City of London at a critical juncture

Last week, the Bank of England's (“BoE”) weekly short-term repo allotment hit a record high of over £100 billion, marking the shift to a repo-led system, while the BoE considers tokenised assets as eligible collateral. The UK labour market softening continued, with Adzuna reporting that December job vacancies fell 15% year-on-year to a 2020 low, as rising payroll costs slowed hiring. This supports the majority view of a March rate cut, despite BoE Governor Andrew Bailey stressing the need to boost market resilience. Globally, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Xi agreed on a "strategic partnership," resetting UK-China relations with progress on whiskey tariffs and visa waivers, alongside cooperation on equipment used for restricting small boat crossings. Chatham House noted Beijing views the UK as a stable partner amidst US policy "disruption," with low current investment, 0.7% of UK foreign direct investment, offering significant growth potential...Stocks featured:3i Group, Fresnillo and Lloyds Banking GroupTo find out more about the investment management services offered by Walker Crips, please visit our website:https://www.walkercrips.co.uk/This podcast is intended to be Walker Crips Investment Management’s own commentary on markets. It is not investment research and should not be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy, sell or trade in any of the investments, sectors or asset classes mentioned. The value of any investment and the income arising from it is not guaranteed and can fall as well as rise, so that you may not get back the amount you originally invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Movements in exchange rates can have an adverse effect on the value, price or income of any non-sterling denominated investment. Nothing in this podcast constitutes advice to undertake a transaction, and if you require professional advice you should contact your financial adviser or your usual contact at Walker Crips. Walker Crips Investment Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 226344) and is a member of the London Stock Exchange. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.