Credit Suisse upped Royal Mail to ‘neutral’ from ‘underperform’ on Friday, hiking the price target 261p from 94p as it said the UK outlook has been improved by pandemic-driven tailwinds. Following new analysis of short-term parcel trends and early indications of letter and parcel revenue baselines beyond the pandemic, the …
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The American consumer grew a bit more confidence in October, the results of the most closely followed gauge for confidence across the country revealed. A preliminary reading for the University of Michigan‘s consumer confidence index in October improved to a reading of 81.2 after printing at 80.4 in September. Economists …
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Activity levels at both US factories and among services sector firms picked up substantially in August, according to the results of two closely-followed surveys. IHS Markit‘s manufacturing sector Purchasing Managers’ Index jumped from July’s reading of 50.9 to 53.6 for August (consensus: 51.5). Services activity also accelerated, with the PMI …
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A widely-followed gauge of US consumer sentiment picked up more quickly than anticipated at the start of 2020, pointing to a still solid outlook for spending. The Conference Board‘s consumer confidence index rose from December’s upwardly-revised print of 128.2 to 131.6 (consensus: 128.0). A sub-index tracking consumers’ assessment of current …
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At home, foreign trade data for November are scheduled to be published on Monday, followed by readings on consumer prices and retail sales in December set to follow on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. Investors will be scrutinising those reports for further signs of weakness which might cement expectations in financial …
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