Author: Jordan

The Thomson Reuters/ Core Commodity CRB Index is one of those indicators that does not always get the attention it deserves, but it should. It quietly reflects what is happening across the entire commodity complex, not just gold, silver, or copper in isolation, but the full spectrum of raw materials that drive the global economy. At its core, the CRB Index is a basket of commodities that includes energy, metals, and agricultural products. Because energy carries a heavy weighting, shifts in oil can influence the index, but the broader message comes from how all these components move together. When the…

“These latest additions are about making sure brokers have the right options available, whether they are placing standard buy-to-let business or working across more specialist areas such as HMOs, MUFBs or holiday lets”- Grant Hendry – Foundation Intermediary-only specialist lender, Foundation, has expanded its buy-to-let mortgage rates with a new set of products spanning green, HMO, multi-unit freehold block, holiday let and expat categories. The move reflects continued demand from landlord borrowers for greater choice, particularly across more specialist property types and borrower profiles. The headline addition is a new Green Standard HMO product, priced at 5.59% with…

A surge in energy costs has revived inflation concerns and made central banks less likely to cut rates, and this has made interest-bearing assets more attractive, according to analysts.Gold prices fell by 12 per cent from US$5,247.90 per troy ounce on February 27 to US$4,620 on Friday morning.The metal is typically seen as an attractive long-term investment and a safe-haven asset in times of economic and geopolitical uncertainties.On January 28, gold prices reached an all-time high at US$$5,602. It rose 65 per cent from US$2,624 on January 2 last year to US$4,339.65 on December 31, according to KITCO, a precious…

LONDON, May 1 (Reuters) – ​British ⁠mortgage lenders approved ​63,531 mortgages for house purchase ​in ‌March, up from 62,708 in ⁠February and above ⁠the 60,000 ​median forecast in a Reuters poll of economists, Bank of ​England ‌data showed on Friday.Net unsecured lending to consumers rose by 1.895 ​billion pounds ($2.58 billion), above economists’ ‌forecast of a 1.75 billion pound increase.Rising mortgage ‌rates and a drop in consumer confidence since the start ​of the Iran war have ‌caused property surveyors to report falling prices and buyer ⁠demand ⁠in March, although figures ‌from Nationwide Building Society showed ​house ​prices continuing to ‌rise…

Market Overview The crypto market capitalisation rose by 1.29% over the past 24 hours to $2.57 trillion, supported by the Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500 indices hitting impressive new all-time highs. Furthermore, the strengthening of the Japanese yen caused the dollar index to fall, lowering the benchmark. The top performers were Zcash (+5%), Dash (+4.8%) and Aptos (+3.4%). The underperformers among the top coins were Theta (−1%), Cosmos (−1.4%) and NEAR (−1.4%). Bitcoin is once again attempting to climb above $77K, having found support from buyers during the dip to $75K. The shakeout of buyer positions proved to be quicker than…

When Jeff Bezos said that one breakthrough technology would shape Amazon’s destiny, even Wall Street’s biggest analysts were caught off guard. Fast forward a year and Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy described generative AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” technology that is already being used across Amazon to reinvent customer experiences. At the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, Elon Musk predicted that by 2040 there would be at least 10 billion humanoid robots, with each priced between $20,000 and $25,000. Do the math. According to Musk, this technology could be worth $250 trillion by 2040. Put another way, that’s roughly equal to:…

The recent survey of saltwater crocodiles in the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve is a notable advance for conservation in India. The census indicates a rise in overall numbers and demographic diversity, implying an ecological success that is also a marker of how wildlife law and conservation policy are gradually moving beyond their fixation on a handful of charismatic species, including the tiger and the elephant. In the early years of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, protection was disproportionately directed at megafauna whose appeal could mobilise public opinion. Saltwater crocodiles do not command the same affection, so their recovery demonstrates how the…

OSB Group plc has reported a resilient start to 2026, with modest loan book growth and continued progress on its strategic transformation programme. For the three months to 31st March 2026, the Group’s net loan book rose by 0.9% to £26.15bn, supported by an 11% increase in originations to £1.2bn. Growth was driven by buy-to-let (BTL) and residential lending, alongside continued expansion in higher-yielding specialist segments. Retail deposits increased by 1.8% to £24.7bn, while total assets fell slightly as the Group optimised its liquidity position and repaid £350m of Indexed Long-Term Repo (ILTR) drawings. The Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1)…

Mumbai: Banks in India have put a hold on gold imports since April 1 as they wait for a piece of paper from New Delhi.Over a dozen banks, comprising local and multinational lenders, are permitted to import gold that’s sourced from international bullion banks such as JP Morgan Chase, UBS and StanChart.Every year, a finance ministry notification in April exempts importing banks from integrated goods and services tax, which is levied on inter-state supplies of goods and services, as well as imports-exports.The framework has been in place for nearly a decade. ET BureauWith the ministry yet to come out with…

Pacific Assets (PAC), the £450m Asia Pacific fund rocked by the departure of its fund management team led by David Gait last August, stalled last year with zero growth in the portfolio, annual results have revealed. The 0% total underlying return in net asset value in the 12 months to 31 January lagged the 28.6% sterling rise in the MSCI AC Asia ex Japan index. “This disappointing outcome places the company at the bottom of its peer group over most longer time periods and remains a central concern for the board,” the company said. It indicated a new fund manager…