These six charts caught our attention in July August 2, 2017 Safe as houses In the UK, house price growth began to slow noticeably last year when stamp duty on buy-to-let and second homes increased. The slowdown continued after the announcement that the UK would be leaving the EU. Perhaps surprisingly, London has been hit harder than the rest of the UK. UK growth is sluggish [...]
There’s more to Chinese culture than willow-patterned plates or Ming vases; we explore Beijing’s fast-growing contemporary art scene July 28, 2017 Picture the likes of London’s White Cube, the Saatchi Gallery, and the Serpentine, all transported to, say…Hounslow. Would you be as inclined to head there of a weekend to take in the latest exhibition by Damien Hirst, or Tracey Emin? Serious collectors from around the world as well as art-loving Chinese investors are doing something [...]
International lending to China surges by $92bn as banks shrug off fears of a debt bubble July 19, 2017 Lending by international banks to China surged in the first quarter of the year, new data from an influential central bankers’ body shows, reflecting increasing confidence in the country despite fears of a debt bubble in the world’s second-largest economy. Cross-border bank assets lent to emerging economies grew by eight per cent year-on-year in the [...]
Chinese economy delivers pleasant second-quarter growth surprise at 6.9 per cent annual GDP expansion July 17, 2017 The Chinese economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter of the year, sustaining its momentum to shrug off investor fears of an impending slowdown. Output from the world’s second largest economy remained at an annual rate of 6.9 per cent growth, the same as the first quarter, according to the Chinese National Bureau [...]
Initial Coin Offerings: Are they a solution to Bitcoin woes? July 11, 2017 Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) have taken the fintech world by storm the last few months. ICOs are tokens, typically based on the technology underlying Bitcoin’s more versatile cousin Ethereum, that entrepreneurs sell to investors in exchange for cryptocurrency – typically either Bitcoin or Ether, the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network. Interestingly, these tokens do not [...]
Are ICOs and new altcoins a solution to Bitcoin woes? July 11, 2017 Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) have taken the fintech world by storm the last few months. ICOs are tokens, typically based on the technology underlying Bitcoin’s more versatile cousin Ethereum, that entrepreneurs sell to investors in exchange for cryptocurrency – typically either Bitcoin or Ether, the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network. Interestingly, these tokens do not [...]
Britain is a tech powerhouse leading the global revolution July 7, 2017 In every era, when a big new technology is invented we are challenged to think fresh about how to make it work for us, in a way that improves the quality of people’s lives. Just as new technologies can bring great benefits, they also can throw up risks. It’s no different with digital technology. Britain [...]
It takes a village: How Simon Rogan transformed a Cumbrian town into an international culinary destination July 6, 2017 The village of Cartmel lies just beyond the boundaries of the Lake District. It’s quietly beautiful, with squat stone buildings, rows of shops selling postcards and tourist knick-knacks, and a 12th century priory that dominates the town square. You can find lazy, bucolic idylls like this dotted across this part of the world; it’s the [...]
Seven investment charts that caught our eye in June July 6, 2017 Schroders Investment Communications team highlights charts they found interesting this month. Mid-year markets Schroders' team of economists put together a handy summary of how various asset classes and markets have performed as we reach the middle of the year. Looking at broad asset classes, equities have been the best to be invested in, while commodities [...]
Big UK banks slip down in global ranking, but Metro and the challengers make ground July 3, 2017 Big UK banks are suffering compared with international rivals, according to a ranking of the world’s 1,000 largest lenders out today. HSBC remains Britain’s biggest bank in the global ranking, coming in ninth for the second year in a row. However, the lender – which topped the 2008 ranking – suffered its worst result in [...]