Perhaps chancellor George Osborne needs an emergency Budget after all June 22, 2016 Chancellor George Osborne took some flak for last week's anti-Brexit stunt, during which he unveiled an "illustrative" emergency Budget consisting of £30bn in tax hikes and spending cuts. This sweeping phase of austerity would be necessary following a vote to leave the EU, Osborne insisted, due to the ensuing economic shock. Economists were unimpressed with the proposal, [...]
Eleven reasons voters will opt for the positive choice of Brexit June 22, 2016 As the markets try to second-guess the outcome of the EU referendum tomorrow, swinging one way and then the other, what is plain is that it is so tight that no-one really knows who will win. But I continue to be confident the British people will vote to leave the EU. So to all you [...]
The EU referendum has shown voters to be the irrational creatures they really are June 22, 2016 Some things never seem to change. In the mid-sixteenth century, in the course of her short reign, Queen Mary, a daughter of Henry VIII, tried to restore Catholicism to England. To this end, she arranged to marry King Philip of Spain, at a time when Spain dominated Europe. The Spanish ambassador in London sent back [...]
Why Britain leaving the EU would push Europe back into crisis June 22, 2016 If the UK votes to leave the EU, it would have significant consequences across the region. Indeed, it would represent a third phase in Europe’s rolling crisis, following the Eurozone crisis and the migration crisis, both of which remain unresolved. Voter disaffection has been rising and the region’s political capital and policy-making capacity have both been run [...]
As German judges clear the ECB’s OMT crisis bond-buying scheme, is it a step forward for the Eurozone? June 22, 2016 Dr Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg, says Yes. The European Central Bank (ECB) is the lender of last resort for the Eurozone. By throwing out legal challenges to the ECB’s “whatever it takes” promise, Germany’s constitutional court filled the one decisive gap in the institutional setup of the Eurozone. In mid-2011, an irrational market panic [...]
A Brexit view from Berlin: On balance, we would miss the Brits June 22, 2016 Jointly owning a property in Germany without a contractual agreement can be very risky. Statistically, people in Germany own a property for longer than they are married. If the respective property is jointly owned and the marriage breaks up, it can result in mortgage difficulties. For many Britons, its relationship with the European Union might [...]
London is reaching breaking point when it comes to tech talent June 21, 2016 After the fanfare of yesterday’s launch, the second day of London Technology Week has taken a long, hard look at the challenges and strengths of the capital’s digital industries. The truth is that whilst celebration attracts investment, the long-term success of technology will only be secured by united action from the private sector to address [...]
Cash is still king: Why hard cash continues to be a vital asset class for investors June 21, 2016 To many, cash represents an opportunity cost, an opportunity lost. These investors believe cash is a temporary holding medium between risk-assets, held unwillingly, often for a lack of better ideas. That is a limiting, myopic view. Cash is a core asset class, not a blank canvas from which to create an investment. Sometimes – even [...]
London needs to up its quality of life to compete internationally June 21, 2016 Londoners interact with different elements of the city, and seemingly different centuries, on a daily basis. On one hand, London is the tech capital of Europe. Since 2010, the number of digital businesses in east London's Tech City alone has soared from 250 to over 3,000 according to Gerard Grech, chief exec of Tech City [...]
Brexit wouldn’t be an endorsement of Nigel Farage but a vote of confidence in Britain June 21, 2016 It has been an obvious tactic. Remain advocates are attempting to shame Britons into voting In. One unsubtle social media meme even implied that a vote for Brexit makes you intolerant, close-minded and unkind. The evidence? Apparently Nigel Farage stood in front of a distasteful poster about migration, and he’s in favour of leaving. So a vote [...]