China has miscalculated — India will be the big winner of this new world order June 29, 2020 My friend, the Indian diplomat and politician Shashi Tharoor, once wisely said: “Everything in India is recycled, even dreams.” And now in our new era, India’s rightful pride in its fabulous history — and perennial fervent desire to return to the top table in global politics — is about to at last be realised. Delhi [...]
FCA introduces credit card and loan freeze to help consumers through coronavirus April 9, 2020 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced a package of measures today to help customers with credit cards and loans during the coronavirus lockdown. The City watchdog said the measures would help provide temporary financial relief to people with commonly used consumer credit products. Firms are expected to offer customers a temporary payment freeze on loans [...]
Trump versus Biden: The battle of the brands June 26, 2020 Politics should always be about policies. But in this “post-truth” era, US politics in particular has become disconnected with policy. Instead, the 2020 presidential showdown is about brands: Brand Trump versus Brand Biden. In a normal election year, the presidential race would be up and running right now, with polling numbers over analysed, policies and [...]
Which cafes and restaurants are reopening as the coronavirus lockdown lifts? June 10, 2020 After two months of coronavirus lockdown, Britain’s high streets are waking up again. From Pret to Pizza Express, cafes and restaurants across the country are working out how to restart their businesses. So what chains can customers expect to open up again on Monday, when so-called non-essential businesses are allowed to make their long-awaited return? [...]
Bother: The startup looking to disrupt the grocery market October 30, 2020 The days of empty shelves and loo roll shortages seem a distant lockdown memory, but one London-based startup thinks it speaks to a wider problem within the UK’s grocery market. Startup Bother is on a mission to disrupt the saturated grocery market by offering what it considers to be a convenient and cheaper online alternative. [...]
London house prices rebound with 2.3 per cent growth after election February 19, 2020 London house prices grew at their fastest rate in 15 months in December following Boris Johnson’s election win, official figures showed today, as UK house prices also rose. Homes in the capital enjoyed a 2.3 per cent rise to £484,000 after a 2019 full of falls, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The [...]
With the rest of the world distracted, China is on the march across Asia June 22, 2020 There are iron-clad geopolitical rules as to how the world works, edicts no less true because they are unknown by the vast majority of people. The vastly underrated Nicholas J. Spykman, the foremost US strategic theoretician of the twentieth century, was a primary articulator of these secret runes. As Spykman postulated, the underlying rules to [...]
Growth falters as UK house prices stuck in ‘Brexit limbo’ July 31, 2019 UK house prices’ rate of growth slipped in July, falling to a “modest” 0.3 per cent annual rise to stay below one per cent for the eighth month in a row, according to Nationwide’s latest data. However, the 0.3 per cent month-on-month growth outstripped June’s 0.1 per cent to leave the average UK home worth [...]
Just Eat bags deal to deliver McDonald’s January 28, 2020 Just Eat today became the second UK delivery firm to partner with McDonald’s after signing a multi-million-pound deal with the fast food chain. The delivery giant, which is set to enter a £6bn merger with Dutch firm Takeaway.com, said the partnership will hit the road later this year. It comes as a blow to rival Uber [...]
Covid-19 will hit emerging economies hard March 31, 2020 Coronavirus has stopped both the medical and economic worlds in their tracks. If last week’s preliminary data flashes are anything to go by, the global economy is en route to a recession that will surpass 2008 both in speed and in magnitude. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) estimated last week that the [...]