Osborne’s recovery will not end the debate over the impact of austerity September 9, 2013 GEORGE Osborne yesterday presented his analysis of why the UK economy has turned the corner in recent months, arguing this demonstrated advocates of a “Plan B” had been proved wrong by events. He identified two candidate explanations for the slowdown of 2011-12. One school of thought he called the “fiscalist” analysis. According to this view, [...]
Only liberal economic policies will allow us to adapt to disruptive technology September 9, 2013 HOLLYWOOD producer Samuel Goldwyn once opined that “only a fool would make predictions – especially about the future.” It’s a wise view, but of little use to policymakers tackling big questions of the future. With this in mind, one of the more interesting outlooks on the current state of western economies is the “structural” explanation. [...]
Why capital rules could limit the impact of new competition in banking September 9, 2013 THE NEW TSB bank was finally launched yesterday. The spin-off of 631 branches and 4.6m customers from Lloyds means that the UK now has the first new major competitor to the existing banks since the start of the financial crisis. And when RBS spins off 315 of its branches, Britain will have a further mid-size [...]
Letters to the editor – 10/09 – Licence fee, Best of Twitter September 9, 2013 Licence fee [Re: Scrap the licence fee – and drag British TV into 21st century, yesterday] Surely the biggest scandal at the BBC is that, for an organisation with revenues of £3.5bn, the quality of programmes is so poor. A change in the way the BBC is funded would not only cut costs, but would [...]
Political risks rising in the Eurozone September 9, 2013 The rise of populist parties across the bloc and high unemployment may lead to more market volatility, writes Liam Ward-Proud RECOVERY in the Eurozone is certainly underway. The region ended its 18-month recession in the second quarter, posting growth of 0.3 per cent. European equities, despite a few blips, have also performed strongly, with the [...]
CNBC Comment: Banks face an IT Wonga challenge September 9, 2013 The market may not be factoring in the cost of new technologies THERE is a shadow looming over the world’s retail banks, which many believe the market is not factoring in. For much of the past few years, the focus has been on the fallout from the higher-stakes poker games played before the financial crisis. [...]
Daily FX: Analyst picks September 9, 2013 CURRENCY STRATEGISTCHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Long dollar-yenExpertise: Fundamental and technical analysisAverage time frame of trades: A few hours to a few weeks US non-farm payrolls disappointed on Friday but dollar-yen closed the week above ¥98.80, the condition necessary to enter a long position. I took ¥99.10 at the close on Friday; and the news that [...]
The MPV that’s cool… in a dad way September 9, 2013 Citroën has bent over backwards to make its new C4 Picasso accessible for style-conscious families MULTI-PURPOSE Vehicles (MPVs) have a reputation for being dull to look at and boring to drive. They’re seen as functional, humourless boxes, with sensible, easy-wipe cabins populated by the children of practically minded parents who shop with the head rather [...]
Not convinced? September 9, 2013 HERE ARE THE ALTERNATIVES Ford C-Max Zetec 1.6 TDCi £19,345 The Ford C-Max Zetec 1.6 TDCi easily outdrives the Citroën and it’s also almost £5,000 cheaper. It’s a tad behind the Picasso on acceleration (0-62mph 11.3 seconds) but trails a bit on top speed (114mph). It’s also behind the Picasso’s impressive CO2 emissions with 117g/km [...]
The Lexus LF-NX concept is a muscular, angular beast; a vision we hope will become a reality September 9, 2013 The Japanese carmaker is known for its stunning concept designs. Here is one from the top draw. LEXUS will today unveil its latest striking concept vehicle in the muscular LF-NX mid-sized crossover. The car, which will be displayed at the Frankfurt motor show, combines Tron-like styling with the latest hybrid technology. It adheres to Lexus’s [...]
