Markets poised for European stimulus boost – London Report November 29, 2015 All eyes are on Europe this week as European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi will reveal more details on planned quantitative easing to stoke markets on Thursday. Draghi previously said he and his policymakers would “do what we must” in their efforts to boost inflation to the target of less than two per cent [...]
Fed nears last hurdle for rise interest rates – New York Report November 29, 2015 Data due out on Friday is expected to show that US non-farm payrolls increased by 200,000 in November, keeping the jobless rate at a seven-year low of five per cent. But even if the figures disappointed somewhat, the Federal Reserve is still expected to hike rates at its meeting on 16 December given near full [...]
David Cameron’s case for going to war in Syria is built on sand November 29, 2015 As the 19th century French foreign minister Talleyrand witheringly said of his Bourbon masters, “they forgot nothing and learned nothing”. So it is with Prime Minister David Cameron’s intellectually feeble effort to rally the Commons to go to war in Syria. Cameron has dutifully memorised the vague catechism for going to war – the precise [...]
The Autumn Statement contained some significant wins for business and the City November 29, 2015 George bails himself out” was the front page headline of this very paper last Thursday as businesses up and down the country digested the impact of the Autumn Statement. While the U-turn on tax credits dominated much of the coverage, there was a lot of content announced by the chancellor from the despatch box that [...]
The apprenticeships levy is a bad policy – and not just because it’s a tax on the lowest-skilled November 29, 2015 Real apprenticeships provide skills which workers can take to other employers and obtain a wage higher than they would have earned otherwise. Historically, they were paid for by binding young employees (with legal sanctions for breaking the agreement) to work for a fixed period with very low pay, and often with an upfront payment from [...]
As the ECB’s governing council prepares to meet later this week, is further QE now imperative? November 29, 2015 Jonathan Loynes, chief European economist at Capital Economics, says Yes. The case for additional policy easing from the European Central Bank at its December policy meeting is extremely compelling. Yes, the full effects of the existing asset purchase programme have not yet been seen. And the recent news on the economy has improved a bit. [...]
Brand secrets for the digital age: Dentsu Aegis UK CEO Tracy De Groose on agency agility and the industry’s diversity problem November 29, 2015 Few in the UK’s advertising industry will have failed to note the aggressive expansion of Dentsu Aegis Network. Since it was formed last year in the largest merger ever seen in the industry, the UK arm has acquired a number of agencies, to disrupt the hegemony of the more established players. Its most recent [...]
The self-made mastermind: Malwarebytes founder Marcin Kleczynski on giving away software and what it’s like making half a million bucks at 18 November 29, 2015 After I’d met Marcin Kleczynski, I came across someone who has known and worked with him for several years. A few seconds in and he said to me: “when you meet Marcin, the first thing you think is ‘I might be talking to the next Mark Zuckerberg… but this one’s a lot nicer’”. It’s hard [...]
Anyone can acquire the mindset of a great leader: The seven habits of mind that make even flawed leaders successful November 29, 2015 A skilled leader is normally better than an unskilled leader. So leaders have to master the basics of their trade: building teams, influencing and persuading, making decisions in uncertainty, and more. But no leader gets ticks in all the boxes. That is reassuring: we do not have to be perfect to succeed. Many of [...]
The FTSE’s best two day run since October – London Report November 27, 2015 THE FTSE 100 closed higher yesterday evening as miners made gains, despite BHP Billiton sliding. The UK’s top blue-chip index closed 0.88 per cent up, at 6,393 points, following the 0.96 per cent gain on Wednesday on the back of the chancellor’s Autumn Statement that sent housebuilders’ stocks higher. Glencore led the pack, closing 5.85 per [...]
