Davos: Xi says China’s ‘common prosperity’ drive is not egalitarianism January 17, 2022 Xi Jinping has declared China’s “common prosperity” agenda, which has seen a government crackdown on wealthy firms, is not about pursuing egalitarianism. The Chinese President also called for a change to the current “Cold War mentality” in light of the growing conflict between China and the US. Beijing’s common prosperity drive is aimed at narrowing [...]
Venture capitalists pump £74bn into China, despite regulatory storm January 12, 2022 China’s regulatory storm has not deterred business, nor investors, after venture capitalists pumped more than £74bn into the country last year, new data has revealed. The VC market looks ‘surprisingly upbeat’, after investment swelled nearly 48.9 per cent year-on-year, according to GlobalData. Meanwhile, deal volumes jumped nearly 32 per cent to 4,302 last year, up [...]
Nickel prices rise to 10-year highs as car giants embrace electric vehicles January 12, 2022 Nickel prices surged to decade-highs on Wednesday, as car giants scramble to secure supplies for electric vehicle batteries as the market booms.
Top Chinese economist suggests £230bn plan to boost shrinking population January 11, 2022 A top Chinese economist has advised the central bank to print around £230bn worth of extra cash a year over the next decade, in a bid to incentivise the population to have more children. The capital would be used to subsidise housing costs, as well as build more childcare facilities, chief economist at SooChow Securities [...]
Exclusive: ‘Omicron is a reminder the world is only as good as the weakest link in the vaccination chain,’ says abrdn exec January 11, 2022 Ongoing inflationary shocks, questions around interest rates and the emergence of the new Omicron Covid variant are all making navigating uncertainty more challenging. Nonetheless, when we look beyond the headlines, there remain some reasons for optimism going into 2022, according to Richard Dunbar, head of multi-asset research at global investment giant abrdn. Square Mile-based Dunbar [...]
There’s nothing wrong with plain speaking… January 10, 2022 ONE COMPLAINT of business journalists is that some chief executives, drilled to within an inch of their life by a phalanx of corporate communications professionals, have on occasion been known to not perhaps be the most interesting interview subjects. It’s understandable: one doesn’t get to the top of corporate behemoths, as a rule, by shooting [...]
NFTs in the media: from films to the TV January 10, 2022 Manufacturers on television are battling to offer the ability for people to display their non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the ‘Telly’, discusses Jonny Fry.
Could tech stocks lose their shine in 2022? January 7, 2022 If you wanted to put money in the stock market over the past five years, then a sure-fire bet has been to invest in US tech stocks, which have significantly outperformed the wider markets. That divergence in performance has been particularly noticeable since the start of the pandemic, as the crisis spurred new ways of [...]
CBDCs: China leads global race as e-yuan payments arrive on WeChat January 6, 2022 China has emerged as a front runner in the race to develop state backed electronic money, with e-yuan payments now available on WeChat.
Which direction will the UK’s economic weather vane blow in 2022? January 6, 2022 It’s fair to say the last two years have been a turbulent one for the UK economy. The pandemic has upended working practices, supply chains and the monetary policy playbook. With the emergence of the Omicron variant leaving the spectre of coronavirus hanging over the country, it’s fair to say the British economy is not [...]