Ride a black swan? WPP’s Sir Martin Sorrell adds Russian crisis to his list August 26, 2014 The Sochi Winter Olympics in February were a key turning point in the West’s deteriorating relationship with Russia, says WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell who now lists the Russian crisis as the most threatening of his unknown unknowns – or “black swans” – supplanting the Eurozone debt crisis. “I think we made a mistake [...]
London Report: Draghi QE hint sends banks and FTSE up but Antofagasta falls August 26, 2014 BRITAIN’S top equity index rose yesterday, with financial stocks outperforming, amid expectations of new economic stimulus measures from the European Central Bank. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed up by 0.7 per cent, or 47.51 points, at 6,822.76 points – its highest closing level since early July. As the FTSE was closed on Monday due [...]
Boris is wrong: We should not subvert the rule of law to fight the terrorist threat August 26, 2014 IN A typically verbose article for the Daily Telegraph, the mayor of London Boris Johnson has warned of the “tide of terror” that will “eventually lap at our front door” if something isn’t done to curb the advance of the Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East. But while Johnson is right that we should [...]
As President Hollande purges leftist rebels, can his reform plans revive the French economy? August 26, 2014 Yannick Naud, portfolio manager at Sturgeon Capital, says Yes. The forced Cabinet overhaul and dismissal of three top ministers underlines the political crisis facing President Francois Hollande, as he seeks to balance pressure to reduce France’s budget deficit with domestic demands to revive a stalled economy. France can’t afford to wait any longer and should [...]
Boris Johnson’s parliamentary voting record: Yes to hunting, no to the EU August 26, 2014 Boris Johnson has been out of parliament for six years. As mayor he has been pro-business and is quoted as saying: "I'm a one-nation Tory. There is a duty on the part of the rich to the poor and to the needy, but you are not going to help people express that duty and satisfy [...]
Boris Johnson to stand for Uxbridge and South Ruislip August 26, 2014 London mayor Boris Johnson has applied to stand as the Conservative candidate for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in next year's general election. Johnson, who has been the mayor since he unseated Ken Livingstone in 2008, submitted his name to the Conservative Campaign Headquarters this morning, two days before the deadline. If his bid [...]
Islamic State in Syria: Obama authorises surveillance flights August 26, 2014 US President Barack Obama has authorised the use of surveillance flights to monitor the activities of Islamic State (IS) in Syria. The news came from a senior US administration official who spoke to the AP news agency on condition of anonymity. According to the Wall Street Journal, the US Central Command overseeing American [...]
Boris Johnson attacked by top Lib Dems and Tories over rights of Isis suspects August 25, 2014 Boris Johnson came under fire yesterday from ex-attorney general Dominic Grieve and deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg for suggesting that Brits suspected of fighting for Islamic State (IS) should be considered guilty until proven innocent. “It is a draconian proposal… if we were to do this we would be undermining our own values and ultimately [...]
French government dissolved as Hollande goes on the offensive August 25, 2014 His name is rarely written without a negative adjective, usually beleaguered, but Francois Hollande is going on the offensive. The French President, whose approval ratings are unlikely to give pollsters vertigo, has responded quickly to a left-wing revolt in his cabinet. Manuel Valls, ally and prime minister, tabled the resignation of his government paving the [...]
Is the ECB considering quantitative easing? August 25, 2014 European markets are up this morning after European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi gave a doveish speech in Jackson Hole (Friday). The ECB, Draghi implied, could be gearing up for more monetary stimulus, in order to address the ongoing stagnation in the Eurozone economy. Inflation in the Eurozone has been perilously low of late, [...]