It may almost be August but despite that, the week ahead is a busy one for financial markets. It's also an even busier one for Zimbabwean thumbs as we keep up with the upcoming election! The economic focus, will be on policy announcements from three major central banks – the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan and the Bank of England. The update from the BoE is likely to be particularly significant as we expect both a rate hike and guidance that rates are likely to rise fur

It has been another week to keep markets on their toes. Of particular interest has been the slide in sterling to a 10-month low against the US dollar (hitting 1.2958). It also slipped against the euro, albeit to a lesser extent. The depreciation seemed to be a reaction to both weaker than expected UK economic data and further uncertainty around Brexit. A series of data releases provided reasons for doubt whether the Bank of England will raise interest rates on the 2nd August.

In the UK next week will be a critical week for politics as well as the broader economic outlook. In the upcoming Zimbabwean election, we're entering the final 2 weeks of the race. The customs and trade bills proposed in yesterday's White Paper face votes within parliament (provisionally Mon & Tue). Their performance here will be important in setting the path for future negotiations. The customs bill vote is expected to see most discord, with Tory hard-liners attaching severa