23rd July 2019
Boris Johnson wins Conservative leadership race
As was widely expected, Boris Johnson has won the race to become the leader of the Conservative party and, consequently, Prime Minister of the UK as of Wednesday. Given that Mr Johnson has said he is willing to take the UK out of the EU with or without a deal come October, the outlook for the UK economy and its markets remains as uncertain as ever. As the result was largely expected, the immediate reaction has been muted, with Sterling already having priced in the idea of Mr Johnson's victory and falling last week to its lowest against the US dollar since January 2017. Today, the currency is relatively steady against major peers. Meanwhile, UK stocks continue to rally along with global markets today. UK government debt is, however, rallying marginally as UK investors seek to increase exposure to safer UK assets in the wake of today's news.
11th July 2019
Interest rate cut in the US almost a certainty for July
Jerome Powell, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve bank cast a surprisingly dovish tone at yesterdays meeting which has, in the minds of investors, nailed on a rate cut later on this month. Currently the market is expecting at least a quarter percentage point cut to the US base rate with speculation that any weakness in Q2 US earnings announcements next week could prompt a half a percentage cut to US rates in an attempt to stave off any further economic weakness from the worlds largest economy.
5th July 2019
June jobs numbers in the US smash expectations
The US economy in the month of June put on a total of 224,000 jobs which was a big beat against the forecast 160,000 and up from May’s number of 75,000. Despite the slowdown in wage inflation, the result will reassure investors that the US continues to be in good health against the backdrop of slowing global growth. Conversely it will cause some volatility in the short term for markets as investors revise their expectations for the US cutting rates three times this year to potentially just two or one.
3rd July 2019
Christine Lagarde succeeds Mario Draghi as head of the ECB
IMF boss Christine Lagarde will, in October, succeed Mario Draghi to become Europe’s first female European Central Bank president. The main question from markets is what will Mrs Lagarde bring to the ECB. Christine Lagarde has always supported fiscal loosening policies and dovish language on monetary policy. During her tenure within the IMF she stood the fund fully behind the ECB when it began its QE programme. Given this we believe the new head of the ECB will firstly support and then implement in October further interest rate cuts into negative territory and maintain another round of QE funding.
1st July 2019
US and China agree suspension of new tariffs
Equity markets are on the rise again this morning as investors reacted positively to the news of a truce in the US China trade spat. Donald Trump and Xi emerged from their meeting hailing it as a success but warning that more needed to be done to get the deal right. With Trump announcing a suspension on the next round of US tariffs on goods markets are hoping the two economies will manage to forge an agreement which will see all tariffs on Chinese goods removed.
20th June 2019
Central bank come together to set dovish tone
Global markets reacted positively as Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell spoke about the need to once again become data dependant when it comes to the prospect of lowering US interest rates in the face of a slowing economy. Jay Powell’s speech came off the back of a speech from the European central bank outlining the same dovish message to global markets. Investors have, over the last few weeks, begun to aggressively price in one to two interest rate cuts from the US central bank and more monetary easing from the European equivalent which has seen both equity and fixed income markets move higher.
14th June 2019
Boris takes commanding lead in first Conservative vote.
Last night the UK’s Conservative party took its first vote on who it wanted to be its next leader. Overwhelmingly the numbers came out in favour of front runner Boris Johnson who secured 114 votes out 313. A Boris majority was no big surprise but the extent of this lead did come as a shock as the margin was double the size of the second place candidate, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt. The first vote was so in favour of Boris that some candidates in the race have considered joining forces just to compete. Historically the front runner in Conservative party elections has almost always fallen foul to a less well-known contender so watch this space !
7th June 2019
Weaker-than-expected US jobs growth in May
June’s non-farm payrolls came in significantly below analysts’ expectations, showing only 75,000 jobs being created in the month of May versus the forecast of 185,000. On top of this, the year-on-year rise in average earnings for the month was also lower than expected, at 3.1 per cent rather than 3.2 per cent, highlighting that the labour market continues to show signs of weakening. This data added to speculation that the Federal Reserve will cut rates this year and led investors to seek the safety of debt, sending yields on US Treasuries and UK government debt lower, representing a rise in bond prices due to the higher demand. The dollar also weakened against all major currencies following the release.
6th June 2019
Woodford fund suspended, TAM clients unaffected
TAM clients need not be concerned regarding the prominent position in the press this week of Neil Woodford's LF Woodford Equity Income Fund being suspended. TAM's portfolios hold no positions, nor have ever held any positions in the Fund. Woodford's fund was suspended this week as sustained and growing investor redemptions from the Fund risked not only the strategy's investment parameters being breached, but also the ability to obtain suitable outcomes for investors. Whilst TAM does not invest in the Fund, we remain aware of the risks posed by funds with poor liquidity and as such have released an investment note on the subject which can be accessed via the Research and Insights section at www.tamassetmanagement.com
6th June 2019
European Central Bank maintains record low interest rates
President of the European Central Bank (ECB), Mario Draghi, has confirmed in a press conference today that the decision has been made to keep interest rates on hold at their record low levels until at least mid-2020. While the ECB raised its forecast for growth this year from the previous forecast in March, it lowered the forecast for growth in 2020. Similarly, they raised their inflation expectations for this year, but lowered them for next year. These were only minor tweaks, based on the ECB’s view that global headwinds continue to weigh on the outlook for the euro area. Mr Draghi cited key risks as being geopolitical uncertainties, rising protectionism and vulnerabilities in emerging markets. Despite the news, the euro rose by 0.5 per cent against the dollar following the announcement, indicating that the market wanted more drastic action, such as restarting quantitative easing, to support the eurozone and decrease the likelihood of entering into a recession.
28th May 2019
Pro-Brexit Party wins European Elections
Nigel Farage’s newly formed Brexit party were triumphant in the European elections, taking 31 per cent of the votes, comfortably ahead of the pro-Remain Liberal Democrats who came second place with 20 per cent of the votes. The Brexit party had one single pledge to the electorate which was to deliver Brexit, and this clear strategy was evidently preferred by voters who appeared to have lost faith in the Conservative and Labour parties which have been divided in their views on Brexit. Mr Farage’s next challenge is the by-election in Peterborough on June 6 and a potential general election later in the year. If the party wins the by-election, they will secure a place in the House of Commons, giving them a fighting chance in the general election
24th May 2019
Theresa May resigns as UK Prime Minister
In an emotional speech to the nation Theresa May announced she will resign as the Prime Minister of the UK. Whilst this announcement has been expected for some time her departure of the 7th of June is sooner than many had anticipated. The pound has managed to remain stable through the news which is testament to how expected the announcement was in the markets. The level of Speculation as to her successor continues to remain high with Boris Johnson remaining the bookies favourite to succeed her but that remains far from certain.
26th April 2019
US growth beats expectations
US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers released today show a 3.2% annualised pace of growth for Q1 this year, surpassing analyst estimates of 2.3% growth. This was despite a number of issues overshadowing markets in the first quarter including trade tensions, a government shutdown and fears of a global economic growth slowdown. Several factors contributed to this growth figure, including higher defence spending and companies building up their inventory bases and net exports, while consumer spending and business spending actually slowed. Growth was also heavily concentrated in the Technology and Industrial sectors. US equity futures markets were relatively unchanged, edging slightly higher on the news. They are also being influenced by the ongoing earnings announcements, which continue to present a mixed set of results, with some big beats but also some big misses.
5th April 2019
US job creation gets back on track
US job creation got back on track in March creating a total of 192,000 jobs up from a consensus figure of 177,000. This beat also confirmed February’s number of just 20,000 was more likely an anomaly but more importantly, it sent a reassuring message to global markets that the US economy is perhaps not as close to an economic slowdown as markets had predicted. Markets reacted accordingly with US equity markets rallying along with UK and Europe. Dollar also saw a bid on the news which was predicted.
15th March 2019
MPs vote to delay Brexit
MPs backed Theresa May’s plan to delay Britain’s scheduled exit date of March 29th by 412 votes to 202. The aim is to extend the deadline to at least June 30th, however if the deal already proposed by May is once again rejected by MPs next week, there could be longer extension to the deadline, possibly into 2020 or beyond, if May fails to convince the remaining 27 EU leaders that a longer extension is not a desired outcome. A longer extension to the deadline would mean prolonged uncertainty for the UK and is an outcome many are keen to avoid. Sterling remained stable after a volatile session, while UK equities continued to rise on the news.
14th March 2019
Parliament votes against a no deal exit
In the second vote of three, the UK parliament last night voted by a majority of 49 against the prospect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal. Of the three motions being put to parliament vote this week, last night’s decision against leaving without a deal was the one that was expected to go through without a hitch. On the news, the pound predictably rallied in Asian trading as investors took reassurances that this was a step in the right direction to avoiding a disorderly exit. Despite the certainty of the vote against a hard Brexit the fact remains that there is still no agreement on an exit deal which, despite the desire to exit with a deal, leaves parliament stuck in the same quandary.
13th March 2018
May's deal gets voted down again
The UK government voted last night, once again, against Theresa May’s new Brexit deal by a margin of 149 votes. The vote represents yet another blow to the PM’s hopes of getting her deal passed. The next steps in the Brexit process are for a vote to be held in parliament tonight on the prospect of a no deal Brexit which is tipped to be voted down in favour of some sort of deal. Pending this there will be a final vote on Thursday to seek an extension from the 27 EU member states on the exit date still set for the 29th of March.
8th March 2019
Weaker than expected US hiring in February
US employers added just 20,000 jobs in February, significantly lower than the market’s expectation of 180,000 and the fewest in over a year. This disappointing figure was offset by a fall in the unemployment rate from 4% to 3.8% and a rise in average hourly pay of 3.4% from a year earlier. This decline in jobs growth from January’s high was fuelled by the decline in construction jobs, while the fall in the unemployment rate was driven by many civil servants returning to work after the US government shutdown. Although there were several conflicting signals from this month’s jobs numbers, the immediate market reaction was generally negative and included a fall in US stocks and the US dollar, while safe haven assets such as US government debt, gold and the yen rallied.
12th February 2019
Congress agrees tentative wall funding
Markets look set to open positively this morning as investors were buoyed by the tentative deal struck in the US overnight which looks set to avoid another US government shutdown. Naturally, the core of the issue was funding for the border wall with Mexico which Democrats have, all be it reluctantly, agreed to earmark $1.4 Billion to build an enhanced fence with Mexico. Despite funding being well off the $5.7 Billion Trump was demanding and only enough to fund fencing for just one quarter of the length demanded by the President. The compromise was exactly the climb down the President needed to avoid shutting the government down again. Whilst political commentators remain speculative about the deal it has pushed global equity markets higher at the open today.
11th February 201
UK economy slows sharply in fourth quarter
The UK economy posted lacklustre growth numbers of just 0.2% in the last three months of 2018. This figure for the year was at 1.2% which is the slowest rate of expansion since 2012. Headline contributors to the slowdown were seen in UK manufacturing and UK consumer spending which appeared to show signs of being susceptible to concerns over Brexit uncertainty. These growth figures have prompted the UK central bank to put the likelihood of a UK recession this summer at 25%. Whilst this news is negative on a headline level, there remains positivity for UK growth should Parliament be able to secure itself a Brexit deal enabling UK businesses to once again begin to spend capital on expansion plans.
1st February 2019
US jobs numbers smash expectations in January
The US jobs market, true to recent form, has once again smashed expectations for jobs created in January with a figure of 304,000 jobs created, up from the anticipated 165,000. US markets opened higher as investors took the bumper number as further evidence the US economy continues to be in the middle of a sustained growth phase which flies in the face of ongoing concerns around a global economic slowdown. US government debt began to weaken on the news as investors saw the prospects of FED rate hikes in 2019 increasing in probability.
31st January 2019
Stocks rally on Federal Reserve U-turn
Stock markets across the globe rallied strongly on Wednesday following a dovish news conference by the Federal Reserve which eased fears that policy would be tightened too quickly. Fed chairman, Jay Powell, signalled they would be patient with raising interest rates, at least in the near term, and flexible with plans to scale back the bond-buying stimulus programme. Although there has not been a major shift in the economic backdrop, there has been some weakness in domestic demand as the positive impacts of tax cuts have begun to fade and the oil price has continued its decline, impacting global growth in major markets. These factors, along with heightened geopolitical uncertainty, led the Fed to take a pause on the unwind of stimulus into the US economy. The Federal Reserve’s dovish outlook boosted appetite for risk, sending US, European and Asian stocks higher, whilst the US dollar weakened on the news.
30th January 2019
Theresa May wins vote to reopen Brexit negotiations
Theresa May has secured the backing of the House of Commons as MPs voted 317 to 301 in favour of her amended Brexit plan, proposed by Tory backbencher Graham Brady, which seeks for “alternative arrangements” to be made, including replacing the Irish backstop. Although a plan has been put in place, it is inevitable that there will be a clash with the EU, as even May admitted that the negotiations with Brussels will be difficult. For this reason, markets initially remained cautious, with the pound weakening on the news that the amendment put forward by Labour’s Yvette Cooper that sought to delay the date of Brexit was rejected. Sterling opened firmly on Wednesday however, as markets digested the news that May will be heading to Brussels with a Plan B for Brexit. The focus will now be on what the EU can offer in the renewed discussions.
17th January 201
Conservatives survive no confidence vote
Prime minister May continued through what has been a tumultuous week for the UK premier as she, last night, survived a no confidence vote from Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn by just 19 votes. It was the Irish DUP party voting in favour of keeping May in power that managed to secure her the additional 19 votes she needed. May will now hold talks with opposition leaders to try and clear the impasse of the current Brexit stalemate and present a new solution to parliament on Monday.
16th January 2019
May suffers worst parliament defeat in British history
At 8pm yesterday evening, Prime Minister May suffered the most crushing parliamentary defeat in British history as MP’s from all parties voted against her proposed Brexit deal by 432 votes against to 202 votes in favour. The result immediately sparked a vote of no confidence by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, but this is expected to fail as Labour lack the backing to secure a majority. What is clear is May’s proposed deal is now dead which throws up both the prospect of a delay to Article 50 and a softer Brexit deal. With Asia markets closing higher overnight and European futures pointing higher at the open, it is clear global markets see Brexit as a British issue.
4th January 2019
US jobs accelerate in December
The US economy has, for the month of December, created nearly double the level of jobs the market was predicting at 312,000 up from the 177,000 which was predicted. To accompany this, wage inflation accelerated at its quickest pace since 2009. These figures caused investors a conundrum in that the markets want the FED to slow the expected rate of interest rate hike’s, the FED, who maintain they are data dependent, have to take this latest job’s data as evidence that the US is still growing very strongly. Markets today are taking the news well with US and European indexes trading above the two percent level in intra day trading.