By Greg Smith on Monday, June 10th, 2019
in Blog, Market Insights
GBP – Conservative leadership Round One The focus since last week has been the start of the Conservative leadership contest. Theresa May will remain as PM until a new leader is chosen. Today is the deadline for nominations and a new leader is expected by 26th July. Under new party rules, candidates need to be nominated […]
By Greg Smith on Monday, June 3rd, 2019
in Blog, Market Insights
GBP – Tory leadership posturing Parliament will return from recess tomorrow and the focus will be on the Tory leadership election set to kick off next week. We have already seen the start of the posturing by the Tory leadership contenders. This week, attention may shift away from the contest as President Trump visits the […]
By Greg Smith on Tuesday, May 28th, 2019
in Blog, Market Insights
GBP – May to stand down Prime Minister Theresa May will stand down in early June. Her position became untenable as her plans to bring the EU Withdrawal Bill back to Parliament unravelled. She will remain until 7th June after president Trump’s visit, and then until a new leader is chosen. Sterling has been sliding […]
By Greg Smith on Monday, May 20th, 2019
in Blog, Market Insights
GBP – Sterling weaker on Brexit Despite even lower unemployment last week, the British pound has been under pressure. We have seen sterling weaker across the board, with GBPUSD and GBPEUR falling below 1.28 and 1.1450 respectively. The focus has been on Brexit and political developments. Prime Minister May promised to set out a timetable […]
By Greg Smith on Monday, May 13th, 2019
in Blog, Market Insights
GBP – Labour market report Markets remain spooked by the ongoing trade tensions flare up. Meanwhile, cross-party talks between Conservative and Labour ministers have been going on for six weeks without a breakthrough. A Government spokesperson described the talks as “constructive and detailed”. However, comments from Labour suggested the Government will need to move its […]
By Greg Smith on Tuesday, May 7th, 2019
in Blog, Market Insights
GBP – Cross-party agreement? Brexit and the potential for a cross-party agreement will remain a key focus this week. Reports suggest that a final summit between Conservative ministers and their Labour counterparts is likely to be held this week. Any deal would increase expectations that the Withdrawal Agreement could successfully pass through parliament. If these […]
By Greg Smith on Monday, April 29th, 2019
in Blog, Market Insights
GBP – Brexit talks continue Brexit continues to be the focus in UK financial markets but there is still little sign of a solution. Cross-party Brexit talks between the Conservatives and Labour will continue this week. The House of Commons is unlikely to vote on the EU Withdrawal Agreement this week. It is unlikely that […]
By Greg Smith on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019
in Blog, Market Insights
GBP – Parliament returns to Brexit talks Parliament has been in recess for the past week and the news has been almost devoid of Brexit talk. Cross-party talks between the Conservatives and Labour have been continuing and will carry on as Parliament returns to Brexit talks today. In an interview last Sunday, David Lidington said […]
By Greg Smith on Monday, April 15th, 2019
in Blog, Market Insights
GBP – Brexit flexibly delayed Following the emergency EU summit, the UK’s exit from the EU is now ‘flexibly’ delayed to the end of October. Parliament is now in recess so expectations are for a quieter week in politics. The immediate risk of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit appears to have been averted. Reports suggesting that Government […]
By Greg Smith on Monday, April 8th, 2019
in Blog, Market Insights
GBP – Cross-party talks continue Cross-party talks between Prime Minister May and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn are ongoing in an effort to break the impasse in Parliament. This represents a last-ditch attempt to find a solution. However, it remains to be seen whether any common ground can be found. Even if there is no agreement […]