Ten golden rules of investing September 16, 2012 YOU DON’T have to understand how silicon chips work to buy a silicon chip maker, but you do have to understand what they are used for, as well as some of the basics of manufacturing process such as the inputs and costs. On the other hand, simple products like mortgages can be wrapped in businesses [...]
Are the coalition’s proposals for employment law reform enough to satisfy UK businesses? September 16, 2012 YES Vince Cable The UK has one of the most flexible labour markets in the world, second only to the USA and Canada according to the OECD. Despite our economic difficulties we have had over 1m new jobs created in the private sector over the last two years. But we know we can do more [...]
Rapid responses September 16, 2012 Banking rules [Re: Why Britain’s banking rules arent’ restricting economic growth, Friday] Paul Fisher’s article is excellent. It challenges the public perception that banking rules are too restrictive and kill, effectively, the economic recovery. There are real problems facing our economy, but there is also no substitute for good credit risk analysis. The time of [...]
Why Britain’s banking rules aren’t restricting our economic recovery September 13, 2012 The Financial Policy Committee (FPC) was set up in 2011 to protect and enhance the resilience of the UK financial system. Some commentators have argued that this is part of a regulatory onslaught by the UK authorities, responsible for stifling lending growth. So it may have come as a surprise to these critics when, earlier [...]
Middle Eastern embassy attacks threaten Obama’s foreign policy credibility September 13, 2012 HAVING supported the overthrow of totalitarian regimes in the Middle East, Barack Obama is now experiencing the backdraft. November’s presidential election was meant to be a predictable duel on domestic issues. But, with the ransacking of the US embassy in Cairo and the murder of the American ambassador and three others in Benghazi, it has [...]
Ten golden rules of investing September 13, 2012 Companies fail largely because their businesses are poorly financed. A strong balance sheet tells you many things. Most importantly, it tells you that the company is very unlikely to fail. But balance sheet strength is not just about the liabilities. It’s also important to look at the assets. What a company does with its cash [...]
Does the proposed merger between BAE and EADS make good commercial sense? September 13, 2012 YES Peter Luff The proposed deal reflects the underlying reality of the European defence market. Some kind of consolidation in the market was inevitable and, on the face of things, the deal should be good news for UK industrial and defence interests. However there are many complexities – what the US authorities will make of [...]
Rapid Responses September 13, 2012 The West’s demise [Re: The East is getting rich and working harder than the waning West, yesterday] Douglas McWilliams paints a worrying picture. He is right – the success of Hong Kong and Singapore are a sign of things to come across Asia. But how to deal with the root cause of our malaise – [...]
We need chutzpah as well as cuts to restore British competitiveness September 12, 2012 WITH unemployment falling over the last six months, and over 1m private sector jobs created under the coalition, it is not all bad news on the economy. There is no reason for Britons to be defeatist. We’re still in a rut, but there is a way out. The key thing is not to sacrifice long-term [...]
The East is getting rich quick and working harder than the waning West September 12, 2012 WE’RE witnessing the world’s greatest ever economic event: the industrialisation of the two thirds of the world that were previously impoverished. This has implications for the West, which once had a monopoly in the provision of sophisticated products. The emergence of the East not only affects nine times the proportion of the world’s population as [...]