US Interest Rate Hike
Minutes from the FOMC’s November meeting showed a strengthening case to raise interest rates, with some members saying a hike should happen at the year’s final meeting, on December 13th-14th. The summary of the meeting, only a week before the US election, provides the clearest signal yet that the Fed plans to lift rates for…
Read MoreAutumn Statement Key Points
In his first Autumn Statement, Chancellor Phillip Hammond stated that he ‘’is focused on preparing and supporting the economy as we begin writing a new chapter in our country’s history’’. This will be the last Autumn Statement. The Budget will now be in the Autumn, incorporating a Spring statement. According to the Chancellor, Britain will be…
Read MoreMarket Report – 21 November 2016
Phillip Hammond will deliver the Autumn Statement on Wednesday, in which he will reveal the state of the economy and outline the government’s spending plans. He will reportedly announce broad direction, but leave more policy announcements to his colleagues, unlike his predecessor George Osborne. Wednesday also brings us durable goods orders from the US for…
Read MoreBrexit – What it means for the future of currency exchange
Overview: Sterling’s dramatic depreciation post-Brexit has hindered the UK’s importers to keep prices competitive, with the fall now forcing them to either hike prices, in some cases by over 10%, or share the increase with their buyers and reduce their profit margins. The political risk surrounding the triggering of Article 50 is anchoring Sterling’s potential…
Read MoreMarket Report – 14 November 2016
President elect Donald Trump crushed rival Hillary Clinton in dominating style last week. Trump, who will take office on January 20th 2017, then managed to calm markets with a conciliatory speech once he had acquired the 270 electoral votes required for victory, with the expected Dollar sell off yet to start. Both Theresa May and…
Read MoreUS Presidential Election
President-elect Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in part by building a coalition of voters who had not supported Republican candidates as enthusiastically in the past. Trump won huge numbers of votes in counties with low annual incomes – over 51% of the vote in those counties, surpassing Clinton by nine points. These votes were won…
Read MoreMarket report – 07 November 2016
Overview All eyes will be on the US Presidential election this week. No matter which way the US public decide to vote, volatility is to be expected across all asset classes. A republican victory could be a catalyst for a huge dollar sell off, with many market participants fearful of the damage Donald Trump could…
Read MoreMarket report – 24 October 2016
A relatively quiet week ahead with only a sprinkling of top tier data. Central bankers Mark Carney and Mario Draghi will be speaking on Tuesday, with any notable comments regarding their respective monetary policies likely to create further volatility. Preliminary UK GDP figures (QoQ and YoY Q3) Thursday are forecast to show a contraction in…
Read MoreMarket report – 13 October 2016
GBP Sterling remains a currency that now trades almost exclusively on headlines concerning the country’s upcoming Brexit from the EU. All eyes are upon the governments right to trigger Article 50 without Parliaments consent. “The current situation is anything but stable and another slide would feed concern far more than it would help the UK’s…
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