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☆ Pound holds ground as Rishi Sunak leads race to become UK prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

London CNN Business —Britain’s third prime minister in seven weeks will face the huge challenge of projecting stability after a period of historic political and financial market chaos. Rishi Sunak emerged over the weekend as the clear front-runner in the dramatic race to replace Liz Truss, who’s set to be the shortest-serving prime minister in UK history. “A key focus for the next Prime Minister and their chosen Chancellor needs to be fiscal responsibility,” Carl Emmerson, deputy director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said in a statement. An economy in recessionThe Bank of England forecast last month that the UK economy was already in recession. 10 Downing Street, investors and economists expect the revamped economic plan outlined by current finance minister Jeremy Hunt to remain intact.

☆ VIEW Rishi Sunak to become Britain's new PM, UK markets rally
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

LONDON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Former British finance minister Rishi Sunak will be Britain's next prime minister after his rivals quit the race, which analysts said had relieved some of the nervousness around the outlook for the UK economy, boosting domestic markets. The new Prime Minister needs to confirm their leadership team as soon as possible and provide clarity on their strategy for stabilising the economy and their policy priorities. ART HOGAN, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, B. RILEY WEALTH, NEW YORK:"Coming to a very rapid decision on who the prime minister is going be certainly breathes a sigh of relief into the markets. RUTH GREGORY, SENIOR UK ECONOMIST, CAPITAL ECONOMICS, LONDON:"The fall in gilt yields on the news today that Rishi Sunak will become the UK’s next Prime Minister has reduced the chances of a significant fiscal consolidation. With the pound, just because we have a new Prime Minister in place, all of the issues don't just go away and we still have remarkable strength being enjoyed by the dollar."

☆ Stocks sag, bond yields firm as yen sinks further
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The strong dollar continued to loom over currency markets, with the yen sinking to a 32-year low against the greenback. U.S. 10-year Treasury yields touched a 14-year high, while 2-year German government bond yields rose to their highest since December 2008. But earnings are likely to fall next year which, along with anticipated interest rate hikes in the United States and elsewhere, are already largely priced into markets, Osman said. China's stock market (.SSEC) fell while Hong Kong stocks (.HSI) hit levels last seen during the 2008-09 global financial crisis. The rise in the dollar and yields pushed gold lower, with prices lingering at a three-week trough on Thursday.

☆ British pound and gilts soar after Hunt rolls back tax cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Jeremy Hunt on Friday replaced Kwasi Kwarteng, who Prime Minister Liz Truss sacked following the so-called "mini-budget" on Sept. 23 that sent UK assets sliding. Hunt on Monday announced a series of tax changes that he said would raise 32 billion pounds ($36.19 billion) a year in extra revenues. STERLING: The pound rose against the dollar and the euro, gaining 1.1% and 0.7%, respectively , . So the UK is not the outlier when it comes to its monetary policy and its fiscal policy. STUART COLE, HEAD MACRO ECONOMIST, EQUITI CAPITAL, LONDON:"I think it would be a brave person to be buying sterling quite yet.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) ended 0.9% higher, while the domestically focussed FTSE 250 index (.FTMC) closed 2.8% up. Both the indexes logged their third-straight day of gains, with the latter up more than 5%. Under the new policy, most of Truss's 45 billion pounds of unfunded tax cuts will go and a two-year energy support scheme for households and businesses - expected to cost well over 100 billion pounds - will now be curtailed in April. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterHunt, who replaced Kwasi Kwarteng, said halting the planned tax cuts would raise 32 billion pounds ($36 billion) every year. Traders are now seeing a 68.2% chance of a 100 basis points hike at the central bank's Nov. 3 meeting.

☆ Uber, Lyft slump as U.S. proposal on workers a potential blow to gig economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

read moreAnalysts said there is a lot of uncertainty around the proposal expected to come into effect next year, but the move was "a clear blow to the gig economy". Lyft said the move does not require a change of its business model, while Uber said it plans to engage with authorities. Gig companies have long been criticized for the lack of benefits they offer their independent contract workers, who have also faced a rise in living costs this year. The companies have rejected calls for reclassification, saying surveys showed the majority of their workers do not want to be employees. Slammed by the fears, Uber, Lyft and Doordash were set to erase over $10 billion in their collective market valuation.

☆ Sterling falls for a fifth day; turmoil dogs the bond market
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The pound fell for a fifth day on Tuesday as the turmoil engulfing UK government bond markets forced the Bank of England to step in yet again to attempt to stem a damaging sell-off in the country's debt. Sterling fell 0.3% to $1.1036, and was also down 0.3% versus the euro at 88.00 pence. If you have a look at the population of holders of long-dated UK assets - anything that is 15-20 years - it's mostly domestic funds," ADM Investor Services Chief Economist Marc Ostwald said. The pound promptly nosedived and the gilts market went into a tailspin, putting pension funds at risk of insolvency. But sterling's problems extend beyond the liquidity crunch in the gilts market.

☆ China tech shares sink as U.S. export curbs raise chip sector hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The most immediate impact is likely to be felt by Chinese chipmakers, they said. The new regulations will now pose major hurdles for the two Chinese memory chipmakers, analysts said. A steep decline in tech shares led China's market down on its first post-Golden Week holiday trading on Monday. An index measuring China's semiconductor firms (.CSIH30184) tumbled nearly 7%, and Shanghai's tech-focused board STAR Market (.STAR50) declined 4.5%. SMIC dropped 4%, chip equipment maker NAURA Technology Group Co (002371.SZ) sank 10% by the daily limit, and Hua Hong Semiconductor plunged 9.5%.

☆ Yen strengthens after Japanese government dumps dollars to prop up the currency in its first intervention since 1998
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese yen climbed 1% against the dollar Thursday after authorities moved to prop up the currency. It's the first time since 1998 that the Japanese government has intervened in currency markets. The dollar fell as much as 2.6% to 140.31 yen and was down 0.6% to 143.21 yen at last check. The yen's rally came after the Japanese government said it would buy yen and sell dollars in a bid to shore up the currency. "The big question is whether it will make a difference and change the long-term direction of the Japanese yen's decline," CMC Markets' chief analyst Michael Hewson said.

REUTERS/Andrew BoyersSept 21 (Reuters) - Shares in British homebuilders rose sharply on Wednesday morning after a media report said the government would cut stamp duty - a tax on property purchases - in a mini-budget on Friday. Peel Hunt analyst Sam Cullen said any stamp duty cut could help housebuilders better offset inflation in building costs, which has been largely cushioned by higher house prices. The Times said the plan to cut stamp duty would be part of new Prime Minister Liz Truss's drive to boost economic growth. A temporary stamp duty cut was used to support the market by previous finance minister Rishi Sunak during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, no stamp duty is paid on the first 125,000 pounds ($141,650) of any property purchase.

☆ Oil stocks lift London's FTSE 100 amid Russia angst as Fed looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Bansari Mayur Kamdar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The benchmark FTSE 100 (.FTSE) rose 0.5%, while the domestically focussed mid-cap index (.FTMC) added 0.3% by 0817 GMT. Oil majors BP (BP.L) and Shell (SHEL.L) climbed nearly 2.5% each as crude prices jumped on concerns of tighter oil and gas supply after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilisation. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterBritain's biggest defence company BAE Systems jumped 5.3%, tracking its European peers, after Putin's remarks. "Investors will be looking at defence stocks and thinking about the potential that governments will look to increase their spend on weapons and on military hardware," said Danni Hewson, financial analyst at AJ Bell. The sterling dipped to its lowest against the U.S. dollar since 1985 after data showed Britain's budget deficit was bigger than expected in August.

☆ Reactions: Putin mobilises more troops for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin makes an address on the conflict with Ukraine, in Moscow, Russia, in this still image taken from video released September 21, 2022. I think even with this Russia stuff it’s hard to see the market really rally a lot more from here ahead of the FOMC. From a geopolitical standpoint, Putin is frustrated that the war isn’t going his way and he’s threatening the west. "If it gets really, really bad, I'd expect the dollar to rise." This announcement by Putin to intensify the escalation in Ukraine definitely doesn’t help.

☆ Cinemas will screen the Queen's funeral. Here's what else is open on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Anna Cooban | Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London (CNN Business) Much of Britain will come to a standstill on Monday for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II . A company spokesperson told CNN Business that its venues would open on Monday "for communities to gather to mourn and reflect together on the life of the Queen." Travelodge, which has 78 budget hotels in London, said its staff were working "around the clock" in preparation for the Queen's funeral. Most major supermarkets — which normally remain open on public holidays for a reduced number of hours — are planning to close for the funeral. Apple AAPL confirmed to CNN Business that it would close all of its 39 stores in the country on Monday.

☆ Cinemas are screening the Queen's funeral. Here's what else is open on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Anna Cooban | Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

London (CNN Business) Much of Britain came to a standstill on Monday for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II . A company spokesperson told CNN Business that its venues would open on Monday "for communities to gather to mourn and reflect together on the life of the Queen." Travelodge, which has 78 budget hotels in London, said its staff were working "around the clock" in preparation for the Queen's funeral. Most major supermarkets — which normally remain open on public holidays for a reduced number of hours — are planning to close for the funeral. Apple AAPL confirmed to CNN Business that it would close all of its 39 stores in the country on Monday.

☆ British pound hits a 37-year low as UK economy skids
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Julia Horowitz | Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

London (CNN Business) The British pound slumped to a 37-year low on Friday after new data showed that shoppers are pulling back spending as inflation squeezes household budgets, underscoring fears that the economy may already be shrinking. "I think the UK is in recession already," said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. The pound has been hammered by a string of weak economic data, but also the steep ascent of the US dollar, a safe haven investment that sees inflows in times of uncertainty. But the economic outlook in the United Kingdom means the pound is suffering more than most. It's lost more than 15% of its value against the dollar this year, compared to a 12% decline in the euro.

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