Analysis: Europe Inc’s wage hikes alarm investors as worries about recession grow

Plans by European companies to hike wages and pay one-off bonuses to help staff cope with a torrid winter are raising alarm among investors concerned that the extra cost could hurt profits and undermine the region’s economy.
Oil prices climb on concerns over tight supplies

Oil prices rose on Tuesday as worries about tight fuel supplies ahead of winter offset investor concerns about falling demand in China, the world’s biggest crude importer.
Analysis: Sterling returns to the 1980s, and it may get cheaper still

Sterling’s slide against the dollar to a rate last seen in 1985 has sparked talk of a dramatic spiral downwards that ends in a collapse in confidence in British assets and a balance of payments crisis.
Morning Bid: The 75bp club

Most of world’s major central banks are now going up a gear with historically sweeping interest rate rises to cool their economies and drag down inflation – and there are some signs it’s already working.
Analysis: Europe’s banks dim lights as they brace for winter blackout

Some of Europe’s biggest banks are preparing back-up generators and to dim the lights as they brace for potential power cuts and energy rationing that threaten the money system underpinning the region’s economy.
Japan’s services sector shrinks for first time in five months in August – PMI

Japan’s services sector activity shrank for the first time in five months in August as a resurgence of COVID-19 infections hurt demand, a business survey showed.
Analysis: As Ukraine war drags on, Europe’s economy succumbs to crisis

A post-pandemic spending euphoria, supported by copious government spending was set to drive the economy and help fatigued households regain a sense of normality after two dreadful years.
Gas price surge, recession fears weigh on European shares

European shares slipped on Tuesday as investors fretted about soaring energy prices and a weak economic outlook after data showed business activity in the region contracted this month.
Morning Bid: Yuan, euro and pound head down the Hole

Global central banks are scattering again, propelling a resurgent U.S. dollar to its highest in almost two years against China’s yuan and back through parity against the euro.
Euro zone inflation hits yet another record high after big jump

Euro zone inflation rose to another record high in July and its peak could still be months away, keeping pressure on the European Central Bank to opt for another big interest rate increase in September.