As Hillary Clinton recovers from pneumonia, should markets worry about the state of her health? September 12, 2016 Mike van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets, says Yes. Markets are right to be concerned about the health of the US Democratic presidential nominee. First, they had increasingly been pricing in her beating Republican rival Donald Trump, who could be disruptive for the economy, and this health scare calls that into question. Everyone [...]
We want you bake: BBC makes plea for Great British Bake Off maker to accept “very strong offer” September 12, 2016 The BBC is set to lose the Great British Bake Off after the current series. The company behind the show, which stars Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, has said it has been unable to reach a renewal agreement with the corporation. Read more: Brands set to benefit from Bake Off’s return A BBC spokesperson said: [...]
Conservative peer Baroness Stroud to become chief executive of Legatum Institute September 12, 2016 Baroness Philippa Stroud has been appointed the new chief executive of economic think tank the Legatum Institute. The Conservative life peer, who helped to found the Centre for Social Justice with Iain Duncan Smith and worked with him at the Department for Work and Pensions, will join the group to "lead its mission to promote the ideas and [...]
Doves back on top as key Fed member eases on US rate hike September 12, 2016 The chances of the Fed raising rates for the second time since the financial crisis next week has been dealt another blow as a key rate-setter said the case for a hike had fallen away. Lael Brainard, seen as one of the most cautious voices on the rate-setting federal open markets committee (FOMC), said the arguments in [...]
The future of London: Is the city edging towards independence? September 12, 2016 It is increasingly easy to characterise London as a “city state”. Its scale, wealth and multi-dimensional differences (as compared to the rest of the country) mean it has more in common with New York or Toronto than with Yorkshire or Scotland. The creation of the office of mayor of London, a glamorous Americanised form of government, makes [...]
A truly meritocratic society would be an intrusive and cruel dystopia September 12, 2016 Meritocracy. It’s a term beloved by Conservatives, who say they want a “fair” society where people’s outcomes are determined purely by a combination of hard work and talent. This was Theresa May’s rallying cry last week as she turned Tory education policy on its head by outlining the case for a new generation of grammar [...]
Britain’s struggling Border Force is in no state to manage a post-Brexit migration crackdown September 12, 2016 When we leave the EU, we may bring in work permits or some other way of controlling immigration from Europe. The home secretary confirmed that this was on the table this weekend. To do this, however, we will need to overhaul our Border Force. In a new report released this week, I outline the deep [...]
Charity Day lures celebs including Lindsay Lohan, Davina McCall, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Joanna Lumley to BGC Partners’ trading floor September 12, 2016 BGC Partners’ trading floor was overrun by comedians, Olympians, film stars and London’s mayor yesterday at the brokerage’s annual charity fundraising day. The gaggle of celebs roaming BGC’s labyrinth of computer screens and phone speakers to clinch the cash for this year’s charities included actor Tom Hardy, garden-bridge pusher Joanna Lumley, supermodel Jodie Kidd, TV [...]
Bank of England corporate bond buying details unveiled September 12, 2016 Electricity companies are set to be big winners from the Bank of England's upcoming corporate bond buying programme, according to official documents published this afternoon. Threadneedle Street has unveiled the details of its £10bn money-printing programme which will see it buy high-quality company bonds, with one-quarter set to be channelled to electricity companies such as [...]
Canadian fertiliser firms Potash Corp of Saskatchewan and Agrium Inc agree to mega-merger September 12, 2016 Canada's Potash Corp of Saskatchewan and Agrium Inc are set to merge in a deal that will create one of the world's largest crop fertiliser companies with an enterprise value of around $36bn (£27bn). The combination entity of Potash, which is the world's biggest crop nutrient company by capacity, and Agrium, the largest farm retailer in North [...]