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1 week ago | 
investorschronicle.co.uk | Dan Jones
Next Friday will bring the latest consumer confidence update in the UK, along with retail sales data for March. Both metrics have been improving in recent months; retail sales rose 1 per cent in February, well in advance of the 0.4 per cent contraction that had been forecast, amid signs that real wage growth is starting to aid consumers.
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1 week ago | 
investorschronicle.co.uk | Dan Jones
Having belatedly realised Donald Trump was serious about his tariff plans, economists have been ripping up their forecasts over the past week. The European Central Bank’s (ECB) monetary policy meeting next Thursday will bring the first concrete evidence of how seriously central bankers view the threat of higher duties. JPMorgan now expects four consecutive interest rate cuts from the ECB, culminating in a terminal rate of just 1.5 per cent this September.
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2 weeks ago | 
investorschronicle.co.uk | Dan Jones
With all eyes on the health of the US economy, preliminary April data from the University of Michigan’s widely followed sentiment survey will be released next Friday. Interviews for the survey will be conducted between 25 March and 7 April, meaning there should be some indication of how President Donald Trump’s 2 April tariff announcement went down with consumers. Confidence is already in the doldrums.
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3 weeks ago | 
investorschronicle.co.uk | Dan Jones
Liberation or liability? Donald Trump’s latest tariffs on trading partners have not spared the UK, and the economic fallout from the duties will not benefit the US, either. Investors’ reticence to believe the president is serious on this topic – despite tariffs being one of Trump’s favoured hobby horses for nigh on four decades now – has started to evaporate in recent weeks. It’s fair to say that despite the details announced on Wednesday night, this will not be the end of the story.
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3 weeks ago | 
ft.com | Dan Jones
Five years on from the DIY boom that captured investors’ attention at the start of the pandemic, home improvement retailers are trying to...
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3 weeks ago | 
investorschronicle.co.uk | Dan Jones
US recession concerns have been on the rise, and next week will provide some insight into how the economy is faring. There are still bright spots: PMI data next Thursday has been preceded this week by preliminary estimates revealing better than expected figures from the services sector. Friday will bring the latest jobs report, and analysts at Citi think this could display the first signs of federal government job cuts, a trend they expect to continue for the next six months.
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4 weeks ago | 
investorschronicle.co.uk | Dan Jones
The government’s Spring Statement was an exercise in travelling to stand still. But it’s unclear whether the ground is stable enough to support its plans for much longer. As had been widely trailed in advance of the statement, chancellor Rachel Reeves cut disability benefits and government spending. She did so in a bid to restore the fiscal ‘headroom’ that had been eroded in recent months by weaker growth and higher borrowing costs.
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1 month ago | 
montpelierbridge.org | Dan Jones
In these frightening times, rather than investments, I am finding food security climbing to the top or my worry list. I am searching for those with positive visions and local leadership who will help us to put our energies toward things we can actually do to make a difference. Sure, we are told to send $20 to the Democrat of our choice, who earnestly promises to build future “resistance.” But I’ve been waiting for such meaningful resistance for years.
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1 month ago | 
investorschronicle.co.uk | Dan Jones
Rachel Reeves will present her Spring Statement next Wednesday. Attempts to play down the significance of the occasion have been hampered by political pressure, economic changes, and the government’s own fiscal rules. The government insists there will be no tax rises in the statement – it is instead focusing on welfare cuts, to the dismay of its natural supporters – but the backdrop is as uncertain as ever.
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1 month ago | 
investorschronicle.co.uk | Dan Jones
With the Trump administration's tariff rollout raising the spectre of renewed price growth across the Atlantic, next Wednesday's US inflation data will be scrutinised for further signs of upwards pressure. While the consumer price index figures are backwards looking, other surveys hint that concern about the potential imposition of duties has already had an impact.
