First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund
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Why the IMF Sees Continued Uncertainty in the UK
The International Monetary Fund (or IMF), in its October world economic outlook, downgraded its growth outlook for the United Kingdom.
International Monetary Fund Sees Renewed Brexit Pain for the UK
International Monetary Fund slashes UK growth forecast In its World Economic Outlook update, released on July 23, the International Monetary Fund (or IMF) downgraded its growth outlook for the United Kingdom. The IMF said that it expects the UK economy (EWU) to grow at a rate of 1.7% this year, compared with its previous forecast […]
Why the Bank of England Decided to Keep Rates Unchanged
The Bank of England kept interest rates unchanged at 0.5%. The asset purchase program was also unchanged at 375 billion pounds.
BOE Monetary Policy Will Be the Highlight This Week
The BOE is scheduled to release it monetary policy on July 14—the first after the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union in a historic referendum.
Why Did the Bank of England Relax Regulatory Requirements?
The BOE (Bank of England) released the Financial Stability Report on July 5, 2016. It warned multiple times about the repercussions of a Brexit.
Contrasting Services PMI from the Eurozone and the UK
The composite PMI came out at 53.1—above the flash estimates of 52.8. The rise was primarily due to the rise in manufacturing production.
UK Construction PMI Contracts Due to Uncertain Brexit Implications
The United Kingdom’s construction PMI (purchasing managers’ index) came in at 46 for June—compared to 51.2 in the previous month.
Why Employment Numbers Are this Week’s Center of Attention
Strong non-farm employment required to maintain any rate hike hopes Non-farm employment changes are one of the most important indicators the US Fed considers in deciding on monetary policy. May non-farm employment changes hit a multi-year low, which took away all probabilities of a June hike. Check out the following article for further detail on May’s […]
Pound Falls, BOE Summer Stimulus Hopes Rise after Carney’s Speech
On June 30, BOE (Bank of England) governor, Mark Carney, gave a speech signaling the BOE’s possible actions after the Brexit referendum on June 23.
Is the Rebound in Global Markets Sustainable?
The SPDR Euro STOXX 50 ETF (FEZ) rose by 2.6%. The United Kingdom’s (FKU) FTSE 100 was among the leaders in European markets. It rose by 2.6%.
Do Asian Indexes Point to a Recovery in Global Markets?
Critical Asian indexes were trading on a mixed note on June 27 with the Japanese and Chinese indexes leading the gains. The Nikkei 225 posted a significant gain of 2.4%, while the Dow Jones Shanghai Index rose by 1.5%.
Major Macro Events in the Week Starting June 27
The final GDP is scheduled for June 28, 2016. It will be the major driver of markets in the week starting June 27. The GDP is expected to rise by 1.0%.
Global Central Bank Leaders Meet to Calm Market Jitters
Central banks met in Basel during the Bank of International Settlement’s annual meeting. They discussed how to control the impact of Brexit on the global economy.
Focus on Brexit, Volatility Expected to Rise in the Coming Week
This week, the markets will focus on Europe as citizens of the UK decide whether Brexit should pass in the June 23 referendum. There will be a minimal release of data from the US after a jam-packed schedule last week, led by the Federal Reserve meeting.
Will the Rise in US Indexes Act as a Catalyst for Global Markets?
Looking at how US indexes reacted to the central bank policies on June 16, the S&P 500 VIX Index fell by 3.8%. The S&P 500 Index rose by 0.31%.
Why Did the ECB Set Inflation Expectations Higher?
Major European indexes (DBEU) were trading range-bound on June 2, 2016. This came after the ECB kept rates unchanged.
Weak Chinese PMI, ECB Meeting, and Brexit Weigh on Global Indexes
Among European indexes, the German DAX and the French CAC 40 fell by 0.57% and 0.67%, respectively, on June 1, 2016.
Brexit Threat Spreads Risk around Global Markets
Major European indexes (DBEU) fell on May 31 as polls conducted by the Guardian and ICM suggested voters are in favor of Brexit.
European Market Flat as Investors Await G7 Leaders’ Brexit Views
Major European indexes (DBEU) were trading with caution on May 26, 2016, as they awaited G7 leaders’ views on the Brexit referendum.
Strong German Data Helps European Markets Extend Gains
The major European indexes (DBEU) extended their gains from the previous day on May 25, 2016. The rise was primarily attributed to the strong release of German data.
European Markets Rise, Bank of England Keeps Rates Unchanged
Critical European markets were trading higher on May 12, 2016. The BoE (Bank of England) unanimously decided to keep rates unchanged at the record low.
European Indexes Are Broadly Lower after Mixed PMI Release
Major European markets continued to fall on May 4. They were impacted by the Eurozone composite PMI release and the United Kingdom’s construction PMI.
European Markets Trade Lower, United Kingdom’s PMI Disappoints
Major European markets were trading with a negative bias on May 3. The European markets failed to build on the slight rise in the Asian indexes in late trade.
Why Mixed Data Didn’t Inspire the Stock Markets
Critical European markets (DBEU) continued to fall on April 29. The contrasting data release from the Eurozone added more uncertainty for investors.
Why European Indexes Are Falling while the Pound Rises
European markets (DBEU) were trading negatively today as the German business climate fell short of expectations.
European Indexes Falling as Investors Await ECB Press Conference
European indexes (DBEU) were trading with a slight positive bias this morning after an announcement from the European Central Bank or ECB about its decision to keep rates unchanged.
Major European Indexes Traded Lower as Crude Oil Prices Fell
Critical European indexes (DBEU) (HEDJ) were on a downward trajectory on April 7. Global growth concerns remain as crude oil (UCO) futures fell by over 2%.
Why European Indexes Fell despite a Decent PMI Release
Critical European indexes continued their downward trajectory on April 1, 2016. The European indexes had a weak opening as they seemed to follow the Asian markets, which were also on a Japan-led downslide.
European Indexes Were Mixed as Crude Oil Futures Fell
Critical European markets were all trading on a mixed note with a slight negative bias on March 23, 2016, at 2:00 PM EST. FEZ fell by 0.13% at 2:00 PM EST.
Why Did the Pound Fall as Core Inflation Slowed Down?
The pound had a volatile day on February 16, 2016. It rose to a high of 1.4518 ahead of the inflation data. After the data released, it fell to a low of 1.4276.
Pound Fell to a 7-Year Low despite Strong Inflation Data
The pound-US dollar currency pair has been on a downtrend since the beginning of the year. It fell by 0.46% on January 16, 2016.
Bank of England’s Meet Provides a Slight Uptick to the Pound
The pound-US dollar currency pair was on a downtrend in the new year. It saw a slight uptick on January 14, 2016. It posted a slight gain of 0.17% for the day.
Bank of England Is Expected to Keep Rates Constant
Weakness in the pound will give some respite to the BoE (Bank of England) ahead of its monetary policy review on January 13, 2016.
British Pound Fell despite the Rise in Construction Activity
The British pound fell on January 5, 2016. It came close to an eight-month low against the US dollar even though the construction activity sector rebounded in December.
Will the Pound Emulate the US Dollar’s Strength in 2016?
The situation for the pound sterling in 2016 is similar to the US dollar’s situation in 2015. The markets are expecting a rise towards mid-2016.
Pound Rose Even as the Final GDP Revised Down
The pound-US dollar pair was trading on a positive bias on December 23, 2015. The currency pair found resistance at 1.49. It closed the day at 1.4874.
British Pound Recedes due to Disappointing Construction PMI
The British pound fell sharply against the US dollar on December 2, 2015, due to negative manufacturing and construction PMIs for the month of November.
Pound Moves On Third Quarter GDP Estimates
The pound sterling ended on a lower note versus the US dollar on November 27, 2015, as GDP growth in the third quarter slowed in line with expectations.
Pound Gains Strength on Positive PMI Numbers
The pound gained strength against the US dollar on October 2, 2015. The uptick came with the announcement of strong construction PMI numbers.
British Pound Rallies on UK Employment Report
The British pound–US Dollar pair traded with a positive bias on the back of strong labor numbers. It posted a high of 1.5529, ending at 1.5493 on September 16—still a 0.98% increase from its opening level.
The Pound Falls as UK Manufacturing Production Disappoints
The pound fell to a low of 1.54 after the release of production data, which was below the forecast.
