Against the Grain: Unemployment may fall much faster than the Bank of England expects August 20, 2013 THE VIEWS expressed by the new Bank of England governor Mark Carney on interest rates and unemployment remain a hot topic. Interest rates will not be raised until unemployment falls below 7 per cent, a process the Bank expects could take three years. The perception which many people have of unemployment is that it is [...]
We should be glad that foreign firms want to buy British companies August 20, 2013 THE ABSURDLY nationalist argument over whether foreigners should be allowed to own companies in Britain is raising its ugly head again. Vacuum technology firm Edwards has just been sold to Sweden’s Atlas Copco for £1bn, last month UK engineering giant Invensys was the subject of a £3.4bn takeover by France’s Schneider Electric, and Kentz has [...]
Letters to the editor – 21/08 – Sport competition, Best of Twitter August 20, 2013 Sport competition [Re: BT Sport has a mountain to climb in its bid to beat BSkyB, yesterday] David Hellier raises some interesting points about how consumers are buying converged TV, broadband and telephony packages. However, he misses two main points: BT is not looking to topple Sky Sports, and Sky TV customers can get BT Sport [...]
The Tories can’t rely on directionless Ed Miliband to gift them 2015 victory August 19, 2013 SOME Conservative MPs are in an optimistic, even euphoric, mood. The economy is recovering as is, crucially, public confidence in the government’s stewardship of it. At the same time, Ed Miliband’s leadership of the Labour Party is characterised by drift and looks directionless. Labour grandees are turning on their leader and even seemingly loyal shadow [...]
The economy may be looking up but the public finances are far from fixed August 19, 2013 ECONOMIC indicators seem to be improving. Yes, there are concerns that the growth we are seeing is “the wrong type of growth”, fuelled in part by government attempts to re-inflate the housing market. But if businesses and consumers believe better times are ahead, the hope is that renewed confidence will foster more investment, thus facilitating [...]
Only serious reform can halt the increasing cost of childcare in Britain August 19, 2013 YESTERDAY saw the release of a report by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) showing what many already expected. In recent years, child-related expenses have risen considerably, with the cost of childcare a major driver. Accumulated over 18 years, raising a child in a couple household now costs about £150,000. This study is a valuable [...]
Letters to the editor – HS2’s growing bill, Best of Twitter – 20/08 August 19, 2013 HS2’s growing bill [Re: HS2 rubbishes claim that costs could hit £80bn, Monday] The conclusion that the decision to proceed with High Speed 2 risks imposing significant additional costs on taxpayers is not, as HS2 Ltd claims, based on ideology. Our HS2 report provides hard evidence that the project is being shaped by interest group [...]
There’s no reason to fear local shale development in South East England August 18, 2013 ALTHOUGH the national case for shale has been put strongly, for many people in the South East the arguments in favour of local shale developments have not been made with enough clarity. They are, however, relatively straightforward. First, they will benefit the local economy, and second, they won’t be nearly as disruptive as is often [...]
City Matters: Tough decisions on infrastructure must not be delayed for future generations August 18, 2013 THE DUST has barely settled on the London Anniversary Games and work has already begun to convert the iconic Olympic Stadium for future use. Some may feel a sense of regret that a stadium home to so many glorious memories last summer will never be seen again in its current form. But it is only [...]
Shareholder Spring did not go away but activist investors are evolving August 18, 2013 PROXY season is more or less over, and boards are bulging with new members or otherwise breathing a sigh of relief. Last year’s Shareholder Spring saw activism make a big impression on British investors, but this year many assume the surge has receded. Beyond headline-grabbing revolts over director pay, however, activist investors are still playing [...]