A look back at 2016

The UK employment and unemployment figures for the period May to July 2017 were announced yesterday and on the surface, the news is very good. The employment rate was 75.3 per cent, the highest since comparable records began in 1971. The number of people unemployed was 1.46 million, with the rate of unemployment being 4.3 per cent.

Agreement on Greek Bailout deal met with relief. But is this the end of the drama?

Munich, 16 October 2013 – There is currently a high level of uncertainty on the international financial markets, due to the budget dispute in the USA surrounding the proposed raising of the borrowing limit. The markets are waiting with bated breath to see whether the Democrats and the Republicans will be able to agree on raising the debt ceiling, which currently stands at just under 17 trillion US dollars. The key question for investors is whether the USA and other countries will be able to pay back the debts they have taken on or whether, as in the case of the debt cut in Greece, they can expect to see losses on their investments. A recent study based on sustainability rating agency oekom research’s country ratings shows that sustainability ratings are a reliable indicator of countries’ solvency and that taking sustainability ratings into account allows investors to make a better assessment of the overall risks.