Macro News

  • Split MPC votes eight to one to keep rates steady

    Split MPC votes eight to one to keep rates steady

    The Bank of England’s monetary policy committee voted eight to one to keep interest rates on hold at 0.5%, it said on Thursday.

  • Risk appetite healthy as portfolio stability rises

    Risk appetite healthy as portfolio stability rises

    Despite growing concerns about the threat posed to portfolios by the eurozone crisis, investors remain willing to add risk to their portfolios, NN Investment Partners said on Thursday.

  • MPC hawks expected to vote against the flock

    MPC hawks expected to vote against the flock

    The hawks on the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee are expected to vote for a rate rise at the next meeting on Thursday, against the majority.

  • GDP rebound strengthens case for UK rate hike

    GDP rebound strengthens case for UK rate hike

    UK GDP is estimated to have grown 0.7% in the second quarter the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday, up from 0.4% reported for Q1.

  • Bank of England getting nervous about inflation

    Bank of England getting nervous about inflation

    The Bank of England monetary policy committee is getting more concerned about the possibility of inflation coming through into the British economy, minutes from the July meeting revealed today.

  • Asian exports flash amber for Fed hike hawks

    Asian exports flash amber for Fed hike hawks

    The recent fall in Asian exports should raise a few alarm bells for market watchers, say UBS economists Joshua McCullum and Gianluca Moretti.

  • Fund selectors shift preference to large caps

    Fund selectors shift preference to large caps

    Fund selectors in Europe have changed tack. A year ago they were strongly in favour of small caps, but now they believe it’s large caps that have the better return prospects, according to data gathered at EIE events across Europe this year.

  • China’s Q2 growth fails to impress

    China’s Q2 growth fails to impress

    China beat market expectations with a 7% year-on-year growth for the second quarter. But in the second half, fund houses are concerned about the financial sector.

  • UK interest rate rise due in November but it should be August - F&C

    UK interest rate rise due in November but it should be August – F&C

    The first UK interest rate rise is likely to arrive in November, says F&C’s Steven Bell, but cannot come soon enough.

  • Soft numbers further muddy UK rate rise waters

    Soft numbers further muddy UK rate rise waters

    Softer than expected unemployment and wage growth numbers have further muddied the waters in terms of forecasting when the Bank of England will raise interest rates.

  • China GDP climb does little to reassure investors

    China GDP climb does little to reassure investors

    China’s second quarter annualised gross domestic product figure of 7% beat expectations of 6.8% but it has done little to increase investor confidence in the world’s most populated country.

  • Inflation creeps back down to quieten hawks

    Inflation creeps back down to quieten hawks

    Consumer price inflation in the United Kingdom crept down a fraction in June to hit flat zero from 0.1%, according to the Office for National Statistics.