FTSE 100 down 1.6% in early trade
The FTSE 100 was down 1.6% in early trade amid concerns about falling factory production in China, debt issues in Europe, banking sector problems and the worsening crisis at BP. At this moment in time it seems that we are taking one step forward and two steps back regarding the FTSE 100 and recovery in the UK economy, making the future almost impossible to predict.
We will likely look back on the 2 to 3 year period since the credit crunch as one of the most challenging in the modern world and one which saw a massive number of disasters come together to create a nightmare scenario. Just when investors seem to be getting their confidence back we see problems in the Far East, problems in Europe and disaster with BP on a scale which is almost unimaginable.
The consequences for the oil industry are likely to be far-reaching with Pres. Obama already indicating that the "cozy relationship" between oil sector regulators and the oil companies will change in the future. However, the fact that governments around the world cream off billions upon billions of pounds of tax each and every year from the oil industry, both directly and indirectly, is likely to weigh heavily on the minds of leaders around the world.
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