The Democrats’ Bernie Sanders problem will lead to the re-election of Donald Trump February 17, 2020 The perpetual problem of the American left is that it wants to feel good, rather than do good. This tendency to suicidal virtue-signalling — damn the consequences — is glaringly apparent in the Democratic party’s full-blown Bernie Sanders problem, made real by his tie for first in Iowa, and his outright victory in last week’s [...]
Research parks can help turn the light-bulb moment of science into business success February 17, 2020 Based on 35 years of experience, I am a proponent of the idea that “place matters”. Businesses benefit from being located in an environment willing to share the risks involved in fostering entrepreneurship. That’s why the global research and science park movement has taken off. It is designed to support the clustering of enterprises to [...]
Tesla’s short-selling critics do not have to be rewarded to be right February 17, 2020 Short-selling, or shorting, is the act of betting against a company’s stock. If the share price goes down, the short-seller makes money. If the share price goes up, they lose it. It is the most rhetorical of investments. A short position is a statement of a belief: a minority opinion held against the will of [...]
DEBATE: Does it make sense to run the Treasury out of Number 10? February 17, 2020 Does it make sense to run the Treasury out of Number 10? Will Tanner, director of Onward, says YES. Boris Johnson is not the first resident of Number 10 to want a closer hold on Number 11. Pitt the Younger, Peel, Disraeli, Gladstone and Baldwin all served as chancellor and Prime Minister concurrently. The two [...]
Both north and south of the border, Ireland’s financial centres are the City’s historic partners February 17, 2020 As the debate around our future relationship with the European Union continues, we at the City Corporation have been focusing on building even stronger ties with our closest neighbours. Over the past two weeks, I have visited Dublin, Belfast and Derry-Londonderry to do just that. Both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have long-standing [...]
Government pledges £1.2bn climate supercomputer February 17, 2020 The government will spend £1.2bn on a new supercomputer to forecast adverse weather faster and more accurately. The investment announced today by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial comes the day after the UK was rocked by Storm Dennis. It is hoped that the new computer will enable authorities to plan to prevent disruption [...]
Budget 2020: Hospitality sector calls for business rates and apprenticeship levy reform February 17, 2020 The new chancellor is facing pressure from the UK hospitality industry to include plans to reform business rates and the apprenticeship levy in the upcoming budget. The industry’s trade body has urged Rishi Sunak – who was appointed as chancellor after Sajid Javid stepped down in last week’s cabinet reshuffle – to cut the business [...]
Consumer credit forecast to grow at lowest rate for six years in 2020 February 17, 2020 Consumer credit is forecast to grow at its lowest rate in six years in 2020, despite a post-election pick-up in consumer confidence. The EY Item Club predicted consumer credit growth of 3.2 per cent this year. Although lending rose slightly at the end of 2019, signalling a post-election increase in demand, the annual forecast remains [...]
Global dividend payouts hit $1.43 trillion last year February 17, 2020 Global dividends rose to a record $1.43 trillion (£1.1 trillion) in 2019, research published today showed. Dividends rose 3.5 per cent on a headline basis, according to asset manager Janus Henderson’s global dividend index. Underlying growth, adjusting for the strong US dollar and unusually high special dividends, was 5.4 per cent, driven by North America, [...]
UK house prices: Buyer boom sets scene for record-breaking spring February 17, 2020 UK house prices are expected to break records over the coming months as buyer activity outstrips the number of new sellers, according to new research. The average price of property coming to market jumped 0.8 per cent – or £2,589 – this month, just £40 short of a new all-time high. The house price boom [...]