As Goldman Sachs warns that the price of oil could fall to $20 a barrel, is the US shale revolution over? September 13, 2015 Peter Kiernan, lead analyst for energy at The Economist Intelligence Unit, says Yes. US shale oil growth between 2011 and 2014 was spectacular, causing total US crude oil output to grow by an annual average of 1m barrels a day during those years. But this was when prices were high. Production growth has slowed this year, [...]
Jeremy Corbyn: A Trotskyist tribute act on the verge of victory – The City View September 10, 2015 It feels like it’s gone on forever, we know – but tomorrow Labour will finally reveal the result of its leadership contest to replace Ed Miliband, who was so convincingly beaten during this year’s General Election. That election, back in May, reminded us of an age-old lesson in politics: never assume that there’s any such [...]
Jeremy Corbyn and the leadership result: Labour’s Thatcher moment won’t win over the country September 10, 2015 Say what you like about Jeremy Corbyn, but at least you know where he stands. His principled, straight-talking platform has the potential to transform the Labour Party. In fact, Corbyn could change Labour as radically and fundamentally as Margaret Thatcher changed the Conservatives. Indeed, while he would not thank me for saying this, [...]
Why the Fed should stick to its guns: The case for raising interest rates this month September 10, 2015 The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held rates at 0.5 per cent yesterday for the 78th meeting in a row – no surprise about that. Ian McCafferty remains the lone hawk voting for an immediate rise. The rest of the Committee members are sticking to the line that we’ll need to [...]
The National Living Wage could make eradicating the deficit a three Parliament problem September 10, 2015 Today we have upgraded our forecast for UK GDP growth to 2.6 per cent for this year and next. On the face of it, we should be content with such an outcome, particularly when looking at the economic problems facing the Eurozone and the recent slowdown in China that has reverberated across markets around the [...]
With Russia upping its military presence in Syria, is it time that the West put boots on the ground there? September 10, 2015 Michael Rubin, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former Pentagon official, says Yes Make no mistake: no Western nation wants to put boots on the ground inside Syria. Risks would be high, costs immense, and logistics complex. The question, however, is whether there is any choice. On the anniversary of the 9/11 [...]
We should encourage foreign graduates to stay – The City View September 9, 2015 Last week, this newspaper ran a front page story warning that finance chiefs identify the skills gap as a bigger threat to our economy than a slowdown in China, cyber attacks or even a British exit from the EU. Today, we feature the case of an international student with a first class degree in accountancy [...]
Nuclear power can now sweep the developing world – safely September 9, 2015 With everyone fixated on the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme, it is regrettable but perhaps understandable that the world has missed a crucial moment in the history of nuclear non-proliferation. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the government of Kazakhstan and a host of other international actors have agreed a deal to create the [...]
How Jeremy Corbyn’s People’s QE could win Labour the next general election September 9, 2015 According to SkyBet, Jeremy Corbyn is the 1/7 favourite to become the next Labour leader this weekend, with Yvette Cooper trailing in second place at 8/1. Bet365 puts the odds at 1/7 and 15/2 respectively. So if Corbyn is going to lose the leadership race, both the bookies and the political pundits will have [...]
Why it’s time to bring back a free market for sports tickets September 9, 2015 This year, anybody in the UK with an interest in sport has been spoilt for choice. The Ashes and Wimbledon both captured the public’s imagination once again and we still have the Rugby World Cup to look forward to. Alongside this, we continue to host some of the best music gigs in the world, [...]