Why Davos elites should invite the populists to the table The year has barely kicked off and 2017’s biggest business get-together, held in the Swiss mountain resort town of Davos, has already begun. And, this year, the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting is headlining under the theme of “Responsive Leadership”. This theme leaves plenty of room for interpretation and imagination. My sense of what best [...]
Political shocks have been a buy signal in 2016 – why not in 2017 too? It's that time of the year for financial journalists: we are being inundated with lengthy outlook reports for the coming year. My inbox is littered with ominous warnings about how 2017 will see more uncertainty, and the overwhelming theme for the year is: it’s the politics, stupid. Given the rise in populist voting in 2016, which manifested [...]
Spooking investors: Why this earnings season is like Halloween Trick or treat! When you think about it, corporate earnings season is similar to that children’s favourite, Halloween. Expectations usually run high, but you never know if the door you are knocking on will yield a delicious surprise or be a complete let-down, as the sweets are either from last year or there’s none left. [...]
My challenge to the chancellor: Be brave – CNBC December 1, 2014 LIONEL Richie’s “Nothing Left To Give” is a tune George Osborne might be humming as he racks his brains over what to unveil in his Autumn Statement tomorrow. Or maybe “If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time” by R Kelly will be stuck in his head, if he recalls the more favourable fiscal [...]
This market storm may not be over – CNBC Comment October 20, 2014 I simply can’t resist the temptation to draw parallels between markets and the autumn storms in the UK last week. The tempest is back. Yes, it was a quiet summer, with volatility in equity, FX and bond markets dropping to multi-year lows. But the lashing of the first storm is still painful, and the finger-pointing [...]
Alibaba: Bigger isn’t always better for IPOs – CNBC Comment September 8, 2014 GET OUT your superlatives. The Alibaba IPO is set to be the biggest in history – with an expected $21bn (£12.9bn) offering. The numbers are staggering. The Chinese e-commerce giant could be valued at $163bn, not too far off Facebook’s $200bn valuation. Its profit margins are above 40 per cent, and Alibaba accounts for 80 [...]
CNBC Comment: Why Germany risks a property bubble August 18, 2014 HEAR the words “London property”, and “bubble” is rarely far behind. House prices in the capital rose by 20 per cent in the year to May – although last week’s Rics indicator showed that the market is now pausing for breath, as it responds to warnings over tougher mortgage standards and the expectation of higher [...]
