Euro on the rise sending the USD lower and GBP higher as short positions were unwound ahead of year end which together with thin liquidity has exacerbated what would normally have been a smaller set of moves.
Ages: 0-14 yrs 17%; 15-24 yrs 12%; 25-54 yrs 48%
Population: 1.435 Billion
Growth rate: 0.6%
The last statistic is the one to note as you will have noted that as 77% of the population is below the age of 54, that means 23% is above the age of 55. Not a problem for the moment but given increased longevity and the 48% of the population between 25 and 48, when they are no longer working in 40 years time, it will be a problem. They will all need to be paid for in older age and a smaller workforce will have to work that much harder. This is not unfamiliar to those in Western Europe who now have to deal with both a declining and an ageing population.
Booked your spring bank holiday weekend away? Smug that you are ahead of the pack? Even though you have paid double for those flights to Spain? Oh dear. 30 million diaries were printed and sold before the announcement that the traditional first Monday in May had been moved to Friday May 8 to commemorate Victory in Europe or VE Day. Apparently blissfully unaware of this, many Brits keen to get those towels on the sunbeds ahead of the Germans/ French/Dutch have plonked their money down, booked their flights for the weekend of 1-4 May, and there’s the clue, now look like plonkers!
Discussion and Analysis by Humphrey Percy, Chairman and Founder
Japan Some of the market’s Great Minds spent yesterday afternoon debating whether Japan could get away with raising interest rates at the same time as the Central Banks from the other major markets are starting to cut their interest rates. In short, Japan can and probably will, since its monetary policy has been effectively in […]
Rather you than me, Christine As we and the market alike have been speaking about recently, Eurozone rates are all the rage. As we highlighted yesterday, the path for rate cuts next year has already captivated the market with easing being forecasted as early as Q1 2024. As we approach the Christmas period, we must […]
European Interest Rates More momentum on rate cuts in the Eurozone as expectations grew for cuts starting in March and totalling 140bps in 2024. Equally in the UK cuts of 130bps starting in June are being pencilled in to market calendars. What this means is that GBP/EUR is looking more than especially good value at […]