25 years after the Big Bang we ask: Was it a good idea? October 26, 2011 YES Eamonn Butler SOMETHING had to happen. London had once been the world’s major financial centre, but by the 1980s it had been overtaken by New York and that lead was growing. The City remained an old-fashioned world: to outsiders like me, more like a private gentlemen’s club than a place of business. Its leading [...]
Scandinavia is a showcase of free market reforms October 26, 2011 GEORGE Monbiot once claimed “Sweden proves the neoliberals wrong about how to slash poverty.” Our new research reveals a different story: Scandinavian success is a triumph of prudent fiscal policy, government downsizing and smart market regulation. It is a showcase for neoliberalism, and not its nemesis. The whole region’s success is striking: in the past [...]
A twenty-first century trade policy for Britain October 26, 2011 THE world may seem in deep economic turmoil, but it is only our part of it. Across the planet, the lumbering Asian superpowers of China and India are ticking along nicely. For many UK companies, exports to these growing economies will be critical to pulling through the next few years. In the longer term, boosting [...]
RAPID RESPONSES October 26, 2011 University blues While Jamie Whyte celebrates a 12 per cent decline in university applications [Hooray for a decline in university applications, yesterday], the CBI says that 56 per cent more jobs in the UK will require degree-level skills by 2017. Whyte may belong to the group of people who think we have too many graduates, [...]
Vanguard’s in the lead with its lower fees October 26, 2011 EVERY fund provider claims to be different, but unlike most, Vanguard really is. Founded in 1975 by legendary investor Jack Bogle, Vanguard’s investment philosophy is ingrained in its unique structure. As Tom Rampulla, the UK’s managing director says: “We are the only ‘mutual’ mutual fund company in the world.” Vanguard’s investors effectively own the company. [...]
What to look for in a Junior Isa provider October 26, 2011 JUNIOR Isas are a replacement for Child Trust Funds. Parents and guardians will be able to open a Junior Isa from 1 November 2011, while anyone else is allowed to contribute to it. Eligible children are those born before 1 September 2002 and after 2 January 2011. Tuesday’s launch will offer a tax-free way to [...]
The Big Bang silenced the FX traders October 26, 2011 TODAY marks the 25th anniversary of the Big Bang – the deregulatory measures put in place on 27 October 1986 by Margaret Thatcher’s government – measures that changed the landscape of the UK’s financial sector forever. According to Tony Moulange, senior business development manager for Colt, the Big Bang flipped the status quo on its [...]
Blockbusters at the touch of a button October 26, 2011 NETFLIX, the US online film service, announced on Monday that it will be launching in the UK in 2012. The company looks set to change the way we watch movies, but already has some tough competition. Here we tell you everything you need to know. What is Netflix? Netflix is an online film service that [...]
OUT OF OFFICE October 26, 2011 EAT ABALONE AT NEW SOHO RAW BAR Oyster lovers are spoilt for choice and the newly-opened Wright Brothers raw bar in Soho has an extensive selection. Sip sparkling wine from the exclusively English wine list, and order signature dishes such as Mottra caviar with brown toast and crème fraîche, freshly-sliced abalone, Cherrystone clams and sea [...]
GSK returns to growth October 26, 2011 GlaxoSmithKline’s sales returned to growth in the third quarter as Britain’s biggest drugmaker put patent expiries and a collapse in revenue from troubled diabetes pill Avandia behind it. GSK is emerging from a revenue trough caused by a slump in sales of Avandia due to heart risks and loss of patent cover on herpes drug [...]
