‘The world of Cat TV is more cut throat than you would ever imagine’ – inside the strange business of TV… for cats
Budget 2030: What will chancellors of the future have to grapple with? March 3, 2015 Red box at the ready: it’s two weeks until George Osborne delivers his final Budget of this Parliament. As it is happening only days after Nesta’s future-gazing London festival FutureFest (taking place on 14 and 15 March), we’ve been speculating as to what the Budget in 2030 might look like. Let’s take a look into [...]
Mario Draghi calling: Why the ECB’s QE may struggle to reach €1 trillion March 3, 2015 The European Central Bank’s (ECB) version of quantitative easing (QE), which was announced to much fanfare in January, involves the purchase of bonds from both institutions and individuals. ECB president Mario Draghi hopes that the proceeds of these sales will be used to buy other assets or to lend, thereby oiling the wheels of the [...]
There’s nothing inevitable about slower growth – but we must embrace change March 3, 2015 Are we doomed to secular stagnation, to permanently lower rates of economic growth? The debate was sparked off nearly a decade before the financial crisis by the top US economist Robert J Gordon. He took a pessimistic view of the impact of the new wave of technology on productivity and economic growth. The latest contribution [...]
As M&A involving UK firms fell to 1987 lows in 2014, could politics harm prospects for 2015? March 3, 2015 James Fillingham is transactions services partner at PwC, says Yes In 2014, the Scottish referendum did give buyers and sellers pause for thought, but that was only part of the story. While M&A was down in the UK, we saw a massive, offsetting increase in IPO activity. We also saw much refinancing with plentiful, cheap [...]
The North Sea is drowning in tax: Only radical action will salvage UK oil now March 2, 2015 Following his comments at the recent opening of the OECD’s Economic Survey, it is to be hoped that the chancellor gives North Sea oil companies, their shareholders, and their employees enough reason to cheer when he announces the Budget on 18 March. He recognised that the oil and gas industry is a vital national asset [...]
The licence fee is obsolete – but a new BBC poll tax would be just as bad March 2, 2015 BBC director-general Lord Hall must have thought all his Christmases had come at once. For years, the corporation has been on the defensive about the future of the TV licence fee. Campaigners had highlighted how it is being rendered obsolete by the increasing numbers watching TV via iPlayer catch-up services, on tablets, computers and on [...]
Valley of death: How we can close Britain’s dire SME funding gap March 2, 2015 George Osborne should be satisfied with progress in driving forward the British economy, which the OECD applauded last week for its outperformance against other Western countries and its textbook economic reforms. As part of its package of initiatives to ensure momentum is maintained and growth accelerates, the UK government recently announced a new Help to [...]
With the US army chief warning on UK defence cuts, is Britain’s global position under threat? March 2, 2015 Dr John Hulsman is president of John C Hulsman Enterprises, says Yes Army chief of staff general Raymond Odierno is merely stating the glaringly obvious. During the Prime Minister’s recent January trip to Washington, he was told in no uncertain terms that the confidence of America – Britain’s seminal ally – is eroding, at the [...]
Why demography –not QE – is destiny – CNBC Comment March 2, 2015 The latest figures from Europe have been getting better. Let’s hope it lasts. Nonetheless, the debate continues over whether the European Central Bank (ECB) has done “too little too late” in terms of its trillion-euro QE program to avoid “Japanese-style” deflation. It is a debate that has raged ever since the US Federal Reserve embarked [...]
India rising: The re-awakening of this sleeping giant is the best news of 2015 March 1, 2015 “The Indian economy is a super giant, which moves slowly but surely.” – Arun Jaitley, Indian finance minister. After starting the year perpetually commenting on the gloomy tidings of the Greek crisis, Isis, and Putin, it is with palpable relief that I turn to what remains the single most positive international development of recent months [...]