Financial crisis – 10 years on
It was 10 years ago this week that US investment bank Lehman Brothers was allowed to default. This event marked the beginning of the ultimate escalation from a severe credit crunch to a full blown global financial sector meltdown. The shock this caused to businesses led to the worst global recession since the 1930s, the aftermath of which we still experience today, with interest rates and growth rates still not having returned to pre-crisis levels.

Trade war or trade truce?
According to reports this week, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has extended an invitation to the Chinese government for the resumption of trade negotiations. Officials in Beijing are now working on the details of a meeting with their US counterparts – likely to take place in Washington.

Italian job needs German demand not bailout
The ongoing spat between the EU and Italy’s coalition government continues to preoccupy markets. Investors fear that another euro-crisis – with potentially far wider-reaching consequences – could develop if Italy can’t agree a budget deficit position with the EU.

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