BUSINESS
It’s time for the BOE to crack down on hedge fund lending
Raise the cost of borrowing securities to curb leverage in repo markets
WORLD
EU’s challenge in Ukraine starts with bonds
Jointly issued defence debt is low-hanging fruit for even ardent sceptics
BUSINESS
European Economy: A weaker Euro won't solve the EU's problems this time
There’s no silver bullet in the currency markets
BUSINESS
European Economy: How the ECB can safely store its crisis toolkit
Central banker Christine Lagarde needs to point to a steady unwinding of restrictive interest rates
BUSINESS
Gold is at the mercy of Trump, China and king Dollar
The yellow metal has declined from a record as the economic backdrop has changed
BUSINESS
On interest rate cuts, BOE and ECB should learn not to fight the Fed
The UK and euro area central banks have little choice but to lower their key interest rates twice before the end of 2024
BUSINESS
For ECB rate cutters, the music is as important as the words
Policymakers need to send confidence-boosting signals to bolster sluggish economies
BUSINESS
Global Currencies: King dollar's softening is good news for nearly everyone
Economies in Europe, Asia and emerging markets will all benefit as the Fed’s new interest-rate story takes hold
BUSINESS
Bank of England summons up the courage to cut
But the next move probably won’t come until November
WORLD
French Election: Emmanuel Macron plays fast and loose with investor faith
Portfolio managers are concerned about the fiscal direction France is taking
WORLD
UK Election: Gilts and markets aren’t afraid of a Labour government
Gilts and the pound are relaxed about the prospect of Keir Starmer becoming prime minister
BUSINESS
Inflation miss may delay, but shouldn’t deter, Bank of England rate cut
Policymakers will get another set of consumer price data before their June meeting
BUSINESS
The European Union should burnish its bonds for prime time
The bloc has an opportunity to secure much-needed funds at a lower cost by getting its debt classified as sovereign issuance
BUSINESS
Bank of England should tailgate the ECB, not the Fed
UK policymakers should use this week’s monetary policy meeting to flag that a rate cut is likely next month
BUSINESS
Central bankers should retire the 2 percent inflation target
With the energy shock now a memory, central bankers require more flexible objectives
BUSINESS
Bond market risks dislocation as borrowing needs surge
Sovereign borrowing is increasing at the same time as corporates need to refinance maturing debt
BUSINESS
ECB should put rate cuts on this month’s agenda
Waiting until June risks seeing the euro-zone economy deteriorate further
BUSINESS
Currency Markets: A decline in the Euro to parity with the Dollar beckons
Inflation has been steadily declining globally. Both the US and euro-zone consumer price measures peaked at just over 9% in mid- to late-2022, with February seeing euro-zone inflation dropping to 2.6%, lower than the 3.1% figure for the US. On the growth outlook, US gross domestic product rose at an annualised 3.2% pace while the euro zone economy stagnated
BUSINESS
UK Budget: Bond vigilantes curb Jeremey Hunt's tax-cutting enthusiasm
UK government bond yields have risen sharply this year and are higher than their euro-zone peers. Jeremy Hunt will need to tread carefully in how he funds his political ambitions to ensure the bond-market vigilantes don't ride again
BUSINESS
Japan's stock-market mojo rubs off on me
Former Premier Shinzo Abe's famous three arrows of reform are belatedly hitting their targets. Cultural change is happening with more consistent wage rises, less resistance to mergers and acquisitions and a return to steady inflation. The prospects are not just in equities, but in residential as well as commercial real estate. If ever the US domestic picture falters, Japan is the obvious alternative for fund managers looking for growth, combined with a cheap currency
BUSINESS
Meet the Delhi School of Economics alumna who's the only one making sense in BoE's MPC
Swati Dhingra, an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, is in a unique position as the only major central bank policymaker to publicly call for an interest rate cut in at least two years. Dhingra’s caution is proving increasingly prescient after the UK economy slipped into recession in the second half of 2023
BUSINESS
UK Recession: Stagnating economy is crying out for rate cuts
The message from this week’s economic data is pretty gloomy. GDP shrank by 0.3% in the final three months of last year, after a 0.1% contraction in the previous quarter. For all of 2023, the economy grew just 0.1%; more worrying is 1% compression in the private sector in the final nine months of last year
BUSINESS
Turkey is becoming investible again
After years of political interference in its monetary policy, a collapse in the Turkish lira's value over the past five years and a soaring inflation rate, there are promising signs that orthodox financial policies are back in place
BUSINESS
Euro’s status languishes as dollar still king after 25 years
While the fall in euro usage and corresponding jump in dollar dominance may have been overdone last year, any correction is likely to be modest until the geopolitical air clears. Some of the loss of status and relevance for the euro will be permanent
