Dealing with the debt conundrum August 20, 2019 Debt remains a word shrouded with negative connotations. And despite how commonplace it is, people are still strangely reluctant to talk about it openly. In reality, debt should not be seen as a bad thing. It is a vital financial instrument for enabling people to achieve major life goals and lead the lifestyles they want. [...]
Business must come together to reform and save the WTO August 20, 2019 The World Trade Organisation (WTO) – the linchpin of the global trading system – is far from secure in the current political climate. The challenges are myriad – and not just because of President Donald Trump’s hostility to the organisation. Besides the well-publicised loss of confidence in the WTO’s dispute settlement function, there are a [...]
Why we should be worried that many women are reliant on their partners’ pensions August 20, 2019 We may have come a long way since the days when women were the property of men, but we still face some huge challenges when it comes to addressing financial gender inequality. According to a new report from Fidelity, 12 per cent of married women plan to rely on their partner’s pension in retirement, while [...]
Italy’s return to political chaos leaves investors in wait-and-see mode August 20, 2019 A furious global hunt for yield has helped to spark a significant repricing of fixed-income markets. The consequences of last week’s major market moves were by turns high-profile and obscure. One oxymoron-inclined senior White House adviser to President Donald Trump insisted that the inverted curve that appeared briefly in US Treasury yields was in fact [...]
Bureaucratic boroughs risk holding London back in the 5G race August 20, 2019 Despite the hype around the latest handsets and a commitment from the new cabinet to prioritise connectivity, London risks losing out on the 5G opportunity. Much has been made of the country’s struggles to keep up with international competitors in the race to deliver world-class connectivity, while our imminent departure from the EU places greater [...]
DEBATE: Are the Operation Yellowhammer warnings about no-deal likely to be exaggerated? August 20, 2019 Are the Operation Yellowhammer warnings about no-deal likely to be exaggerated? Ruth Lea, economic adviser to the Arbuthnot Banking Group, says YES. The Yellowhammer warnings have a weary familiarity to them. As with Project Fear Mark 1, prior to the 2016 referendum, any possible negativities have been ramped up out of all proportion. In 2016, [...]
Give Corbyn some credit – he helped to deliver Brexit August 20, 2019 When the history books are written, Boris Johnson may well be remembered as the man who delivered Brexit. But there is someone else who would deserve almost as much credit for Britain’s departure from the EU: Jeremy Bernard Corbyn. Admittedly, Corbyn’s current role in enabling Brexit is mostly involuntary. It turns out that he is [...]
What to do about staff skipping work for the beach August 20, 2019 We’ve heard it all before: “my cat is having kittens”, “I’ve hurt my back”, “I’ve got food poisoning”, “my bathtub fell through my ceiling”, or “my car broke down”. When the sun is out, employees might feel inclined to use one of these excuses in order to skip work and do something a little more [...]
Has Priti Patel thought through the implications of abruptly ending free movement? August 20, 2019 Priti Patel, fresh from announcing that she wants criminals to feel “terror” at the thought of breaking the law and following last week’s Home Office brainwave to print anti-knife messages on the packaging of products from chicken restaurants, has a new plan. The home secretary has revealed her intention to end freedom of movement from [...]
The prince and the pervert: a cautionary PR tale August 19, 2019 The fall of Jeffrey Epstein has everything: money, sex, power, celebrity, glamour and danger, with a profoundly depressing tawdriness as its core. He rose from humble Brooklyn origins to untold wealth on Wall Street, and was famed for his jet-setting lifestyle as well as friendships with the Clintons and President Trump, though the 45th President [...]