Record low inflation should not rule out a post-election rate rise February 17, 2015 The long-term view of UK inflation is much more positive than January’s figures suggest. Yesterday’s numbers showed that the UK inflation rate has fallen further – to 0.3 per cent. But the decline is showing signs of bottoming out – and temporary fluctuations should not distract us from this. Excluding food, drink, tobacco and energy, [...]
Smart materials: Why the future face of manufacturing matters to investors February 16, 2015 The traditional resources services sector had a challenging year in 2014. While growth rates have trended positively in most parts of the world, resources equities and commodity prices, including oil and gold, declined because of uncertainties and increased supply. Longer term, population growth and demographic shifts will alter consumption patterns and place additional strain on [...]
Universal credit holds promise – but it is just the beginning of welfare reform February 16, 2015 Forget all the populist welfare crackdowns dominating the election headlines over the past week. These are small fry compared to the gargantuan task of rolling out the government’s long-awaited “universal credit” – a project that it insists will transform welfare forever. The scheme, which merges six benefits, including jobseekers’ allowance, tax credits and housing benefit [...]
Professional services must act now and join the digital revolution February 16, 2015 No industry is immune from digital disruption. And any business would be foolish to think that it is a phenomenon limited to specific sectors or models. The possibility of being ousted by an innovative startup is just as applicable to an industry like professional services as it is to, say, media and communications – or [...]
Putin has an upper hand – it is high time the West said enough is enough February 15, 2015 Vladimir Putin once said “There is no such thing as a former KGB man.” The problem in dealing with the present Russian Tsar is that he knows far more about our weaknesses than we do about his. Coming to maturity as a KGB officer in eastern Germany, the young Vladimir Putin’s tradecraft involved incessantly analysing [...]
London and China’s relationship is flourishing but we must work to maintain it February 15, 2015 The widespread celebrations that will mark Chinese New Year in London this week go some way to highlight the importance of the UK’s relationship with China. Its growth may have slowed in recent months, but China’s economy remains one of the fastest growing in the world – and one to which British companies are increasingly [...]
Whistleblowing: Why there are key lessons that the City can learn February 15, 2015 The news wires have been abuzz with high-profile stories centred on whistleblower allegations. Among this flurry, the report from Sir Robert Francis QC into the strength of whistleblowing procedures in the NHS last week made for particularly sobering reading. It outlined the failures of organisations to protect those who speak out. But the report does [...]
FTSE Shades of Grey: Why markets should not fear election uncertainty February 12, 2015 Many may well be planning their Valentine’s weekend around the much-anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey film, released today. But the fact we’re now 82 days away from the long-awaited General Election is more likely to get investors slightly hotter under the collar. Of course, in most cases, elections don’t matter very much at all to [...]
Criminal cartel agreements: Businesses need to know what they’re getting into February 12, 2015 You would not be alone in not knowing that there is such a thing as a criminal cartel, let alone how it is defined in UK law. But a significant change to this definition last year will mean that something few were aware of will now be increasingly on the radar of British businesses, who [...]
The rise of the expert patient has the power to transform the NHS February 12, 2015 The productivity of the NHS isn’t just important for our health. At 7 per cent of GDP, it matters for the whole economy. And this is why the next Parliament must see an efficiency revolution in the NHS, greater than any seen elsewhere or in the UK before. One important idea at the heart of [...]