US Federal Reserve’s rate hike cycle takes centre stage in investors’ minds August 7, 2022 Investors are grappling with a mix of challenges they have not faced in years. Tighter monetary policy. Sky-high inflation. Strong geopolitical tensions. These factors have driven volatile swings in asset prices. Usually in times of uncertainty, investors pile into the US dollar and American assets. And that is exactly what they are doing now. US [...]
Truss and Sunak must put future food affordability before farmers’ votes August 5, 2022 As the Tory leadership race drags on, promises and policies of all kinds have been thrown at us, served with a side of U-turns reminiscent of the very same Johnson government both contenders used to be a part of. While Sunak had a change of heart on VAT and energy bills last week, Truss embarrassed [...]
A surge in freelancers has redefined flexible labour more than staff working from home August 5, 2022 The word flexibility is now unfailingly associated with remote and hybrid working, when really it means so much more when it comes to employment. Whether removing the commute, more family time or greater control over working hours, it boils down to independence. Pandemic restrictions gave the working population a taste of this independence. But the [...]
Don’t blame shops for prices if leaders can’t stop inflation August 5, 2022 Inflation is soaring and the UK’s food and drink manufacturers are under incredible pressure. No one can remember such sustained, relentless price rises across all our inputs – everything, from energy and ingredients to transport and wages, is more expensive. With food price inflation now at 9.8 per cent, everyone is asking: how much further [...]
Letters: Ripple through the economy August 5, 2022 [Re: Brits face jump in interest payments of £1.67bn, yesterday] A rate rise will have ripple effects for the wider economy, with commodities prices falling sharply as demand dips. As the global economy slows down and central banks execute tighter monetary policy in conjunction with a gloomy picture emerging from China – the biggest commodity [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Candidates for Sunak’s anti-Britain extremist program August 4, 2022 The lastest bizarre policy tabled in the Tory leadership contest was from Rishi Sunak, who has promised to extend the Prevent anti-terrorism scheme by referring people who display “extreme hatred for Britain” to the deradicalisation program. But he might need only look as far as his own parliamentary colleagues for potential candidates. It was Boris [...]
Starmer’s brawl with the unions is a rite of passage for the Labour party August 4, 2022 All the Labour Party had to do was to cede the entire summer to Tory infighting. But when it comes to factionalist fights among themselves, Labour are the experts. Since being given a begrudging vote of confidence by Durham Police, clearing him from the most boring of allegations of rule-breaking, Sir Keir Starmer has found [...]
We will resign ourselves to geopolitical irrelevancy unless we re-invest in science August 4, 2022 As the Conservative leadership contest ploughs on through the summer and the final two candidates talk tax cuts and public spending neither are addressing the full extent of the UK’s economic woes. Many of the long-term problems the economy faces have been caused by successive governments’ underinvestment in science and innovation. For the last three [...]
Political rivalry will keep Transport for London in eternal financial purgatory August 4, 2022 People who live and work in London know the city would grind to a halt without an efficient public transport network. Almost half of the country’s 22 million public transport journeys undertaken every day are in London. Just a quarter of Londoners use a car to get to work – elsewhere it is 70 per [...]
Letters: Football triumph must go deep August 4, 2022 [Re: England Women set for sponsorship offers after Euros success turns Lionesses into stars, August 2] As a footballer myself, I was especially delighted to see England win the Euros this weekend; such an incredible inspiration for everyone to see how the game has come on in the last decade. All eyes will now be [...]