Love him or hate him, Trump is right to wind down America’s endless wars November 23, 2020 In my last book, To Dare More Boldly: The Audacious Story of Political Risk, each chapter represents a key precept, based on a specific historical story, as to how to do political risk analysis right. One of my favourite of these 10 commandments is what I term “the Losing Gambler’s Syndrome”. This directly relates to [...]
HS2 is a shot in the arm for the post-pandemic economy November 23, 2020 It is no exaggeration to say that 2020 has been one of the most difficult years in modern history for many businesses. But as the year draws to a close, we have great reason for optimism: widespread roll-out of a vaccine is edging closer, and it looks like we will be able to begin to [...]
Time for a new chapter in the City’s special relationship with America November 23, 2020 Over the years, we in the UK have often stressed the “special” nature of our relationship with the US. While this is usually considered in the context of foreign policy, with regards to bilateral financial service trade, it has certainly developed into something truly special — and something we should be grateful for as Thanksgiving [...]
Second national lockdown to drive Black Friday sales down 20 per cent November 23, 2020 The introduction of a second national lockdown will push Black Friday sales down 20 per cent as consumers wait for shops to reopen to bag a bargain. Nationwide Building Society predicted a drop off in spending on 27 November, compared to a previous forecast of a 12 per cent increase, due to the month-long lockdown. [...]
New office construction in central London plunges 50 per cent November 23, 2020 New office construction in central London has plummeted by half over a six month period, according to the latest research, driven by a drop off in demand in the Square Mile. Weak tenant demand was the biggest obstacle to kickstarting new projects during the period, as developers wait to assess employers’ plans to return to [...]
Global dividends start to make a tentative recovery November 23, 2020 With the impact of the pandemic still lingering, global dividends have dipped again this quarter although there are encouraging signs the worst is now over for investors. Payouts in the third quarter dipped fell by $55bn to $329.8bn, the lowest since 2016, according to Janus Henderson’s latest dividend tracker. The 11 per cent decline was [...]
Boom or bust: Radio veterans take on BBC with new baby boomer station November 23, 2020 Two radio industry heavyweights are launching a new station aimed at baby boomers as they look to tap into a generation of older listeners “left behind” by the BBC. Boom Radio will launch across the UK early next year, bringing a mix of music and conversation to the country’s roughly 14m boomers aged 55 and [...]
Tory mayoral candidate pledges to build 100,000 homes for young Londoners November 22, 2020 Young Londoners will be able to buy new homes for £100,000 in the capital with a deposit of just £5,000 if Tory mayor candidate Shaun Bailey is elected next year. Bailey will announce tomorrow that if victorious in the May poll that he will build 100,000 “Millennial homes” that can only be bought by young [...]
Bubbles and baubles: UK Covid restrictions set to be lifted for Chistmas November 22, 2020 The government is set to lift Covid restrictions on Christmas eve to allow for up to four households to form holiday bubbles. People in the four-household bubble will be able to interact indoors anywhere, including in pubs and restaurants. Downing Street has reportedly been in touch with the devolved governments of Wales, Northern Ireland and [...]
JP Morgan pushes ahead with UK digital bank plans November 22, 2020 US investment bank JP Morgan has reportedly promoted one of its top London employees to spearhead the launch of its digital consumer platform in the UK. It has appointed Sanoke Viswavathan, previously chief administrative officer of technology and operations in its corporate and investment division, as the chief executive of its challenger bank. The company [...]
