Autumn Statement 2016: Looming dangers demand an urgent rethink of monetary policy in Britain November 21, 2016 A widely-held, but erroneous, view is that low interest rates act invariably as a welcome, unambiguous boost to business, consumers and the economy. Nonetheless, it seems almost incredible that the Bank of England has maintained an emergency rate since March 2009. The granting of (notional) independence over monetary policy to this institution has allowed politicians [...]
Ending discrimination against families in the tax and benefits system would mark chancellor Philip Hammond as a true radical November 21, 2016 Every now and again we have a radical government that changes the way things are done. Lots of governments try to give the impression of being radical by implementing swathes of new legislation. But really radical governments that change the course of history are rare. In the post-war period, we have only had the 1945 [...]
ECB president Mario Draghi maintains central bank’s stance on ultra-low interest rates November 21, 2016 European Central Bank president Mario Draghi has given a firm statement in favour of maintaining interest rates at zero per cent to continue to boost Eurozone inflation towards its two per cent target rate. In a statement to the European Parliament, he said: “We remain committed to preserving the very substantial degree of monetary accommodation [...]
Record highs on US stock exchanges driven by rising oil prices ahead of possible Opec production cut November 21, 2016 US equities moved upwards as the Nasdaq stock exchange hit a fresh all-time record high on intraday trading while the Russell 2000 also broke records on the back of expectations of an oil price rise. The Nasdaq Composite index gained over 0.5 per cent to break the previous all-time high of 5,359.90 points at 5,362.48. The [...]
A quarter of Brits think they can’t afford a dignified existence, while one fifth regularly can’t pay bills – although it’s better than France November 21, 2016 More than a quarter of Britons say that they “do not have enough money for a dignified existence” – although this was less than France, where 46 per cent of citizens thought they needed more for their dignity, a new survey says. A fifth of UK residents said that they are sometimes unable to pay their [...]
We asked economists what they want from Philip Hammond’s first Autumn Statement November 21, 2016 During the rapid post-Brexit shuffle at the top of UK politics many a word was spoken in haste, and perhaps none more so than confident predictions that Philip Hammond would put paid to George Osborne’s austerity politics with a bold return to Keynesian government investment. That might have been a bit rash, but it demonstrates [...]
McDonnell’s profligacy will clash with reality November 21, 2016 Philip Hammond will treat us all to his first fiscal event on Wednesday, as he stands up to deliver a hotly anticipated Autumn Statement. Actually, that may be overdoing it. Let's just call it anticipated. After all, Hammond is no George Osborne. The latter was famed for using such set-piece occasions as an exercise in power-building, [...]
Asset managers must adapt to serve investors in an age of disruption November 21, 2016 Today's investors and their advisers face a torrent of change from all quarters. Political, economic and regulatory turbulence is matched only by the speed at which technology is transforming business models, choices and decision-making. The low interest rate and low growth environment is creating real challenges for institutional and retail investors. These challenges form the central [...]
Have investors jumped the gun in thinking that the era of low inflation is now over? November 21, 2016 Jason Hollands, managing director at Tilney Bestinvest, says Yes. Deep tax cuts, looser banking regulation, massive spending on infrastructure and the military, alongside higher tariffs on imports and tighter immigration restrictions – Donald Trump’s economic policies are inherently inflationary for the US economy, especially against a background of low unemployment. Global bond markets have reacted [...]
Tech-tastic: May pledges billions to support tech champions as she fleshes out industrial strategy November 21, 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May will reveal details of her government’s flagship industrial strategy at a conference of business leaders today, promising billions in extra funding and potential tax breaks for a range of sectors. While insisting her plan is “not about picking winners”, she will identify several technology-related areas in the UK that the government [...]