Investment Week (June 29)
“Shop price inflation in the UK accelerated to a near 14-year high in June, powered by a sharp rise in food prices as retailers battle rising supply chain expenses and a decline in consumer spending. Shop prices were up by 3.1% in June, up from 2.8% in May.” This marked “the highest rate of inflation since September 2008” and it was largely “powered by 5.6% growth in food prices.”
Tags: Consumer spending, Expenses, Food prices, High, Inflation, Retailers, Sharp rise, Shop price, Supply chain, UK
Barron’s (May 17)
“The stock market has enjoyed a mini-rally in the past few days, but the latest gains look like an upsurge in the middle of a larger decline.” The “battered” market “seemed to be begging to be bought,” but it “could get knocked right back down.” Valuations “are still arguably too high.”
Tags: High
Investment Week (May 9)
“BP’s latest plan to buy back $2.5bn of stock this quarter has pushed forecasts for FTSE 100 firm buybacks to be on track for a record high in 2022. FTSE 100 firms are now planning £37bn of share buybacks this year, compared to the prior record of £34.9bn in 2018.”
Reuters (March 15)
“China posted a steep jump in daily COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, with new cases more than doubling from a day earlier to hit a two-year high, raising concerns about the rising economic costs of the country’s tough containment measures.” The nation’s “zero tolerance approach is not only becoming more costly, but also suffering diminishing returns against the highly infectious Omicron.”
Tags: China, Containment, COVID-19, Diminishing returns, Doubling, Economic costs, High, Infections, New cases, Omicron, Zero tolerance
Wall Street Journal (February 1)
“Despite record-high case numbers, the U.K. and other governments across Europe responded to Omicron with lighter restrictions than any previous wave of the virus, allowing businesses to remain open.” Moreover, individuals and businesses have “adapted to restrictions, minimizing the effects.” As a result, economic growth in Europe has slowed far less than during previous surges.
Tags: Businesses, Cases, Economic growth, Europe, High, Individuals, Omicron, Open, Record, Restrictions, Slowed, U.K., Virus
USA Today (June 8)
“The struggles of many long-term unemployed Americans… may be starting to ease. Last month, the number of people unemployed six months or longer fell by 431,000—the second-largest decline on record—to 3.8 million…. Even with that drop, though, the number remains historically high and has tripled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Tags: COVID-19 pandemic, Decline, Drop, Ease, High, Long-term unemployed, Struggles, U.S.
Orlando Sentinel (June 21)
“Florida reported 3,494 new coronavirus cases Sunday, continuing the streak of an increase in statewide infections as the caseload total tops 97,000.” New cases were down from Saturday’s “record high” of 4,049 new daily infections.
Tags: Cases, Coronavirus, Florida, High, Increase, Infections, Record, Streak
Financial Times (August 25)
“The US stock market this week reached twin landmarks: an all-time high, and the longest bull run in history. Yet it is shrinking…. The tally of listed domestic companies in the US has almost halved from 8,090 in 1996 to 4,336 last year.”
