Marine Le Pen is closing the gap on Emmanuel Macron in the opinion polls – and investors are getting nervous ahead of this weekend’s first round of voting in the French presidential elections. For months it has seemed that Mr Macron, who cruised to victory five years ago at the head of his newly-formed La […]
View PostUK Better than expected growth for Economy
The UK economy grew by a better than expected 0.8% in January, according to official figures as the chancellor faces intense pressure to deliver support to businesses and families to maintain the recovery from the coronavirus crisis. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the growth was driven by a return to consumer spending […]
View PostUK Economic growth for 2021 strongest on record despite December Omicron hit
The UK economy grew at its best annual pace on record in 2021 despite a December hit from measures to control the spread of the Omicron COVID variant, early official estimates have revealed. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the pace of growth between October and December – the fourth quarter – […]
View PostUS economy delivers nearly half a million new jobs
A better than expected January for American jobs could strengthen the hand of the US Federal Reserve as it prepares to deliver an expected series of interest rate hikes later this year. The US employment market started the year in a much healthier state than expected, despite Omicron disruption hitting consumer-facing businesses. America added 467,000 […]
View PostUS economy sees strongest growth since 1984
The US grew at its strongest pace since 1984 last year as it bounced back from 2020’s pandemic-driven downturn, official figures show. GDP in the world’s biggest economy expanded by 5.7% in 2021 after shrinking by 3.4% the year before, according to America’s bureau of economic analysis. It has not enjoyed such strong one-year growth […]
View PostFTSE 100 hits 18-month high as it shrugs off supply chain and inflation worries
The FTSE 100 has hit a new post-pandemic high as rising oil and banking stocks helped it shrug off supply chain and inflation worries. London’s leading share index ticked up to as high as 7243.8 points during Friday trading, taking it above a previous peak in August to hit the highest level since February 2020. […]
View PostAmazon to open large department stores
Amazon is reportedly planning to open large department stores in the US as the online shopping titan expands further into physical retail. The stores will be about 30,000 sq ft in size and will offer products from well-known consumer brands, according to the Wall Street Journal. The first sites are expected to open in California […]
View PostDisney: beat earnings expectations
Walt Disney Co’s revenue has beaten expectations in the third quarter, thanks to new streaming subscribers and the reopening of its theme parks. Overall revenue was up 45% to $17.02bn between April and July – higher than analysts’ estimate of $16.76bn. Net income was $918m in the three months, compared with a loss of $4.72bn […]
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