By Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ACCRA ACCRA Ghana’s main opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo skipped the country’s only presidential debate on Wednesday, leaving the stage to President John Mahama and four other opponents a week before the election. Aides to the leader of the New Patriotic Party said he decided to stick to his prior campaign commitments, even though it meant missing the chance to present his message […]
Just as horror movies can spook fright nerds more than they expect, so political risk is sparking heightened levels of anxiety among seasoned investors. Investors caught out by Brexit and Donald Trump are making better preparations for political risk in Europe, plotting a route to the exit door if the unfolding story of French, German and Dutch elections poses a serious test for markets. One key measure […]
BEIJING China called on Wednesday on Taiwan to stay out of Hong Kong’s affairs, saying self-ruled Taiwan was “talking nonsense” about the former British colony and warning it not to damage Hong Kong’s stability. Chinese leaders are concerned about a fledgling independence movement in Hong Kong, which returned to mainland rule in 1997 with a promise of autonomy, and recent protests in the city. Beijing staged a […]
In a report confirming that the ECB is preparing for a rerun of a post-Brexit scenario, Reuters writes that the ECB is ready to temporarily step up purchases of Italian government bonds if the result of next Sunday’s crucial referendum, which according to WSJ will likely determine the future of not only Monte Paschi but other insolvent Italian banks, “rocks markets” and sharply drives up borrowing costs […]
Two weeks before the election, I traveled to Maine for a conference and drove through Massachusetts and New Hampshire on my way. In Silicon Valley, which was mostly Clinton country, I’d seen very few signs or bumper stickers promoting any candidates. But as I drove through the northeast, plenty of Trump signs were displayed on people’s lawns, fences, and car bumpers. I did see a […]
By Andrew Callus | PARIS PARIS France’s centre-right rallied behind free market reformist Francois Fillon as its candidate for president on Monday after a snap opinion poll showed him clear favourite to beat far-right leader Marine Le Pen in an election showdown next year. Fillon, a former prime minister who vowed to change France’s “software” with an assault on public sector spending, moved one step closer to […]
Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before. Italian bank stocks are being hit hard this morning, leading declines across European financials ahead of a key referendum on December 4 that could have major consequences for plans to revive Italy’s troubled financial system. UniCredit – Italy’s most systemically important bank – is the biggest loser, falling 4 per cent, while Banco Popolare, Banca Popolare di […]
TOKYO Oil prices tumbled on Monday on fears that producer countries may fail to agree an output cut, pressuring U.S. stocks and the dollar as traders reversed their “Trumpflation” trade as weak oil prices would reduce pressure on U.S. interest rates to rise. That gave some relief to Asian shares, which had underperformed on worries about capital flight to higher-yielding U.S markets in the weeks since Donald […]
November 27, 2016 by: Anne-Sylvaine Chassany in Paris French voters were heading to the polls on Sunday in a primary run-off contest predicted to give François Fillon the centre-right nomination and a good chance of becoming president of France next year. Mr Fillon, the former prime minister who unexpectedly surged to pole position with 44 per cent of the votes in a first round last Sunday, is […]
KUWAIT CITY: Kuwaitis turned out in large numbers Saturday for the first election contested by the opposition in nearly four years amid fresh disputes over cuts in subsidies due to falling oil revenues.Turnout was high with some polling stations reporting that 80 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots by the time polls closed at 8 p.m. (1700 GMT), according to Kuwait Television. Vote counting started […]
Kuwaitis voted on Saturday in an election energised by the participation of opposition candidates for the first time since 2012 and focused on recent government austerity measures aimed at tackling the oil-rich nation’s deficit. The parliament of Western-allied Kuwait was due to run until July 2017, but the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, dissolved it in October, saying “security challenges” in the region – an apparent reference […]
By Steve Holland and John Whitesides | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump made a surprise closed-door visit to the Republican National Committee on Thursday after a tumultuous two days on the campaign trail that included a reversal of his pledge to support the party’s nominee. Trump, who is also struggling to contain the fallout from his Wednesday comment that women who have abortions should be […]
The burst of Democratic spending is causing heartburn for operatives working to keep the Senate in Republican hands. “I worry every day, and every day it’s a different state,” said Scott Reed, the senior political strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has spent $32 million boosting Republican congressional candidates, according to FEC filings. But in October, two weeks before the election, Reed found himself […]
While most global equity markets were subdued due to the US Thaksgiving holiday, the FX world was very busy overnight, marked by the relentless dollar surge on expectations of a rate hike not only in December but further in 2017, sending Asian currencies to the weakest level in 7 years: the Bloomberg-JPMorgan Asia Dollar Index reached 103.32, the lowest level since March 2009. The regional FX plunge […]
Sitting on a bench outside a butcher’s shop in Bagnoli, a gritty Naples suburb, Emanuele Fusco can only speak scathingly of Matteo Renzi and his referendum to change Italy’s constitution that will be put to a vote on December 4. The 25-year-old barman says the prime minister’s government has been no different to those previously that failed to regenerate the area after the demise of the steel […]
“It’s almost like a puzzle mystery,” Priebus told me last summer. I don’t recall what we were talking about, but Priebus had a knack for homespun Wisconsin logic and, particularly, throwaway lines that would stick with me. I kept thinking of the puzzle mysteries that were playing out up and down Trump Tower, even though I showed up Friday without an appointment with Priebus and was confined […]
Here are the questions being asked at FT markets as a new trading week begins after the pronounced swings in equities, bonds and currencies that followed Donald Trump’s election victory in the US. Are the dollar bulls running too fast? When currencies start motoring, forget speed limits. The dollar has accelerated markedly since election day. Pressure on emerging markets is rising, while the euro slid through $1.06 […]
The political comeback of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy ended abruptly on Sunday when he conceded he would not be reaching the run-off of the centre right primaries to fight the presidential campaign next year. A late surge of support for François Fillon caused a major upset, as about 4m voters headed to the polls in the first step of a process expected to give France its […]
Lawyer Hani Hussein, who was barred from participating in the parliamentary polls, has claimed a “big surprise” could delay Kuwait’s November 26 elections and lead to the reinstatement of the 2013 National Assembly which was dissolved in October. Hussein made the announcement on his official Twitter account but declined to reveal the nature of the surprise. However, he said it relates to a provision in the election […]
November 13, 2016 by: Theodor Troev in Sofia and Kerin Hope in Athens Rumen Radev, Bulgaria’s former air force commander, was set to win a run-off vote in Sunday’s presidential election second round, triggering the resignation of Boyko Borisov, the centre-right prime minister, immediately after the polls closed. First results gave Mr Radev, an independent backed by the opposition Socialist party, a projected 59 per cent of […]
Moldova has elected as president a pro-Russian politician who has threatened to derail co-operation with the EU, in another setback for Brussels in eastern Europe. Igor Dodon, whose campaign called for closer ties with Moscow, had won 55.4 per cent of the vote with over 96 per cent of ballots counted, according to Moldova’s election commission. Mr Dodon’s election as head of state could strengthen Moscow’s hand […]
Fear and loathing was the overriding sentiment of fund managers and analysts contemplating the market implications of an unlikely Donald Trump presidency. Instead we have seen hope and excitement as the reality sinks in. What changed? It’s been quite the turnround. The overwhelming finance industry view before Tuesday’s election was that the stock market would tank if Mr Trump triumphed. Going by how equities quivered every time […]
Photo Speaker of the House Paul Ryan showing the president-elect, Donald Trump, and his wife, Melania, the speaker’s balcony at the United States Capitol on Nov. 10. Credit Zach Gibson/Getty Images The president-elect walked onto the stage before a crowd of euphoric supporters. It was his first public sighting since the networks called the election for him. Gone were his hoarse pleadings for support. His face bore […]
Nearly 25 years after they first conquered the White House and captured the commanding heights of the Democratic party, the Clinton family crashed to earth on Wednesday, shattering the ambitions of Hillary Clinton and her clan of fiercely loyal operatives. But as they come to terms with their rout some Democrats see a glimmer of hope, and a badly needed chance to rebuild a party that can […]
