Britain should ignore Trump’s tariffs and unleash unilateral free trade April 8, 2025 A UK conversation focused on a trade deal with the US is depressingly small-minded. The best way to beat tariffs is to lower our own barriers and trade with the world, says Tim Focas The global trade war is now an all-out economic slugfest, with Britain caught in the middle. President Trump has slapped a [...]
15 years on from The Big Short, securitisation is back March 7, 2025 The Big Short hit bookshelves 15 years ago, but the era of securitisation it depicts is far from over — in fact, it’s booming, says Tim Focas Fifteen years ago this month, Michael Lewis’s The Big Short hit bookshelves, exposing how Wall Street’s reckless financial engineering fuelled the 2008 financial crisis. It was a cautionary tale to [...]
The FCA’s bond market reforms don’t go far enough February 7, 2025 The FCAs plans to make it easier for companies to issue smaller bonds are a step in the right direction, but if the UK truly wants to unlock its corporate bond market for retail investors, more must be done, says Tim Focas The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) plans to cut red tape around the corporate [...]
Forget Reeves’ CV – there’s a bigger transparency problem in monetary policy November 28, 2024 The real discussion shouldn’t be about whether Reeves deserves to call herself an “economist”. It should focus on the unchecked power of current central bank leaders, the far-reaching consequences of their decisions, and how we hold them to account, says Tim Focas The recent controversy over Rachel Reeves’ tenure as an economist at the Bank [...]
Americans do it better (investing, that is) October 9, 2024 British companies are often accountable to passive shareholders, such as pension funds, leading to risk aversion and short-termism. The US invests differently, with much better results, says Tom Focas The UK economy is in dire need of a rejuvenation. Growth is still stagnating, productivity lags behind global competitors, and industries that once anchored the nation’s [...]
Don’t believe Miliband’s spin on green energy September 5, 2024 The only thing “record-breaking” about the latest clean energy auction is the subsidies Ed Miliband’s thrown at it. Time to level with taxpayers about the true cost of net zero, says Tim Focas Here we go again – it didn’t take long did it. The new government, with Ed Miliband at the helm of energy [...]
Fiscal prudence? The iron chancellor doth protest too much July 24, 2024 Rachel Reeves’ decision to expand the powers of the OBR suggests apprehension, not confidence, writes Tim Focas. Rachel Reeves has promised to be an “iron chancellor” embodying fiscal constraint and discipline. Yet, her first legislative move to enhance the powers of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) raises questions about her own confidence in living [...]
It’ll take more than a big screen to revive the London Stock Exchange June 13, 2024 A live market screen in Paternoster Square is no substitute for the cultural and regulatory reforms we need to get companies listing in London, says Tim Focas In what seems like a desperate attempt to breathe new life into London’s equity market, London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) CEO Julia Hoggett has proposed installing a live [...]
Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Somerset Capital didn’t fail because of his politics December 15, 2023 The demise of Somerset Capital, the London-based emerging markets boutique co-founded by ex-Brexit minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, has sparked concerns about how his divisive brand of politics might have played in its downfall. Back in 2018, Rees-Mogg faced probing questions when it emerged that Somerset Capital had launched a new fund in Dublin amid concerns about [...]
Relax, the EU needs a last-minute equivalence deal with the City too November 17, 2020 How do things look when it comes to financial services post-Brexit? At first glance, not good. Despite chancellor Rishi Sunak stating that the UK would grant the EU access to its markets, Brussels is claiming it will only allow the City access to European markets if it is “in the EU’s interests”. With less than [...]
