Haldane: Rishi ‘played a blinder’ but inflation fears are very real June 9, 2021 The threat of inflation is very real for chief economist at the Bank of England Andy Haldane, who this morning said the UK could “overshoot” its inflation target for longer than planned. Speaking on LBC this morning Haldane said there are “punchy pressures on prices” across the UK economy. A combination of high prices on [...]
Avoiding the great resignation will require some creative thinking June 7, 2021 They’re calling it “The Great Resignation” – the fear of a tsunami of departures from City firms as battalions of workers change jobs post-pandemic. One survey suggested that as many as 40 per cent of employees are considering moving on in the next six to twelve months. Some say they just can’t stomach the anxiety [...]
Services sector expanded at fastest rate in 24 years in May June 3, 2021 The UK’s service industry saw business activity grow at its fastest rate in 24 years last month as the reopening of the country’s economy after the pandemic continued apace. The UK Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for services rose to 62.9 in May, up from 61 in April. Any score above 50 indicates growth. It [...]
Law is one of the last bastions of anti-innovation and must learn to confront digital efficiency May 27, 2021 Members of the legal profession have an unfortunate reputation. On-screen depictions of lawyers give us a sense of society’s perception towards them; from the impossibly stern Julius Hoffman in Netflix’s Trial of the Chicago 7, to Judge Rinder’s performative reality TV court cases, lawyers in popular culture get a bad rap. A reason why the [...]
Indecisive Boris Johnson a ‘shopping trolley smashing between aisles’, says Cummings May 26, 2021 Dominic Cummings has hit out at Boris Johnson’s indecisiveness and described him as “a shopping trolley smashing from one side of the aisle to the other” as a part of a blistering attack on his apparent inability to lead the country as Prime Minister. Cummings said that it was “crackers” Johnson was in office and that [...]
Retirement planning? Sorry, we’re too busy watching Netflix May 19, 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has led many people around the world to reassess their priorities and goals. Many countries have seen infection rates soar through various waves of the virus, resulting in widespread lockdowns with large parts of their economies closed and people forced to remain at home. In a more uncertain world, people have also [...]
BlackRock bears down on environmental concerns as investor goes green May 5, 2021 Asset management giant BlackRock have increased their green engagements by more than 50 per cent in the past year, the firm said this morning. BlackRock Investment Stewardship’s (BIS) quarterly update suggests the trend towards more of a green push from major shareholders will continue. The giant’s stewardship team held almost 1,000 “engagements” with firms it [...]
India to take back illegal migrants in return for more UK visas May 4, 2021 The UK and India today reached an agreement on migration and mobility between the two countries as they looked to deepen economic ties following Brexit. The pact will provide more employment opportunities for 3,000 young Indian professionals annually, in return for the country agreeing to take back its citizens who are living illegally in the [...]
We shouldn’t be scared of the plague of activist investors April 30, 2021 Activist investors are the scourge of the corporate boardroom. Surreptitiously building sizeable stakes in public companies, they appear, uninvited and unannounced, bearing frightening demands. Often seeking the chief executive’s head on a platter, they are feared because they sometimes get it. In 2020, however, the activists went quiet. As businesses struggled to respond to the [...]
COP26: Public backs Government climate drive but some fear the cost April 28, 2021 The British public back moves to ‘go green’ but a third fear efforts will hit them in the pocket, new polling reveals today. More than half of both the public and MPs, who were also polled, believe climate change should be top of the Government’s agenda – regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic. But knowledge of [...]