We are over the hump for this week, but if you are still thinking the weekend is a little too far in the distance then let the Williams Boys take your mind of it with some laser-like insight and pithy comment. For Episode 35 we begin by rounding up all the global economic updates, and…
The Bank of England (B of E), U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) and European Central Bank (ECB) all raised benchmark rates by 0.25% in order to tame inflation that remains substantially above target in all three territories. In the B of E’s case, it was the 14th consecutive increase, a damning indictment of its ineptitude by…
In James Cameron’s ‘Titanic’, Jack (Leonardo Di Caprio) perished while Rose (Kate Winslet) survived. However, when Coutts hit an iceberg, the roles were reversed. BBC business hack Simon Jack remains in post while Dame Alison Rose was effectively forced to resign, despite Nat West’s hapless chairman, Sir Howard Davies, expressing initial confidence in her. I…
The financial world may have woken up to updated Consumer Duty regulations on the 1st August, but as far as the Just Williams boys are concerned it’s been positive outcomes all the way for a long time now. As well as discussing this timely revision by the FCA, Duncan, John and Robert also muse on…
Federal Reserve (Fed) minutes from its last meeting suggested interest rates were likely to rise further in 2023 although at a slower pace. After 10 consecutive increases, June witnessed a pause in tightening. In the Eurozone, service and manufacturing output weakened while its strongest economy, Germany, entered recession. China continued to send mixed messages but…
I was interested to see Shell’s chief executive, Wael Sawan, not rule out moving group headquarters and main stock market listing to the US. He referred to the warm welcome extended by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at a recent investors’ meeting, illustrated by the Shell flag flying alongside the NYSE flag; “they said…
You can forget Wimbledon, and you can switch off the cricket because the Just Williams boys are back, and if you want razor-sharp commentary and pithy analysis it’s the only show in town. After a brief recap on the current state of interest rates and the mortgage market, Duncan, John and Robert seize upon a…
Was it a surprise the U.S. debt ceiling was raised? Of course not; there was only going to be one ending to this theatrical stand off and Biden was always going to get his money. Of course, the real issue is when will the U.S. (and the Western world in general) get its house in…
Recorded before the 13th straight rise in Interest Rates by the Bank of England (and by a whopping half a percent to boot) John and Duncan offer their take on the current state of the global economy. As you would expect mortgages dominate the early part of the discussion, and the impact that the stuttering…
Mmmm …… so Bank of England (B of E) governor, Andrew Bailey, admits there are “very big lessons to learn” in setting monetary policy after the B of E failed to a) foresee inflation on the horizon b) did nothing even when it was glaringly obvious problems were brewing c) believed it was all ‘transitory’…