Bank of England deputy governor Minouche Shafik: Finance is stronger now October 27, 2014 Huge fines and revelations about some bankers’ bad behaviour in years gone by is obscuring recent progress made in cleaning up the industry, Bank of England deputy governor Minouche Shafik said last night. Shafik has launched a nine-month review into fixed income, currency and commodities markets, looking at every aspect from the way securities are [...]
Space, sea and saving humanity: Five of the most expensive, mind-blowing science missions ever untertaken November 25, 2014 From the discovery of penicillin to the invention of the computer, science has been fundamental to the survival and progression of humankind over the last few centuries. It has completely changed the way we live and thrive in the modern world, with the transformation set to continue – it would be difficult for anyone [...]
In praise of solitude: What does time alone mean to you? April 2, 2015 Our phones never stop ringing. Emails flood our inboxes. Meetings are an integral part of our working lives (not to mention pre-meetings and de-briefings). Smartphones keep us connected with our friends and family during the day and our bosses when we’re at home at night. In 2015, most of us can quite honestly say they [...]
It’s maddening that investment charges are still so complicated November 18, 2014 THIS week, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has come under pressure to implement more stringent measures on the way investments are managed, particularly when it comes to communicating fees to customers and improving the overall transparency of charges. But this is all backward. It should be companies leading the charge for transparency, because that’s what [...]
Beware the unintended consequences of hiking the minimum wage September 29, 2014 ED MILIBAND’S promise of an £8 per hour minimum wage by 2020 is one of the latest salvoes in the political battle over living standards. We can expect more help for hard-pressed families from the other party conferences, including the trumpeting of October’s above-inflation rise in the minimum wage. With real wages having fallen dramatically, [...]
Still lovin’ it? McDonald’s shows why a minimum wage hike is no free lunch October 27, 2014 McDonald's has been a major target for US protestors advocating a significant minimum wage hike. A multi-billion dollar company with a recognisable global brand, it has faced a high-profile campaign from those frustrated with low wage rates. Mandating higher wages for McDonald’s workers would not lead to job losses or cuts to hours, protestors argued. [...]
From banking to barista: Meet Notes director Edward Halfon February 8, 2015 Mass-produced coffee is out: new, hip speciality cafes are in. Former financier Edward Halfon tells Annabel Denham how the founders of food and wine “destination” Notes plan to indulge our ever-evolving taste buds. Recent research from the small business website Startups.co.uk found that “cult cafes” will become the hottest business opportunity over the next 12 [...]
Cameron has given up on NHS reform – and has put the health service at risk October 13, 2014 THE NHS costs £110bn a year in England alone, amounting to around 7 per cent of GDP. It employs more than 1.3m people, and its success or failure touches all of our lives, while indirectly affecting the strength of every business. So it matters that, as reported yesterday, the government now sees its NHS policy [...]
Labour’s misdiagnosis: A larger state is not the way to raise living standards September 23, 2014 To paraphrase the economist John Maynard Keynes, Ed Miliband’s speech yesterday to the Labour Party conference was an extraordinary example of how, starting with a mistake, a remorseless logician can end in Bedlam. For Miliband, the market has failed to deliver rising prosperity, and it is now time for big government to get back in [...]
London can solve its housing crisis – if the public sector stops sitting on land November 5, 2014 THERE is a wonderful description of London from 1622, written by the pamphleteer Donald Lupton. He evokes the “Great Beehive”, “swarming” with people, the capital “a glutton that desires always to be full”. Now the largest city in Europe, Lupton’s characterisation of 400 years ago will be one that many Londoners recognise today. Of course, [...]