Only a semiconductor revolution can save the flagging British automobile industry May 24, 2022 In 1974, a failing New Mexico calculator maker took a gamble. Laden with debt after a brutal price war and a botched IPO, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems decided to enter the microcomputer market. Its offering was the Altair 8800, the first commercially successful personal computer that would spark the microcomputer revolution. Inside each device [...]
Letters: Some Parisian inspiration May 24, 2022 [Re: Woo investors to make Britain like France, Boris told, yesterday] The Centre for Policy Studies’ (CPS) conclusion that the UK needs to emulate the policies of France to attract investors offers interesting insights. This argument, however, must be put into context. Financial markets are in a precarious position with rising inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, and [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Could Musk back out of the $44bn Twitter deal May 23, 2022 What’s the most expensive mistake you’ve ever made? Booked a holiday for the wrong dates? Added an extra zero to the £260 you owed? Well, for Elon Musk, he thought it would just be $1bn to get out of the $44bn Twitter takeover. But strict merger laws, brought in after the financial crisis, could force [...]
Johnson could use the meal deal moratorium to finally find some values May 23, 2022 A week ago the government announced that it was delaying the introduction of a ban on so-called BOGOF (buy one, get one free) offers on food and drink high in salt, fat or sugar. The prohibition, intended to help reduce overconsumption and therefore obesity, was deferred, according to the Department of Health and Social Care, [...]
The City should be a 24/7 destination outside of the Thursday evening drinks rush May 23, 2022 Tomorrow, Londoners will get their first chance to ride on the Elizabeth line as it finally opens in a major boost for the capital. Coming hot on the heels of the reopening of the Northern line’s Bank branch, the Elizabeth line will provide an economic shot in the arm – bringing an extra 1.5 million [...]
Want to really be Australian-style? Time to move our elections to a Saturday May 23, 2022 Australian elections are always held on a Saturday, meaning more people can get to the ballot booth
Letters: A Mexican charade May 23, 2022 [Re: UK kicks off negotiations with Mexico for £4bn post-Brexit trade deal, April 20] It’s quite striking that we’re bragging about trade deals with Mexico as some kind of farcical “post-Brexit” boost. We never saw a real trade deal with the US even if we are now negotiating state-by-state. Our trade deal with Australia was [...]
Explainer-in-brief: The final act of No10’s Partygate? May 20, 2022 Yesterday, it was perhaps the beginning of the end of Partygate. The Met Police investigation was closed, with a final verdict of 126 fines issued to 83 people. There were no additional fines for Boris Johnson. By the end of it, the investigation – called Operation Hillman – cost £460,000. Yet we’re still waiting for [...]
Kings of crypto say it’s the solution without knowing what the problem is May 20, 2022 If you had doubts over whether the latest cryptocurrency correction would make mainstream news, you needed look no further than the House of Commons this week. In a duel between Ed Miliband and Rishi Sunak, the Labour frontbencher used the current price plummet as his attack line: “Crypto has crashed and so has the Chancellor,” [...]
If firms want to go green then we should give shareholders the keys to their plans May 20, 2022 WHILE the finance sector can feel distant and detached, people are waking up to the impact it can have on our environment. Which bank, building society, or investment fund we decide to deposit our savings, store our pensions, or pay our hard-earned salaries into can determine whether green projects and clean businesses are financed. That’s [...]