With the FTSE 100 flat since January, will a Santa Rally bring festive cheer to investors in the index? November 1, 2015 Chris Beauchamp, a senior market analyst at IG, says Yes. Sell in May and go away is an adage that investors never tire of repeating. But perhaps they would be better served by learning “buy in October and hold until New Year”. Seasonal trends indicate that the final quarter is the best period for the [...]
London’s cabbies can’t afford to live in the past October 30, 2015 During last year’s Black Cab protest against Uber, one bit of news footage stood out. A cabbie was being interviewed on camera, explaining that Uber’s behaviour was unacceptable and unfair. Behind his seat, attached to the dividing screen between driver and passenger, was a sign that read “cash only”. This pigheaded refusal to join the [...]
We need to measure well-being to reverse Britain’s social decline October 29, 2015 It was only two-and-a-half years ago that an economic statistic threatened to kill off George Osborne’s economic strategy. There was speculation that the British economy might have shrunk in the first quarter of 2013. When the Office for National Statistics did announce – at 9.30am on Thursday 25 April (remember how some of us used [...]
US elections 2015 polls: Why both parties are putting their faith in the worst candidates out there October 29, 2015 Even after Wednesday night’s CNBC Republican Presidential debate – during which senator Marco Rubio (FL) and senator Ted Cruz (TX) unquestionably dominated the discussion with their wit, direct answers and rounds of applause – the unofficial polls still declared Donald Trump the winner for a third time in a row. Couple that with last [...]
As the Chinese government scraps its one-child policy after 35 years, is the move now meaningless? October 29, 2015 Danae Kyriakopoulou, an economist at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, says Yes China remains the world’s most populous nation, having doubled its population over the past 50 years. The working-age population has grown especially strongly. It’s only recently that its one-child policy has started to weigh on China’s demographics. This shows that demographic [...]
What really lies behind anti-business feelings? October 28, 2015 Was there ever an age when politicians were revered? The question should be asked because when people complain about the perceived calibre or character of elected officials, they seem to do so as if harking back to a time when MPs had respect and good will lavished upon them by a grateful public. There may [...]
What really lies behind anti-business feelings? October 28, 2015 Was there ever an age when politicians were revered? The question should be asked because when people complain about the perceived calibre or character of elected officials, they seem to do so as if harking back to a time when MPs had respect and goodwill lavished upon them by a grateful public. There may have [...]
Britain isn’t a free market: It’s time to imagine life beyond the state October 28, 2015 One of the most dangerous myths that pervades the political debate today is the idea that “neo-liberalism”, as the left describe it, has a stranglehold over economic policy. Certainly, if we compare the influence of government on our lives today with the early twentieth century, it is very clear that we live in a social [...]
Forget Nordic exceptionalism: Scandinavia grew wealthy despite big government October 28, 2015 I’ve just finished writing a global literature review of the relationship between government size and long-term economic growth. It addresses fundamental questions such as whether or not the relationship is positive or negative, and in which direction the causality runs. Does big government cause lower growth, or does lower growth cause bigger government? The answer [...]
We won’t end the UK’s culture of debt without tackling dire gaps in financial knowledge October 28, 2015 We all have financial ambitions in life: to buy our first car, to buy our first home, or to build a secure and healthy pension pot for our retirement. But while the vast majority of us have financial goals, less than half have a savings plan in place to deliver them. And what many [...]