No need to worry about China’s debt bubble…yet August 8, 2017 China's debt mountain is massive, and concerns around the sustainability of the country’s credit-fuelled expansion are showing no signs of dissipating. The world’s second largest economy has certainly had its fair share of bad news recently after Moody’s downgraded its credit rating in May amid fears the nation’s growth rate would slow in the next [...]
Nissan to offload electric battery business to Chinese private equity firm GSR Capital including Sunderland plant in the UK August 8, 2017 Nissan and NEC have announced the sale of their rechargeable electric battery joint venture to a Chinese private equity firm. Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) was set up by Nissan and NEC back in 2007 to produce lithium-ion batteries for the car firm, but today Nissan said it is offloading the unit to GSR Capital, [...]
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 [...]