Productivity after sight-loss October 4, 2022 | City Talk Hugh Bassett Worldwide, over 1.1 billion people are living with unaddressed sight loss. This can vary in severity,but in many cases, it is intuitive that this will lead to a lack of productivity. Sight loss can cause orexacerbate poverty through reduced employment prospects and work productivity, as well asadversely affect educational opportunities and outcomes. This [...]
When fiscal and monetary policy stray off course, our pension funds lose out October 4, 2022 We are experiencing an unforeseen fiscal policy straight out of the 1980s, which has fundamentally shaken the underlying structures of how British sovereign bond markets functioned in the 2020s. Would an esoteric issue such as pension funds making margin calls in the event of government debt spiking to post-2008 levels really have made it on [...]
Our bitcoiners must find their voice or we will lose the platform for innovative debate October 4, 2022 Some of the most exciting developments in Bitcoin and the blockchain are happening in Europe. Venture capital firms are investing heavily in European startups with over $2bn last year alone. Bitcoin is also having an important impact on the war being fought right on the EU’s borders. Yet Europe’s voice is seldom heard. When the [...]
We need up-to-date skills to bolster financial services October 4, 2022 As the government prioritises growth in pursuit of a “big bang 2.0”, it’s worth considering what it takes to grow one of our most critical sectors: financial services. Last week Multiverse launched a new research report looking at what the future of financial services in the UK looks like. The message from employees in every [...]
Letters: Mind your credit score October 4, 2022 [Re: Don’t penalise cash-strapped Brits, FCA warns insurers, 29 September] As interest rates soar, the FCA’s call to lenders to offer borrowers solutions is a stark reminder that consumers’ needs must remain front and centre. Against skyrocketing living costs and a mortgage industry in turmoil, our research shows half of lenders are still using outdated [...]
Truss has no real choice but to stick to her risky pro-growth proposition October 3, 2022 No one could say that Liz Truss had started her premiership quietly, after the hiatus of mourning the late queen. The chancellor’s “mini-budget” ten days ago was one of the most significant changes of economic policy in a generation. While Kwasi Kwarteng might have hoped for better reviews of his first major outing, he has [...]
Social responsibility is an imperative if we want our economy to grow with resilience October 3, 2022 If you walk the streets of the City of London, you will see dragons everywhere. Not the kind displayed in House of the Dragon, the new Game of Thrones prequel, but images of the creatures in crests, in insignia above doors, on flags, and on the top of buildings. They are an unmistakable sign of [...]
We need an alliance to catch up with China on rare earths October 3, 2022 The need for rare earth elements in modern society is obvious. They are a critical component in phones, computer screens, electric vehicle batteries and many other objects we use on a daily basis such as energy-efficient lightbulbs. Each of these products, along with a slew of others, will become ever-more important as society shifts further [...]
Letters: Let’s make tech enticing October 3, 2022 [Re: Cisco chief says apprentices can plug digital skills gap, Sept 30] The Chief of Cisco is right to raise the issue of recruitment in cyber and tech more broadly. We face a technological crisis if our job vacancies are not filled, especially as hackers and cyber criminals become more sophisticated day by day. The [...]
Britain’s economic meltdown must be settled by a firm grip and real growth September 30, 2022 To say it’s been a dramatic week in financial markets would be an understatement. The reaction to the government’s so-called “mini-budget” has seen the value of sterling crash and has led to criticism from the IMF and the Federal Reserve and an unprecedented intervention from the Bank of England who have been forced to buy [...]