The real reason you should be depressed by political soundbites April 7, 2014 POLITICAL sound-bites can be excruciating. They hang around for a year or two before disappearing when they become untenable. Who can forget Labour’s “too far, too fast”, or the Conservatives’ “global race”? With just over a year to go before the general election, you’ll be depressed to hear the current offerings look entrenched. The Conservatives [...]
Why it’s time to focus on the real cause of the housing crisis April 7, 2014 THE housing crisis in London and its commuter belt can be blamed on one simple problem: there is an under-supply of property. All of the other explanations – interest rates remain low, the impact of quantitative easing or the government’s ridiculous help to buy subsidies – are merely secondary. It is certainly not the case [...]
Why open borders should be the West’s peaceful response to Russian aggression March 26, 2014 Western nations have responded to Russia’s annexation of Crimea with moral condemnation and a series of sanctions against individuals with close ties to the Kremlin. On 21 March, the EU extended visa restrictions to a further 12 individuals. Later today Barack Obama will meet with EU leaders to discuss a response to Russia’s actions, after [...]
Why open borders should be the West’s peaceful response to Russian aggression March 26, 2014 Western nations have responded to Russia's annexation of Crimea with moral condemnation and a series of sanctions against individuals with close ties to the Kremlin. On 21 March, the EU extended visa restrictions to a further 12 individuals. Later today Barack Obama will meet with EU leaders to discuss a response to Russia's actions, after [...]
Why Barclays thinks European investors are missing out to US peers March 24, 2014 At the moment, European equities are, as a whole, pretty cheap. And what’s more, those with higher leverage are even cheaper. That’s according to Barclays, whose note today, “Learning to live with leverage”, details why it thinks European equity investors are still underestimating the impact of improved fixed income markets. The bank thinks there’s a [...]
Shares in bookies crash as Osborne hikes taxes on betting machines March 19, 2014 Some of Britain's leading bookmakers are taking a beating after George Osborne announced that the tax on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) would be raised from 20 per cent to 25 per cent. Shares in Ladbrokes have crashed by 12 per cent while William has suffered a decline of six per cent. Investec specialist bank [...]
Brand Index: Economic confidence set to determine the 2015 election March 18, 2014 SINCE YouGov started tracking consumer confidence in 2009, the number of people expecting their household financial situation to get worse has always far outstripped the upbeat group of Britons who expected things to get better. This split reached its worst in 2011 when for a few months more than half, or 55 per cent, of [...]
Meet captain Penn, boss of the Baltic Exchange March 10, 2014 With the City sailing through choppy waters, the Baltic Exchange’s boss tells Julian Harris how the shipping industry can lead the way LIBOR-FIDDLING, insider trading, insurance mis-selling, bailout-grabbing… it hasn’t been the best of times for the City’s reputation, of late. Meanwhile, throughout the world, packs of regulators and politicians continue to circle around the [...]
Meet captain Penn, boss of the Baltic Exchange March 10, 2014 With the City sailing through choppy waters, the Baltic Exchange’s boss tells Julian Harris how the shipping industry can lead the way LIBOR-FIDDLING, insider trading, insurance mis-selling, bailout-grabbing… it hasn’t been the best of times for the City’s reputation, of late. Meanwhile, throughout the world, packs of regulators and politicians continue to circle around the [...]
Fancy a brew? Annabel Palmer talks craft beer with Draft House’s Charlie McVeigh March 10, 2014 Draft House founder Charlie McVeigh talks about the perils of the hospitality industry, and how he’s taking advantage of Britain’s real ale renaissance A CRAFT beer revolution has taken hold in Britain. Consumption of independently-brewed beer rose by 22.3m pints to 415m pints in 2012, according to the Society of Independent Brewers. And figures suggest [...]