Tag Archives: corporate investment

Interest rates in developed economies have been declining for the past 40 years. At this point, 60 percent of global GDP is generated in countries that have negative or near-zero interest rates. Germany and Switzerland have both issued bonds that yield negative returns to investors, and a handful of European corporations have done the same. The yield curve has also flattened significantly in recent years, making long-term debt relatively more affordable. In other words, it’s cheaper than ever...

And so it begins. Even before the Brexit vote, corporate profits in the U.K. were already under pressure from a combination of sluggish global growth and rising wages. But now, several weeks after referendum, business confidence in the U.K. is officially cratering. Credit Suisse’s Global Markets team expects corporate pessimism to ultimately translate into reduced investment and hiring, and the combination of rising unemployment and a weaker pound to squeeze household income. With uncertainty...