Coronavirus: Trump’s partisan attacks could leave him vulnerable in November April 15, 2020 Looking around the world at responses to COVID-19, generally speaking political partisanship has taken a back seat to a genuine spirit of cooperation that transcends party lines. With the general election behind us and local elections delayed, British politics can focus on the task in hand without being too guided by the immediate reaction from [...]
Coronavirus: Sports Direct-ly to a negative reaction April 15, 2020 Sports Direct recently attempted to keep its stores open despite the Government’s COVID-19 lockdown – arguing that, with gyms closed and Brits stuck indoors, exercise equipment counts as an essential service. YouGov polling reveals that the public overwhelmingly disagrees. Some 95% of Brits believe that sports equipment stores are not key services, and just 3% [...]
Coronavirus: Economists have a role to play in recovery April 15, 2020 Lockdowns are starting to be eased in Europe. Austria, Denmark, Italy and Spain are all moving back towards normality. At some point during May, the UK will follow. We can reflect on what the government has got right and wrong so far in the opening phase of the pandemic. This is emphatically not to apportion [...]
The City View from City A.M. with Dame Helena Morrissey April 14, 2020 Join Christian May, City A.M.’s Editor in Chief, for The City View – the daily podcast from City A.M. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS On each edition of The City View podcast, Christian will discuss the most important business and finance stories of the day before introducing a [...]
Coronavirus: Don’t be short-sighted on short-selling April 14, 2020 With Covid-19 sending the market into free fall, it seems that regulators across the globe are divided on what to do about short-selling. While some European countries such as Italy and Spain have introduced bans to protect certain vulnerable stocks from predatory hedge funds, others, like the FCA, have ruled out the possibility of a ban. [...]
An open letter: Two things the government must do to save UK charities April 14, 2020 Charities play a vital role in communities across the UK. But at this time of crisis — when they are needed most — many are experiencing a sharp drop in income. This is harming their ability to support people during the crisis and threatens their survival. The government’s £750m package is a welcome first step, [...]
Coronavirus: Don’t let the weather do more harm than good April 14, 2020 With the weather forecast looking good, London’s parks would normally be packed with people enjoying themselves in glorious sunshine. It is of course tempting to go outside, get together with friends or loved ones and enjoy our great open spaces. Unfortunately, however, we are not in normal times. That is why we are asking people [...]
Coronavirus: Politicians should reclaim their authority from the medics April 13, 2020 “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” –Benjamin Franklin In my latest book, To Dare More Boldly: The Audacious Story of Political Risk, I make a startling but—I hope—entirely defensible claim. The pythia of Delphi, the priestesses that were the mouthpieces for Apollo, the Greek [...]
Coronavirus: The protectionists’ siren song must go unheeded April 10, 2020 The Coronavirus pandemic is changing the way we live, the way we work, and the way we see the world. Relationships are being made and affected. Geopolitics is in a state that we’ve rarely seen before. Political views are being disregarded and changed. It’s important, however, that fundamental aspects of our economic model, such as [...]
Coronavirus: If we get it right, there are grounds for optimism for SMEs April 10, 2020 The Government have acted promptly and in scale to address the unprecedented crisis we face. In addition to the schemes to protect jobs and certain hard-hit sectors, such as hospitality, some of the schemes are intended for distribution through the banks. These include: Coronavirus Commercial Financing Facility (CCFF) where the Bank of England buys debt [...]