Getting through the Covid-19 pandemic will require markets as well as strong government March 24, 2020 Covid-19 is a major shock to our system. With the UK speeding towards lockdown and much of Europe in similar or worse straits, this crisis — as with most crises — is causing people to look to their governments. This is both understandable and necessary. Rishi Sunak’s excellent pledges (and performances) last week reassured tens [...]
Listen up: Six ways to use your voice more effectively in the workplace March 24, 2020 A voice that is easy to listen to makes a talk so much more enjoyable, but it may not be obvious how to achieve that. Surely we just speak the way we speak? Not so — there are simple techniques that can help enhance how you speak and increase your impact. If your voice is [...]
Coronavirus: Brokerage fee automation is a must in the current downturn March 24, 2020 Investment banks are embroiled in an unforeseen cost crisis when trading over the counter (OTC) markets, driven by a surge in swaps, interest rates, oil and currency derivative volumes. This month, some of the world’s largest interdealer brokers, who negotiate OTC trades between the big banks, have seen record trading volumes as sudden changes in [...]
Coronavirus and policymaking: Mario Draghi didn’t just say ‘whatever it takes’ March 24, 2020 These are unprecedented times. Our lives as we know them have been upended: the comforts of routine squarely thrown out of the window and replaced with a combination of anxiety and dread. The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 is a black swan that no one saw coming (though we should have been better equipped) and has [...]
By trademarking her brand, Greta Thunberg has turned identity marketing on its head March 23, 2020 Greta Thunberg’s recent announcement that she had trademarked her name and the phrase that carried her global movement may have seemed an odd choice for a young activist so opposed to the status quo of capitalism. But this is in fact a savvy and necessary move to protect her message. The phrase is “skolstrejk for [...]
DEBATE: Should government pay wages to workers affected by coronavirus? March 23, 2020 Should the government pay wages to workers whose incomes have been affected by the coronavirus crisis? YES – Sam Bowman, director of competition policy at the International Centre for Law & Economics. This is a very unusual recession. It is self-inflicted, and will hit highly productive and less productive businesses alike. To allow them to [...]
Tackling the virus will require big changes to lives and businesses March 23, 2020 Annual General Meetings don’t normally count as part of one’s social life, no matter how entertaining Mike Ashley’s are. But new rules on social distancing mean that a gathering of directors and shareholders is hard to justify. The London Stock Exchange and other City institutions are right to push for a change to the Companies [...]
Heed Churchill’s words to the nation: Stand firm and carry on March 23, 2020 “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” These words, often attributed to Britain’s then wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, are emblematic of his call to never, never, never give up. Today, the world is living through a new hell, fighting a silent invader which moves remorselessly on, ripping through societies, undoing markets, and overturning seemingly [...]
The fundamental strengths of London will help us to recover, as we have done before March 23, 2020 In times of crisis such as these, we often see the very best in one another. This is being vividly demonstrated across the City by the spirit of community, resilience and support which is so evident as we respond together to the threat of Covid-19. We have seen difficult times before and have come through [...]
Seize the opportunities of carbon capture technology March 23, 2020 Right now, the government’s only focus is getting the country through the current coronavirus pandemic. But once we are through the worst, we will turn once again to tackling another global crisis: climate change. That the government claims to take the climate crisis seriously is impossible to deny. The 2050 target for carbon neutrality is [...]