As May pushes cash payouts for households, would sharing the proceeds of shale turbocharge the dash for gas? August 8, 2016 Michael Hulme, head of commodities at Carmignac, says Yes. Sharing the proceeds of shale with individual households as well as local councils will help kick-start the process, yes. The driver of shale development in the US was the existence of mineral rights – simply put, the ownership of what lies under the ground by the owner [...]
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 could be its best chance to pip Apple to the post August 8, 2016 Samsung versus Apple is one of the fiercest mobile tech rivalries ever and, with the right timing and its latest “phablet” device, the South Korean giant may have found the right formula to steal customers from the iPhone maker. Last week, Samsung released the Galaxy Note 7, a 5.7 inch “phablet” that comes with an [...]
This is why we should already be paying for our current accounts August 8, 2016 The idea of paying for a current account is one that might rankle customers, but the reality is it could be the most beneficial system for users and banks. The rationale is simple. When we pay for something, our expectation of that service is higher, when a cost is involved we almost always compare our options carefully [...]
Broadband is the lifeblood of business: It must be prioritised like any key utility August 8, 2016 It's a story that some firms in London find all too familiar. They decide on their office location, speak to property agents, negotiate the lease and move in. Everything is ready for them including desks, power and water. There is, however, one major issue: their broadband connection isn’t in place. It’s not even the case that [...]
Is May set to abandon Osborne’s China dream? August 8, 2016 It's almost a month since David Cameron left office. With his entire staff to the right of him and his family to the left, the outgoing PM delivered his final address to the nation in a typically calm and confident fashion. As he did so, the famous door behind him hid scenes of frantic activity. [...]
As calls for the chancellor to apply some fiscal stimulus grow, do we really want more public spending? August 8, 2016 Scott Corfe, director at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, says Yes. The UK economy is set to slow drastically over the coming quarters, with the Centre for Economics and Business Research expecting GDP growth to decline from about 1.5 per cent this year to less than 0.5 per cent in 2017. A recession – [...]
Fintech founders choose their favourite business books August 8, 2016 Stuck for what to read this summer and want to use the time improving your business acumen? City A.M. has asked five of London’s leading fintech founders what they’d recommend. Hiroki Takeuchi, co-founder of GoCardless, the online direct debit provider Five dysfunctions of teams, by Patrick Lencioni I love books that introduce me to [...]
It took Britain 12 years to join the EU – don’t expect the break-up to go much faster August 8, 2016 Theresa May was only a little girl when Neil Sedaka’s plangent song “Breaking up is hard to do / Now I know / I know that it’s true” was a Number One hit. Britain has announced it wants to break up with Europe, but it is turning out to be a harder to do than [...]
Voting for Hillary Clinton is the last thing I ever thought I’d do. But this is our moral test. August 8, 2016 “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Edmund Burke Every time I come to London, my good friend Dan and I make a point of seeing one of the city’s peerless museums together, as an enjoyable way to break up the monotony of the endless meetings I [...]
Why UK M&A activity is on the rise despite Brexit vote fears August 5, 2016 Figures recently released by Thomson Reuters have shown that widespread concern about M&A activity slowing down as a result of Brexit has very much been unfounded. In the first half of 2016, as the Brexit vote loomed, M&A activity was tailing off due to uncertainty in the corporate world, and experts were warning that the [...]