Great expectations: The Darwinian wars of economic and epidemiological forecasting July 29, 2020 A key concept in modern economics is, to use the jargon term, rational expectations. The idea has dominated orthodox macroeconomics over the past 30 years. Not all economists have been persuaded of its merits by any means, but nevertheless, its influence has extended far beyond academia, into finance ministries and central banks around the world. [...]
Lose five pounds for the government? It’s thanks to the government I gained it in the first place July 29, 2020 I cannot be the only person who has gained five pounds during lockdown. I am still far from overweight (the NHS BMI calculator helpfully tells me that I am in the optimum range for my age and height), but the government’s sudden fixation on slimming down the nation has not exactly been great for my [...]
Harness young talent to get the UK economy back on track July 29, 2020 As businesses continue to feel the economic disruption created by Covid-19, front of mind will be not only confronting the immediate challenges, but their long-term recovery plan and the actions necessary to ensure that they emerge from the crisis in a strong and competitive position. The UK’s young talent is a core part of this. [...]
Letter: Is the government right to focus on obesity as its top public health issue? July 29, 2020 Re: Is the government right to focus on obesity as its top public health issue? People with obesity are at a much greater risk of serious Covid-19-related complications and death. They are also more likely to require hospitalisation, ICU admission, and mechanical ventilation. Hence, addressing obesity makes sense not only as a way to prevent [...]
The City takes the lead as Ebay reports 335 per cent jump in UK businesses July 29, 2020 The number of UK businesses signing up to become sellers on Ebay spiked more than 300 per cent in June, with the City of London taking the top spot for the most new companies on the site during lockdown. Ebay said the number of new businesses on its website jumped 335 per cent in June [...]
The City View: Patrick L Young on exchanges and the future of finance July 28, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS In today’s bumper edition of The City View, Andy Silvester is joined by entrepreneur, author and former exchange boss Patrick L Young. Patrick takes us on a global tour of exchanges and the plumbing of the world’s financial system, touching on the remarkable technological achievements of the last two [...]
Government mulling two-test system to cut quarantine time July 28, 2020 People entering the UK from red-listed countries may be allowed to leave quarantine early if they test negative twice for coronavirus in a limited number of days. The BBC reported that the government was close to giving the go-ahead to a trial programme of double testing in order to ease pressure on the travel sector. [...]
Sales plunge at Gucci owner Kering as 2020 outlook remains unclear July 28, 2020 Luxury group Kering said sales plunged almost 44 per cent in the second quarter due to the coronavirus pandemic, adding it could not provide a forecast for the second half of 2020. The Gucci owner’s revenue was a touch better than analyst expectations, however, with those at UBS citing estimates for a 46 per cent [...]
Get staff back to offices now, urges LBC’s Nick Ferrari July 28, 2020 LBC’s Nick Ferrari has urged businesses to start bringing their employees back to the office, saying that companies “need a reality check”. His comments were prompted by Google’s announcement that its employees would work from home until summer next year. Speaking on his daily breakfast show, Ferrari said that unless people went back to their [...]
Twitter limits Donald Trump Jr’s account over coronavirus video July 28, 2020 Twitter said today it has limited access to Donald Trump Jr’s account for 12 hours, following a tweet he had posted which violated its misinformation policy on coronavirus. The eldest son of US President Donald Trump posted a video yesterday of doctors talking about the drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus. In the video, [...]
