The good, the bad and the ugly of the cryptocurrency dream July 28, 2020 Way back in 2014, I debated the merits of bitcoin with cryptocurrency evangelist Andreas Antonopoulos. It was a wonderful, civil and not too disobedient dialogue. I was sceptical, not cynical. Six years later, I remain sceptical but now have a cynical bias. Let me explain what I see as the good, the bad and the [...]
A property wealth tax is the only fair way to pay for the Covid-19 crisis July 28, 2020 Two years ago, the director of the Office for Budget Responsibility wrote the following: “Broadly speaking, the fiscal position is unsustainable if the public sector is on course to absorb an ever-growing share of national income… The baseline projection in each of our reports — since the first was published in 2011 — has pointed [...]
Where is the no-deal planning we need to extract a deal from the EU? July 24, 2020 The UK ended its fifth round of negotiations this week, and still there has been no agreement on the principles of a future trading deal — let alone an actual deal. This was all too predictable. The EU is seeking a deal founded in ideology, and the UK simply wants to trade. Back in January, [...]
We can’t tax our way out of the Covid-19 crisis — instead, the chancellor must drive growth July 24, 2020 There has never been a time to my knowledge when, in the run up to a Budget or other fiscal event, the Treasury has not highlighted the pressures on public finances which made the option for significant (or, indeed, any) net tax cuts unwise. Typically, projected shortfalls in the state’s annual budgets have been in [...]
Monzo relaunches premium accounts in third profit-chasing attempt July 16, 2020 Monzo is today relaunching its paid-for Plus account, in a near complete overhaul from its previous iteration that was scrapped last year. The new account will utilise open banking rules to allow users to view and move money from different bank and credit card accounts within the Monzo app, in a direct challenge to fintech [...]
They’ve kept our shelves stocked, now it’s time to stand up for our seafarers July 9, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has been a desperately worrying time for many people all over the country, in virtually every sector. Thousands of lives have been lost and the global economy has been set back by many years. But there is another pandemic taking place behind the scenes — a hidden pandemic that may cause myriad [...]
Rishi Sunak Summer Statement: All the Chancellor’s spending pledges July 8, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today announced a raft of measures in his Summer Statement in a bid to help the UK economy recover from the worst effects of coronavirus. The Treasury boss revealed massive public spending to bolster the UK economy in what people are calling his mini-Budget. While he did not extend the government’s furlough [...]
Small businesses are counting on Rishi Sunak for a jobs-first approach to recovery July 8, 2020 A cut to stamp duty? A drop in VAT? A cash incentive to take on apprentices? While we have seen glimpses of what today’s economic update from Rishi Sunak will hold — notably an ambitious support package for the arts sector and funding for traineeships — a great deal remains unknown. One thing we do [...]
Egypt and Morocco capital markets attract growing international recognition July 7, 2020 Heidi Raubenheimer, PhD, CFA, is head of Journal publications at CFA Institute. Experienced Board Member with a PhD focused in Business Management and Administration from University of Stellenbosch. CFA Institute has examined Africa’s 10 largest capital markets in a major report compiled by Heidi Raubenheimer, CFA, our senior director for journal publications. Here we highlight key [...]
COP26 has been delayed, but the City’s charge against climate change continues July 6, 2020 Businesses and households across the world have been hit hard by Covid-19, but as we move to the next phase of recovery from the pandemic, it is vital that we keep the fight against climate change top of the agenda. That’s why last week, to mark London Climate Action Week, we announced a major summit [...]