The UK Economy

The battle continues as Ryanair Holdings plc (LSE:RYA) received another slapped in the face after the UK’s Competition Commission decided the Ryanair may have to reduce its shareholdings in competitor Aer Lingus Group plc to make way for more competition in the air traffic between the UK and Ireland. UK’s anti-trust agency’s provisional findings stated […]

Midlands based firm cite successful “launches of all-new Range Rover, Jaguar XF Sportbrake and new AWD XF and AWD XJ and several engine derivatives”. Jaguar Land Rover, which has plants in the Midlands including Solihull, has reported revenues of £15.8bn for the fiscal year ended 31st March 2013, up 17% year on year (£13.5bn last […]

State-supported bank seeks to focus on UK interests. Lloyds Banking Group, which is 39% owned by the UK state, has announced the proposed sale of its International Private Banking business to Union Bancaire Privée (‘UBP’). The deal will include the business of the Group’s Geneva-based Private Bank, its branches based in Geneva, Zurich, Monaco and […]

Global recovery is uneven but gradual. The global economy is moving forward, but divergence between countries and regions reflects the uneven progress made toward recovery from the economic crisis, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook. Historically high unemployment remains the most serious challenge facing governments. World real gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to […]

A roller-coaster ride for markets this week and a perfect example of how important central bank communication (read US Federal Reserve) has become and how markets can move indiscriminately on changes in sentiment regarding the future of the highly accommodative monetary policy  (read Fed’s QE3), something that has supported the global rally and recovery hopes […]

Pound Sterling – The Pound started the week looking upwards after it made gains against the US Dollar after an industry report showed that UK home sellers raised their asking prices for a fifth consecutive month in May. As a result of the data, Sterling climbed from its lowest level in six-weeks against the US currency. […]

While the investment world focuses on Japan today, the news at JP Morgan has failed to make the make the headlines it would have on any almost other day.  The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has levied a fine of £3,076,200 “for systems and control failings related to its provision of retail investment advice and portfolio investment services” […]

With exquisite timing, both Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY) and Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE:RBS) issued updates regarding their capital positions this morning in advance of today’s visit by representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with Chancellor George Osborne.  As expected, the IMF urged Osborne to divest the taxpayers’ stake in both banks as quickly […]

Do you remember what you were doing 13 years ago?  Probably still breathing a sigh of relief that the Y2K computer software issue didn’t really exist.  And, hey, things were looking good.  The key stock indicators looked great.  It was the start of a whole new millennium.  What could possibly go wrong? Well, a lot […]

Is it possible that BP (LSE:BP.) could be in deep water again?  Given the company’s activities over the past several years, including those minor headaches in the Gulf of Mexico and with their joint ventures with Russian oligarchs, it seems almost inevitable.  This time BP has reportedly been in cahoots with Royal Dutch Shell (LSE:RDSA) […]