Why financial markets matter for the real economy January 8, 2016 Much like Jose Mourinho’s second spell at Chelsea, 2015 turned out to be a false dawn for the stock market. After breaking through 7,000 in April, the FTSE 100 ended the year barely over 6,000. The rollercoaster was even bumpier in China, where the market rose by 54 per cent by mid-June, only to lose [...]
Meet Ted Cruz: The dark horse Republican who could pip Donald Trump to the nomination January 8, 2016 Senator Ted Cruz is the most interesting candidate in the US presidential race right now. As a darling of the Tea Party, in 2012, he swept into the Senate, representing Texas, having campaigned on deeply conservative principles and policies. At the time, many dismissed him as a rabble-rouser who would wind up as a less [...]
China is exporting a new wave of deflation – and global growth downgrades are inevitable January 8, 2016 Global equity markets are battling against the third wave of deflation which Fidelity first spoke about last summer. The first wave was the US housing and financial crisis of 2008-9, the second the euro crisis of 2011-12, and now, the third, the emerging market crisis of 2015-16. All emerging market crises start in the foreign [...]
With Marc Bolland stepping down, can anyone turn around M&S’s faltering clothing business? January 8, 2016 Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, says Yes. The M&S clothing business can be fixed, starting with these three moves. First, stock availability has to be improved as this has been an issue since 2012. The firm needs to do more dual-sourcing for quick, repeat sales on strong lines. This would maximise full-price sales, help [...]
Fintech 2016: Bitcoin rises again and compliance gets sexy January 7, 2016 It was another big year for fintech in Europe in 2015. The frenzy of activity in London has continued. There’s been an overload of conferences and events, an occasional dose of premature back-slapping, but most importantly some great companies have raised serious investment. The rest of Europe, Germany in particular, has leapt forward too – [...]
Prepare for civil war: Tory Brexit splits will have shades of 1970s Labour January 7, 2016 Was there anyone in the Conservative Party who didn’t see it coming? David Cameron has finally given the Cabinet’s Brexit faction the free vote on the EU they so deeply desired. Given that this follows a series of previous climb-downs on everything from the wording of the referendum question to limits on the use of [...]
The remarkable rise of east London: Zone changes signal a shift in the capital’s economy January 7, 2016 Amid the January gloom, rail commuters began their somewhat subdued return to work this week. Alongside headlines on fare increases and improvement works, a more unusual move was announced: a change to London’s fabled Tube map structure. Stratford and a clutch of other east London stations – largely in the borough of Newham plus Tower [...]
As it claims to have tested a hydrogen bomb, does North Korea pose a serious threat to global peace? January 7, 2016 Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, says Yes. The corrosive nature of its regime, coupled with possession of nuclear weapons, makes North Korea a dangerous international menace. At just 32, Kim Jong-un is the despotic ruler of a country cut off from the outside world and with internal dissent stifled by his security [...]
Blockchain will lead the field in another record breaking year for UK tech investment January 6, 2016 2015 was another record year for investment into the UK’s tech sector. According to our latest data released today, London tech companies are leading the way, attracting over 60 per cent of the total $3.6bn invested last year. Investors are flocking to London, attracted by the city’s diverse tech scene. From fashion tech to fintech, the [...]
Ignore the gloom-merchants: The UK’s investment-led recovery is sustainable January 6, 2016 We saw some very positive economic news last month, as the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in seven years. The Bank of England also released the results of the major stress test of UK banks which it launched in March 2015. It concluded that “the banking system is capitalised to [...]
