government bond
January 14th, 2009
For most of the 1990s, the euro was the big political question for both Spain and the UK. In Britain, the question was whether to join, while in Spain the concern was whether its economy was robust enough to qualify for membership. As the credit crisis begins to bite with particular ...
Continue reading A Painful Adjustment for Spain and Britain
March 24th, 2009
Europe has thus far spurned the dramatic, cash-heavy solutions of the US and Britain, focusing instead on extending credit lines to euro zone lenders and broadening the range of assets that it will accept as collateral. Since the financial crisis spread worldwide in September, central banks have struggled to restart the ...
Continue reading EU Leaders Reject Cash Heavy Solutions
May 14th, 2009
Property professionals have welcomed the European Central Bank’s (ECB) interest rate cut, saying it could help to increase the availability of mortgages. However, they also admitted that the effect would be limited because European lenders’ rates aren’t directly tied to central interest levels.The ECB last week cut rates as expected ...
Continue reading Euro Interest Rates at All Time Low
May 28th, 2009
The week's economic statistics had little effect on sterling. One rating agency warns that gilts might lose their AAA status; the other two agencies disagree. German investors and businessmen are optimistic but unhappy.It did look backwards several times but last Monday's €1.1250 starting point turned out to be the week's ...
Continue reading Moneycorp: Euro Weekly Update
July 22nd, 2009
Sterling driven by rising investor confidence. UK data were of little consequence to sterling. An IMF review of the British economy was less than complimentary. Softer economic sentiment offset increased industrial production in Euroland. Although it started last Monday looking wobbly at €1.1550 sterling found support half a cent lower down ...
Continue reading Euro Weekly Update: July 22nd 2009
August 28th, 2009
The global economy is starting to bottom out from the worst recession and financial crisis since the Great Depression. In the fourth quarter of 2008 and first quarter of 2009 the rate at which most advanced economies were contracting was similar to the gross domestic product free-fall in the early stage ...
Continue reading Significant Risk of Double-Dip Recession
December 10th, 2009
Guarded optimism from the Bank of England balances concern about UK government borrowing. The European Central seems to be looking ahead to taking interest rates higher. Sterling ratcheted higher, having dipped only briefly below last Monday's €1.0950 starting level. It peaked above €1.11 on Friday and opened in London this morning ...
Continue reading Investors In Two Minds About The Pound
January 20th, 2010
MPC member sets the ball rolling with talk of higher UK interest rates. Greece's fiscal problems worry the euro. After a day's hesitation in the vicinity of Monday's €1.11 starting point the pound set off higher. It was not quite a straight-line advance (it almost never is) but sterling did not ...
Continue reading Broad Improvement For Sterling
February 3rd, 2010
Britain emerged from recession in Q4 - just. Germany has no plans to help rectify Greek budget problems. Sterling managed to add about half a cent, opening this morning in London at €1.1450, but did it the hard way. A one-cent setback on Tuesday and a peak of over €1.16 show ...
Continue reading Growth & Credit Status Hold Sterling Back
February 9th, 2010
Rocketing unemployment is going to make it even harder for Spain to meet promises to slash its budget deficit, and it is already hard to find an analyst who believes the growth assumptions behind the forecasts. The number registered as unemployed topped 4 million in January, official data showed Tuesday, an ...
Continue reading Spanish Unemployment Challenge for Budget Cuts
