Turkey introduces ‘backdoor’ rate rise as Turkish lira falls to eight-month low May 9, 2019 The Turkish lira has fallen to its lowest level in almost eight months, prompting the country’s central bank to suspend short-term borrowing of government securities, in what has been dubbed a “backdoor” interest rate rise. The country’s embattled currency – which has been under pressure since March – has seen a serious severe downturn since Turkey’s [...]
Time for South Africa to heed Mandela’s call and embrace the free market May 9, 2019 When Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, the then President of South Africa, F. W. De Klerk, estimated that at least half of the upper echelons of the African National Congress party were either Communist or Soviet-bloc trained. Consequently, when Apartheid was ended, economic expectations for the country were poor. Just as the [...]
London sees sharpest fall in permanent jobs in almost three years in April, survey shows May 9, 2019 The number of people starting permanent jobs in London fell at its sharpest rate for almost three years in April, new analysis has revealed, in a sign that the capital’s jobs boom may be slowing. Read more: UK employment hits record high as wages grow again Starting salary inflation for permanent positions cooled to a [...]
The City powers the UK economy – it must not fall into Labour’s hands May 8, 2019 Despite the best efforts of a few valiant voices, the City (and its interests) received a shameful lack of attention during the Brexit debate and has been largely left to fend for itself ever since. Read more: What the next Bank of England governor’s CV looks like However, the race to succeed Mark Carney at [...]
Trump claims China stalled on trade deal in hopes of dealing with Democratic president May 8, 2019 US President Donald Trump has claimed that China was seeking to U-turn on the trade deal struck between the two countries in the hope that it could renegotiate with a Democratic president following the 2020 election. Read more: Global markets in tailspin after Trump threatens huge China tariff rise He also said that China's vice-premier [...]
Chinese exports unexpectedly fall as pressure builds to reach trade deal with US May 8, 2019 China’s gigantic trade surplus unexpectedly narrowed in April, as the country’s exports fell 2.7 per cent year-on-year in a sign that pressure from the US was hurting the Chinese economy. Read more: Global markets in tailspin after Trump threatens huge China tariff rise Imports fared better, however, rising four per cent in April after a [...]
European car and parts output slumps to six-year low as continent’s woes continue May 8, 2019 The European automobiles and parts sector remained in a strong downturn in April, according to data company IHS Markit. Read more: EU slashes its forecast for German growth as it predicts Eurozone slowdown Output, new orders and employment all fell sharply last month, IHS Markit said, in more bad news for Europe’s struggling manufacturing sector. [...]
Labour’s renationalisation plan isn’t just illiterate, it’s immoral May 8, 2019 Want to buy something, but can’t quite afford it? Just use a simple trick from John McDonnell. Here’s how it works. You say: “We’ll pay a fraction of the actual price.” They say: “Sorry, you can’t do that.” You say: “Yes, we can. We’re the government.” That, in essence, is Labour’s plan to renationalise the [...]
It’s not cutting-edge AI we should feel anxious about, but mediocre automation May 8, 2019 If there were a betting market in future winners of the Nobel prize in economics, MIT’s Daniel Acemoglu would be at pretty short odds. His highly innovative work has already won him a string of prizes. So his research is always worth following – especially when he challenges the conventional wisdom, as in his paper [...]
DEBATE: Was Gordon Brown right to sell off the government’s gold reserves 20 years ago? May 8, 2019 Was Gordon Brown right to sell off the government’s gold reserves 20 years ago? Tim Focas, director of financial services for Westminster think tank Parliament Street, says YES. While Gordon Brown could have sold at a better price, for the vast majority of governments across established economies, there is no real point to holding gold. [...]