We now have a unique opportunity to end rough sleeping in London for good June 13, 2020 Where do we go from here? It’s a question many of us are asking ourselves, as lockdown measures are gradually eased and we start to move from dealing with the day-to-day impact of the pandemic to looking towards the longer-term future. For the nearly 1,400 rough sleepers who have been accommodated in London hotels, paid [...]
ECB may expand bond buying in future but no need yet, says board member June 10, 2020 The European Central Bank (ECB) may expand its crisis-fighting toolkit in the future but is not planning to do so imminently, a board member said, playing down the possibility of the central bank buying bonds issued by banks or by junk-rated companies. The ECB last week boosted its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme to €1.35 trillion [...]
Let the economy reboot itself June 10, 2020 How can the government best support the UK’s economic recovery after the crushing impact of the pandemic? Today, the Institute of Economic Affairs and Civitas are publishing a joint report on the economics of the Covid-19 crisis, written by Professor Len Shackleton and myself. Many are arguing that the crisis has demonstrated the need for [...]
EXCLUSIVE: Dan Simerman talks Covid-19, Digital Assets and IOTA June 9, 2020 Dan Simerman is an investor and technical product manager well versed in consumer psychology, digital assets and open source software development. Dan has a history of building software for Fortune 50 financial institutions, multinational media companies and strategic consulting firms. As Head of Financial Relations at the IOTA Foundation, Dan’s goal is to support technology [...]
Is the government brave enough to let markets fix the social care crisis? June 9, 2020 We have all seen, with the direst of consequences, the deficiencies of the current social care system. As Covid-19 has raged through the UK, tens of thousands have died in under-resourced, under-invested, and ill-designed care homes. With the focus in those early weeks on protecting the NHS at all costs, central planners sent potentially infectious [...]
We risk entrenching racial inequalities unless we change our economic response to Covid-19 June 4, 2020 Like many, I have been deeply worried by the growing evidence about the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on our black and ethnic minority (BAME) communities. Public Health England’s latest research, released this week, shows that BAME communities are at far higher risk of catching Covid-19 and are at greater risk of dying from the disease [...]
When Moon? A momentous last week June 2, 2020 When Moon? A phrase often used in the crypto space to describe when a coin price will blast off in value. This week we have seen Bitcoin finally rebreach the US$10,000 and notably my friends at Cardano saw their market cap increase 52% catapulting it back into the top 10 cryptocurrency chart by value for [...]
Restarting and building a resilient recovery June 2, 2020 COVID-19 continues to create a unique set of challenges for business and society. I think it’s important, as we wrestle with those challenges, that we continue to acknowledge that we’re all experiencing this crisis in different ways and on different timelines. The way EY has been advising businesses to manage and respond to COVID-19 is [...]
Why I’m seeking a Judicial Review of the government’s draconian lockdown measures June 2, 2020 Last month, Boris Johnson addressed the nation and told us to “stay alert”. But with the passing of each day of this totalitarian lockdown, it is clear that it is the government that is leading us like lemmings into disaster, taking us towards the cliff edge with them. My application to the High Court for [...]
Card Factory scraps dividend as higher costs hit profit June 2, 2020 Card Factory today scrapped its full-year dividend as higher costs and the ongoing impact of Covid-19 weighed on profit. The figures Card Factory reported revenue of £451.5m for the year to the end of January, up 3.6 per cent year on year. Like-for-like sale dipped 0.5 per cent over the year. Underlying profit before tax [...]