Pension reform is political dynamite, but Macron’s attempt should be commended December 11, 2019 It would take a heart of stone not to be amused by Emmanuel Macron’s current predicament. The French President is trying to position himself as the leader of Europe. But at the same time, the streets of the major cities in France are, quite literally, ablaze. France’s public services are crippled by the biggest strike [...]
Institute of Directors members criticise Labour nationalisation plans December 11, 2019 Members of the Institute of Directors business body have criticised Labour’s plans to nationalise broadband, with 75 per cent of members calling the policy a bad idea in a poll. In a survey of over 1,000 of its members, the IoD also found that Labour’s broader plans to nationalise swaths of the economy would result [...]
Business groups call on next government to boost lacklustre growth December 10, 2019 Business groups have called on the next government to tackle the slowing UK economy after data today showed British GDP stagnated in October. The economy’s performance was below expectations of a 0.1 per cent expansion, but marked an improvement from the 0.1 per cent drop witnessed a month earlier, figures from the Office for National [...]
German investor morale unexpectedly climbs December 10, 2019 German investors were much more upbeat than expected in December, a survey has shown, with recent economic data fuelling hopes for an uptick in Europe’s biggest economy. The index of economic morale from research institute ZEW picked up to 10.7 this month from minus 2.1 in November. The score was well above expectations of a [...]
Swine flu helps push Chinese inflation to eight-year high December 10, 2019 Chinese consumer inflation climbed to close to an eight-year high in November, driven by a doubling of pork prices as African Swine Fever ravaged the country’s pig farms, official data showed today. Nonetheless, factory-gate prices fell for the fifth month in a row, highlighting the malaise in the country’s manufacturing sector brought about by the [...]
This country has not had enough of experts December 10, 2019 Michael Gove famously said that the “people in this country have had enough of experts”. Of course, that’s not the full story — at the time, Gove was specifically targeting experts who, he claimed, kept getting things wrong. But regardless, the “had enough of experts” quote went viral, and came to be viewed as something [...]
Former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker dies aged 92 December 9, 2019 Paul Volcker, the Federal Reserve chairman who slayed rampant US inflation in the 1970s and 1980s, has died aged 92. The towering figure of international finance passed away on Monday, his daughter told the New York Times. He had reportedly been suffering from prostate cancer. Read more: The economy is slowing – can central bankers [...]
London economy outperforms rest of UK ahead of General Election December 9, 2019 London’s economy continued to outperform the rest of the UK in November, survey data has revealed, with the capital’s businesses enjoying a recovery in new orders as the rest of the country struggled. New product releases, increased investment in marketing, and higher demand from US clients were some of the factors behind higher sales, according [...]
John McDonnell outlines plans to borrow extra £58bn for Waspi women pledge December 8, 2019 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has defended the Labour party’s plans to borrow the vast majority of the £58bn of pension compensation it has promised 1950s-born women. Challenged over how Labour would pay for the expensive election pledge on BBC’s Andrew Marr show, McDonnell said: “We will borrow, and I don’t shy away from that, because [...]
Chinese exports unexpectedly drop as trade war takes a toll December 8, 2019 China’s exports suffered a shock fall in November and contracted for the fourth month in a row, official data showed today, as the world’s second-largest economy struggled to cope with the US trade war. Yet imports fared better than expected, suggesting Beijing’s programme of domestic stimulus could yet boost the slowing economy. Read more: US [...]