Nuclear and renewables might keep the lights on – but nothing beats Britain’s home grown gas August 15, 2016 In the wake of the delay to signing the Hinkley C contract, there has been heated debate about nuclear and the gap left when coal-fired power stations are decommissioned. I’m a great supporter of both renewable and nuclear electricity as part of the energy mix. However, for the UK to meet its climate targets by [...]
Following a raft of unimpressive data, can the Chinese economy avoid a hard landing? August 15, 2016 Craig Botham, emerging markets economist at Schroders, says Yes. Though marking a deceleration and disappointing expectations, the data does not suggest a hard landing is imminent. Rather, it remains commensurate with a soft landing; a gradual deceleration in the growth rate, to be expected after years of enviable growth. The most likely trigger for a hard [...]
Sadiq Khan is making the right noises on pollution problems, but London is lagging behind European counterparts August 15, 2016 Sadiq Khan has already had a considerable impact since coming into office, first with the T Charge and more recently with the introduction of ‘Air Quality Alerts’ across London. And today is the first day of new air quality alerts at bus stops, Tube stations and road sides across London during days of high and very [...]
After the whistle: Premier League clubs have been busy monetising content this summer which Sky, BT Sport and the BBC would eagerly compete for August 12, 2016 In recent weeks, Sky Sports has had David Beckham running through the streets taking in 10 months of Premier League footballing drama. But the UK’s top flight tournament is no longer seasonal. Over the summer, fans have been assiduously following transfer news and international friendlies with a new level of fervour. And Premier League clubs [...]
We must save Britain’s failing savings culture before it’s too late August 12, 2016 The chancellor may be cheering the collapse in government bond yields since Mark Carney announced a fresh round of monetary easing last week, but companies with final salary pension schemes certainly are not. If gilt yields fall, pension fund deficits widen – and the increasing price of government bonds barely counteracts this. According to former [...]
Banning diesel cars is the wrong way to tackle pollution in London August 12, 2016 Everyone reading today’s copy of City A.M. wants clean air. But reducing pollution in our great city is a complex problem deserving of careful consideration and the adoption of a range of solutions. There is no magic bullet. Reducing emissions from all sources – whether planes, trains, cars or buses, or the polluting systems that [...]
Immigration supporters must face facts: The public has no confidence in the system August 12, 2016 How would I sum up the job of the new home secretary Amber Rudd when she thinks about immigration in a post-Brexit world? “Immigration might be good for your GDP, but it doesn’t help mine.” A friend made the point when he visited London a few weeks ago. He isn’t racist, he has nothing against [...]
From semiconductors to soccer, foreign takeovers are good news for Britain post-Brexit August 12, 2016 "Corporate raiders” in a “stampede of acquirers” “crushing UK innovation” – the rhetoric around foreign takeovers in the past few months hasn’t been warm and welcoming in some parts. While alarmist in tone, this narrative is in part borne out by data – stats recently released by Thomson Reuters point to an increase in the [...]
After a gloomy RICS survey, should we be prepared for big falls in UK house prices? August 12, 2016 Andrew Craig, an independent financial adviser and founder of Plain English Finance, says Yes. We have already seen significant falls in house prices in the UK if, as should be the case, you measure such things in currency units other than pounds sterling. If you bought a property worth £1m around 10 years ago, that property [...]
It’s time to purge the stock market’s noticeboard of PR puff and let activist investors report on what really matters August 12, 2016 It's not exactly needle-in-a-haystack stuff: trawl through the reams of regulatory news announcements on most days and you will spot numerous examples of public relations puff masquerading as crucial investor information. So it’s disappointing that this week has thrown into sharp focus yet another of the perversities of London’s listings regime – and one which [...]