Euro 2016: Think like a fund manager to build a winning fantasy football team June 7, 2016 Fantasy Football has developed into one of the world’s most popular online sports games. Forbes estimates that 1.2bn hours are spent playing the US version every year. But although the game is light hearted fun for most people, its clear parallels with asset management show what a serious business it can be. In Fantasy Football, [...]
Banks face a storm of new regulation in the aftermath of the EU referendum – and they’re worryingly unprepared June 7, 2016 June 24. The Brexit referendum result is in the books. Everyone wakes up dazed and wonders “what next?” The City, in particular, will have work to do. Normal politics has taken a bit of a holiday but the bureaucratic processes steadily reshaping financial services regulation have not. To give just a few examples: tax rules [...]
As Brexit momentum sends sterling tumbling, is a weaker pound really such a bad thing for the UK economy? June 7, 2016 Vicky Pryce, board member of the Centre for Economics and Business Research, a former government adviser, and co-author of It’s the Economy, Stupid. Economics for Voters, says Yes. The external Monetary Policy Committee member Kristin Forbes recently pointed out that the burgeoning UK current account deficit has been more driven by a deterioration in the investment [...]
The war on cash is raging – should we welcome or fear the death of hard money? June 7, 2016 Cash is no longer king. Although the Bank of England unveiled a new, polymer-coated £5 note last week, the seemingly unstoppable march towards paper-free transactions continues. Electronic payments overtook notes and coins last year in the UK, according to the Payments Council, an industry body representing the banks and card machine industry. They now account for [...]
Carneiro v Mourinho: How damaging can a tribunal get? June 6, 2016 Today marks the beginning of the eagerly-awaited employment tribunal between Eva Carneiro, former first team doctor at Chelsea F.C., and the club’s then manager Jose Mourinho. Speculation is mounting as to how it might affect the career prospects of the parties involved; in particular Mourinho’s recent appointment as manager of rival club Manchester United. Although [...]
Are Sadiq Khan’s planning reforms viable? June 6, 2016 After just two weeks in office as the new mayor of London, Sadiq Khan revealed his plans to deal with the capital’s housing crisis and said the previous mayor had “left the cupboard bare” when it comes to delivering affordable housing. Khan says he will be working with the government to actively identify surplus public [...]
Politics, like business, needs long-term ideas June 6, 2016 As Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Junker remarked: “We all know what to do, we just don't know how to get re-elected after we've done it.” Today, Junker no longer has to worry about relying on an electorate for his position, having acquired the role of top dog at the European Commission. However, his past observation remains [...]
The Brexit debate misses the point: The EU is completely irrelevant to the UK’s success in a multipolar world June 6, 2016 I have watched the current Brexit debate with growing frustration, as both sides entirely miss the point. While David Cameron – a chicken little if ever there was one – keeps ridiculously intoning that the sky will fall down if Britain dares to leave the smothering embrace of Brussels, the Out campaign talks obsessively of immigration. [...]
The City’s philanthropic heritage is a powerful draw for values-led millennials June 6, 2016 The City of London has a proud tradition of philanthropy dating back to the Middle Ages, and philanthropy is the reason that our Square Mile – the world’s pre-eminent global financial centre – exists as we know it. From schools to sanitation, and from hospitals to housing for vulnerable people, many of my forebears as [...]
The post-crash entrepreneurial revolution has changed Britain: I want MPs to spur it on further June 6, 2016 Today we are launching the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Entrepreneurship in the House of Commons. This cross-party group of MPs will act as a bridge between entrepreneurs and policy-makers, “making sure the voice of entrepreneurs is heard loud and clear in Parliament,” as business secretary Sajid Javid MP will say at the launch event [...]