Stock markets slide and bond yields jump as US inflation surprises on the upside February 14, 2018 US inflation rose faster than expected in January, sending bond yields higher amid fears over central bank tightening which triggered last week’s stocks sell-off. The consumer price index of inflation rose by 2.1 per cent in the year to January, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, faster than the 1.9 per cent expected [...]
How will Mark Carney respond to the FTSE 100 sell-off? The shadow MPC votes to hold as market bets on May hike pull back February 7, 2018 Markets have dialled back their bets on a May rate hike from the Bank of England after the massive market sell-off at the start of the week, with Mark Carney due to make his first public statements since the turmoil tomorrow. Investors are currently pricing in a 37 per cent probability of a rate hike [...]
Centre for Policy Studies blasts Labour’s nationalisation vow as a “£176bn gamble” January 21, 2018 Labour’s plans to nationalise core industries would add at least £176bn to the UK’s national debt, the equivalent of £6,500 per household, a new study suggests. According to the free-market Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), nationalising the energy and water sectors would cost £55.4bn and £86.25bn respectively, while the price tag attached to bringing Royal [...]
A short history of investing in gold – and what to expect for 2017 December 8, 2017 Gold is coveted by investors for its rarity. As a precious metal with limited supply, it is seen as a store of value when the real value of other assets, and currencies, can be manipulated. But fundamentally, its high worth is underpinned by its usefulness and attractiveness. Not only is it highly malleable but [...]
Editor’s Notes: Conspiracy theorists will always join the dots they want to see, bitcoin’s energy boom and the LSE row has left everyone weaker December 8, 2017 Before the fortuitous turn of events that took me into journalism, I did a lot of work with think tanks. These organisations come in all shapes and sizes – some are small, scrappy policy shops while others are quite grand, well-funded institutions. What they all tend to have in common is a staff of smart, [...]
Bitcoin mining explained: How it works, how much energy it uses and what needs to be fixed December 7, 2017 All eyes are on bitcoin at the moment. The cryptocurrency has staged a meteoric rise in 2017 that has attracted new investors, but, for many, question marks still surround bitcoin and the technology behind it. With recent reports pointing to the high energy cost associated with mining, the process used to create bitcoin, is there [...]
Bitcoin mining explained: How does it work? Why does it use so much energy? Is there any way to fix it? December 7, 2017 All eyes are on bitcoin at the moment. The cryptocurrency has staged a meteoric rise in 2017 that has attracted new investors, but, for many, question marks still surround bitcoin and the technology behind it. With recent reports pointing to the high energy cost associated with mining, the process used to create bitcoin, is there [...]
Battery storage is poised to recharge the UK’s energy sector over the next year November 17, 2017 So far, 2017 has been a year of milestones for clean forms of energy. The National Grid said this summer was the greenest ever, offshore wind became cheaper than new nuclear and the country’s first subsidy-free solar farm opened. Energy experts are also expecting to see a huge uptick in the number of electric vehicles [...]
DEBATE: With CO2 at record levels, does the UK need to prioritise clean energy? November 13, 2017 With CO2 at record levels, does the UK need to prioritise clean energy? Greg Jackson, founder of challenger energy firm Octopus Energy, says YES. It’s a stark reality that air pollution kills 40,000 people in this country every year. If the bodies lay where the problem did, your morning commute would be grisly. The scandal [...]
The trials and tribulations of tapping new tech November 7, 2017 "Neither Redbox nor Netflix are even on the radar screen in terms of competition.” Those are the words of Jim Keyes, the former chief executive of video rental giant Blockbuster back in 2008. Just five years after Keyes made that statement, Blockbuster went bust, swallowed whole by the mighty online streaming service that is Netflix. [...]