Chancellor George Osborne stood before the House of Commons and delivered yet another budget on Wednesday. Among the usual pithy remarks, the chancellor outlined another set of changes to the UK’s finances.
Neil Woodford believes Brexit would cause crisis in the EU and tremors in the eurozone, but a weaker sterling could ultimately be beneficial to his funds.
The hyperbole is in full swing, with even The Queen backing Brexit according to The Sun. A more erudite view perhaps comes from Rathbones’ five common ‘myths’ around a potential exit from the EU.
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has determinedly stayed neutral under questioning on whether the United Kingdom should leave the European Union.
Yanis Varoufakis would find it hard to resist voting for Brexit if he were British, he said at Expert Investor’s Pan-European Congress in Rome last Friday. However, his wish is not going to materialise, congress delegates believe.
European investors are taking risk off the table after the recent market turmoil, the February reading of the State Street Investor Confidence Index (ICI) suggests. However, investor confidence in North America and especially Asia increased over the month.
Neil Woodford has said he believes the United Kingdom’s economy would not be adversely impacted by leaving the European Union, with temporary currency weakness the only real issue.
Investor sentiment has taken a significant hit following the turbulent start to 2016, falling in February to its lowest level since May 2013, according to Lloyds Bank.
Investors need to consider the bigger picture when it comes to European equities, say Vincent Juvyns Alex Dryden. Global market strategists at JP Morgan Asset Management, the pair outline seven reasons to still buy Europe.
Investors are turning more cautious in the face of the turmoil in the financial markets this year, according to the latest Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) Fund Manager Survey, with average cash balances up at their highest weighting since November 2001.
Federal Reserve chair, Janet Yellen reiterated on Wednesday that the monetary policy was “by no means on a pre-set course” in the US.
$10 dollar oil is a possibility following 18 months of “outright victimisation” of the commodity and a bullying Fed, according to PSigma’s IM’s investment strategy head, Rory McPherson.
