Tag: Retail

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Weekly Overview: Investors seek safety as bond yields fall; Crude Oil down 5%; Baltic Dry Index down 15%; Bank of England Governor prepared to cut or freeze interest rates; US E-Commerce Retail sales soaring

Investors seek safety

What a difference a week makes, just last week everyone was talking about soaring bond yields. Investors are now seeking safety with developed economies bond yields falling significantly during the week.

Here are some 10-year bond yields, figures in brackets indicate change during the week.

US 2.93% (-15 bps)
UK 1.32% (-21 bps)
Germany 0.41% (-17 bps)
Canada 2.35% (-14 bps)
Switzerland 0.00% (-13 bps)
Netherlands 0.59%% (-15 bps)
Australia 2.79% (-13 bps) Continue reading “Weekly Overview: Investors seek safety as bond yields fall; Crude Oil down 5%; Baltic Dry Index down 15%; Bank of England Governor prepared to cut or freeze interest rates; US E-Commerce Retail sales soaring”

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US and emerging market bond yields soar; UK retail; US Student debt; German GDP

US and emerging market bond yields

The US 10-year bond yield soared to 3.09% today (up 75 bps over the past year and 25 bps over the past month), the highest since 2011. The 2-year yield hit 2.59%, the highest since August 2008 (read more here on the financial impact of rising yields for the US Government).

The bigger story is of emerging markets though. Brazilian and Indian 10-year yields have soared 33 bps in just a week. The Brazilian 10-year bond yield topped 10.12% while the Indian 10-year bond yield topped 7.91%. The US dollar has gained 7% against the Brazilian Real and 4% against the Indian Rupee over the past month.

Canadian bond yields are soaring the most amongst developed nations with the 10-year yield hitting 2.51%, up 94 bps over the past year and 24 bps over the past month. Continue reading “US and emerging market bond yields soar; UK retail; US Student debt; German GDP”

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Retail and restaurant apocalypse in the UK?

Jamie’s Italian and Barbecoa, Strada, Byron, Prezzo, Chimichanga, MEXIco, Cleaver, Square Pie, EAT – the growing list of chain restaurants in the UK which have either completely closed or are closing several restaurants.

The fashion store East, shoe chain Shoon, bed specialists Warren Evans and Feather & Black, toy store Toys R Us, electronic store Maplin have all gone into administration or liquidation. Meanwhile House of Fraser, Debenhams and New Look are all struggling, with all three considering large-scale closures of stores or space.

Even grocery retailers Tesco, Sainsburys and Morrisons have announced staff redundancies. So, what is happening? Continue reading “Retail and restaurant apocalypse in the UK?”