Could the Bank of England push the UK into recession? January 23, 2025 As the Bank of England scrambles to unwind the disastrous effects of quantitative easing, the hidden costs of this policy are becoming clear, says Damian Pudner Quantitative easing (QE) has long been the Bank of England’s monetary policy nuclear option. Launched in 2009 to save a collapsing financial system, it was supercharged during the pandemic, [...]
The government is on a charm offensive in Davos, but businesses are sceptical January 23, 2025 UK business confidence is set to decline compared to 2024, with more than half of all UK executives expecting business risks to increase in the year ahead, says Heather Blundell Chancellor Rachel Reeves has attended the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos this week with a clear mission – to convince global CEOs and [...]
Let’s be honest… Amazon is not to blame for Axel Rudakubana’s crimes January 23, 2025 Focusing on Amazon distracts from the important questions Axel Rudakubana’s horrific murders raise: What was his motive, could he have been stopped and what did the government get wrong? Says Matthew Lesh Axel Rudakubana’s fatal stabbing of three children during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, an act etched in infamy for its harrowing wickedness, led [...]
The British Business Bank is a partner for the scale-up economy January 22, 2025 As the British Business Bank celebrates 10 years of impact, its chair, Stephen Welton, looks ahead to a new decade bridging the gap between the public and private sectors Business is inherently risky which is why you very quickly learn not to take success for granted. When it comes, celebrate, reflect on what you did [...]
London commuter towns named ‘financial resilience capitals’ of the UK January 22, 2025 From pension plans to retirement savings, new data has revealed the 'financial resilience capitals' of the UK.
The future is free market populism January 22, 2025 Javier Milei, Pierre Poilievre and, of course, Donald Trump are at the vanguard of a new movement for free-market populism gaining support across the world, says Fred de Fossard The inauguration of President Trump for his second term is the latest development in the trend of a new type of free-market populism gathering momentum across [...]
How much does tax really affect your decision making? January 22, 2025 From VAT on school fees to business taxes, we’re living through a live experiment with the effects of tax on people’s choices. Evidence suggests the results could be far from clear-cut, says Tim Sarson Last week, I was lucky enough to be on the panel for the Women in Tax network’s annual debate. The question [...]
Reeves has placed an uncertainty premium on the British economy January 22, 2025 Rachel Reeves promised to restore economic stability, but the outcome of her various actions has been to increase uncertainty, says Paul Ormerod Daniel Ellsberg, who died in 2023 in his 90s, was a true Renaissance Man. After a stellar career as an economics student at Harvard, he served in the Marines before working for the [...]
Why commuter trains are the best place to gather market intelligence January 22, 2025 From overheard conversations to poorly concealed laptop screens, the morning commute is a rich source of leaked information, says Sam Turvey Every year my communications consultancy puts out a global M&A leaks report highlighting where in the world leaks are most prevalent, and speculates on why people leak confidential information. A debate normally ensues about [...]
What does the world really think about freedom? January 22, 2025 On a round-the-world trip, Rainer Zitelmann conducted the most extensive ever survey of global attitudes to capitalism and the market economy. Over the coming weeks he’ll be sharing his insights with City AM Many people dream of travelling the world. Well, from April 2022 to December 2023, I went on a round-the-world trip that took [...]