Dear Santa, all we want for Christmas is more freedom – sincerely, the economy December 20, 2018 What does the economy want for Christmas? The answer is what it always wants, but rarely gets: more economic freedom. Economic freedom is actually two presents, not one. To make this Christmas one to remember, the economy wants to unwrap both public and private sector freedom. Public sector freedom comes in the form of a [...]
Why 2019 might be a better year for investors December 19, 2018 | City Talk 2018 has been a disappointing year for most investors. Almost all markets, both stocks and bonds, have fallen in value this year, under pressure from rising interest rates, political developments such as Brexit, and the trade dispute between the US and China. With hindsight, markets were priced for perfection at the start of the year [...]
Celebrations Twix vs Mars… the lesson for investors December 19, 2018 | City Talk Christmas, as my colleague Andy Williams crooningly reassures us, may well be the most wonderful time of the year but, in social terms, it is also potentially the most blunderful. And while solutions to age-old concerns such as gifts people truly have always wanted and friction-free family get-togethers are still works-in-progress, our Value Perspective blog [...]
Dealing with the auto-enrolment challenge December 19, 2018 This year saw automatic pension contributions rise to five per cent, and an increase to eight per cent is scheduled for April 2019. While auto-enrolment has certainly been a positive step in encouraging people to save some money towards their pension, there are notable challenges that the initiative poses. The main concern is that there [...]
DEBATE: Will the new recommendations from the CMA help rebuild trust in the audit sector? December 19, 2018 Will the new recommendations from the CMA help rebuild trust in the audit sector? Michael Izza, chief executive of ICAEW, says YES. The proposals from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), alongside the Kingman Review, are the kind of bold intervention in audit that we have been calling for. Breaking up the larger firms was unlikely [...]
Theresa May’s #My100Days challenge: Prioritise business post-Brexit December 19, 2018 Earlier this year, I heard about a new Twitter initiative, known as the #My100Days challenge. The campaign encouraged everyone to think about what they could accomplish over the course of 100 days. Commitments ranged from spending more time with family and friends to getting involved in volunteering projects. With exactly this length of time left [...]
All change in 2019, as Europe heads to the polls December 19, 2018 Just as it is always 5 o’clock somewhere in the world, there are always voters preparing to go to the polls, even when they don’t hit the headlines here in the UK. In the first part of 2019, almost a third of the world’s population will take part in significant elections. In April and May [...]
The Ghost of Christmas Past could tell us where the negotiations all went wrong December 19, 2018 In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Scrooge finds being haunted by the Ghost of Christmas Past unbearable. He begs it to stop. The Ghost replies: “These are the shadows of things that have been. That they are what they are, do not blame me.” It might almost be the Prime Minister speaking about the whole [...]
Trevor Steven: Gareth Southgate tops my football roll of honour for 2018 December 18, 2018 It has been a year when quality coaching came to the fore in football. The World Cup and the Premier League is full of top bosses who are getting the best out of their players. Here are my highlights. Southgate shines in Russia Where else to start but with England’s efforts at the World Cup? [...]
Hong Kong Horse Racing Tips: Hearts Keeper can make most of a good draw for Wong December 18, 2018 Champion trainer John Size and Joao Moreira team up with the steadily-improving Nice Kick in the 12.45pm over six furlongs. You can guarantee their partnership will be heavily punted on, as the trainer/jockey combination has already delivered five winners in the past 10 days. Nice Kick produced an encouraging run when a staying-on fifth behind [...]