Risk tolerance: Why decadent Europe is whistling as chaos reaches its gates June 29, 2014 WILL the US ramp up its involvement in Iraq? And if so, on what terms? Will Europe build on its new partnership agreements with Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia to draw an effective line over which an expansive Russia would not dare cross? Will Israel persist in rattling its sabre, while Western powers search for a [...]
City Matters: Britain’s infrastructure crunch is coming: Doing nothing is not an option June 29, 2014 AS THE British summer makes a fleeting appearance, the demands placed on our infrastructure are only set to increase. The roads, trains and airports will all face additional strain over the coming months, as commuters jostle with overseas tourists and British holidaymakers. This is part of a longer-term trend that has serious consequences for the [...]
Cameron’s Juncker defeat may be good for EU reform June 29, 2014 IN WHAT could be called his concession speech, following the EU Council’s unprecedented vote to nominate Jean-Claude Juncker as the European Commission’s next president, David Cameron was right to frame it as only one of many engagements with Europe. The trouble is that the sheer volume of energy spent on the campaign to fight Juncker [...]
Letters to the Editor – 30/06 – Bubble-mania, World Cup, Best of Twitter June 29, 2014 Bubble-mania [Re: Are the Bank of England’s mortgage lending restrictions likely to prove ineffective? Thursday] An interesting debate, but I’m unnerved by how casually commentators and economists throw the word “bubble” around without giving much thought to what they are actually saying. Would a rise in base rates cause the housing market in London to [...]
City & Gild: Has the World Cup Lost its Bite? June 27, 2014 For some, football is more than a game; it’s a matter of life and death. But for me – the Suarez incident aside – the World Cup has lost its bite. As my mind wanders to Wimbledon and the hope Murray doesn’t let me down as badly as the England team, I struggle to see [...]
Letters to the Editor – 27/06 – Global money, Airport options, Best of Twitter June 26, 2014 Global money [Re: Bretton Woods: How stable monetary order was created and then destroyed, Tuesday] An interesting historical article, but the author displays a misguided support for a fixed international monetary system. If a floating exchange rate system is associated with the global expansion of credit, the older order is associated with the inability of [...]
Why Europe’s “right to be forgotten” will prove an expensive mistake June 26, 2014 WITH events like this month’s London Technology Week, the capital has been busy prettying itself up for the global tech entrepreneurs it hopes will find the city an appealing base of operation. But noble as these efforts might be, homebuyers aren’t fooled by fresh paint when the roof has just caved in. Such is the [...]
What our politicians can learn from the Hunger Games rules of persuasion June 26, 2014 PANEM today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever.” You need to watch the chilling new teaser for the next Hunger Games movie, Mockingjay. Its cool irony confirms the series’s remarkable journey from minor young adult diversion to cultural milestone. The series of thrillers is no cinematic masterpiece, but 30 years on from 1984 it is helping inoculate [...]
There’s a silver lining to Britain’s certain Juncker defeat June 26, 2014 THINGS aren’t looking too rosy for David Cameron in the EU – or at least for the short term. He is heading towards defeat at today’s European Council Summit, as it looks almost certain that EU leaders will elect the former Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker as the president of the European Commission. The series [...]
Are the Bank of England’s planned mortgage lending restrictions likely to prove ineffective? June 26, 2014 Shehan Mohamed, senior economist at the CEBR, says Yes. Mark Carney’s new measures are unlikely to have an impact. Lenders are already operating within the proposed cap on the number of new high loan-to-income mortgages, and most are already undertaking stress tests on a possible rate rise. The macroprudential tools seek to provide tighter lending [...]