Geoffrey Smith
Stagnant eurozone just avoids recession
The eurozone economy stagnated again in the final quarter of last year, extending a miserable sequen...
8 months ago
Merry Christmas! Now, when is payday?
It’s the most expensive — sorry, wonderful! — time of the year, so we decided to do a thorough and i...
8 months ago
UK inflation falls sharply in November, boosting BoE rate cut hopes
Inflation in the U.K. fell to its lowest in over two years in November, fanning the flames of specul...
8 months ago
Europe to be late arrival at Federal Reserve party
The U.S. is having a party, and Europe is going to be unavoidably late to it. No fewer than four cen...
8 months ago
As Germany sneezes, Europe is catching a cold
Germany’s budget mess is threatening to make an already difficult situation worse for the rest of th...
8 months ago
UK inflation eased to 3.4 percent in February, but services remain a problem
U.K. inflation fell by more than expected to its lowest level since September 2021 in February, with a further easing of food prices leading the way.The consumer price index rose by 0.6 percent from January and was up 3.4 percent from a year earlier, acco...
6 months ago
Look away: The ECB is about to change its rules of engagement
ECB policymakers will meet on Wednesday outside of the framework of their usual monetary policy meetings to decide the technical details about how the central bank should operate in the post-QE era.All the signalling from the ECB suggests they don’t want...
6 months ago
ECB sees no fault in mission to ‘train’ staff minds on climate
The European Central Bank (ECB) is refusing to back down in a row with staff over perceived “disrespect” by top management toward staff.Earlier this week, the bank's staff committee wrote to President Christine Lagarde to protest at comments at an interna...
6 months ago
Bank of England’s forecasting needs urgent revamp, says ex-US Fed chief Bernanke
The Bank of England needs to open its ears, its mind and its wallet, former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke said today.Presenting the recommendations from a 10-month review into how the Bank puts together and communicates its economic forecasts, Bernan...
6 months ago
ECB’s Lagarde digs in as US pushes Europe on using Russian assets for Ukraine aid
WASHINGTON — European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde dug in her heels on the issue of Russia's frozen assets, despite growing pressure on Europe to raise funds for Ukraine. Speaking at the Council for Foreign Relations on Wednesday, Lagarde stre...
5 months ago
Floods, war and US inflation crash the IMF party
Warnings about risks to the global economy are so common these days that it’s easy to become inured to them, but the few days since the world’s finance chiefs assembled in Washington have seen a series of them materialize in quick succession.First it was...
5 months ago
Europe’s banks retreat from Moscow, with the ECB at their heels
Europe's banks' retreat from Moscow is entering its final stage, but instead of having General Winter at their heels, they have the European Central Bank.The ECB is tightening the screws on the last significant banking presences in Russia. It's one elemen...
5 months ago
Bank of England leaves key interest rate at 5.25 percent
The Bank of England left its key interest rate unchanged on Thursday for the sixth straight meeting, but signaled that it may start easing policy as early as next month, as inflation pressures ease.“We’ve had encouraging news on inflation and we think it...
4 months ago
Tory MPs urge Hunt: Break the Bank of England’s QT doom loop
LONDON — Conservative MPs are urging the British government to end a system which puts taxpayers on the hook for losses incurred by the Bank of England as it unwinds a decade of massive money-printing.In a report to be published Monday, the MPs will urge...
4 months ago