Coup de grace: Are investors misjudging Marine Le Pen’s chances of victory in France’s presidential election? February 21, 2017 "Fool me twice, shame on me,” goes the idiom. Caught out by shock victories for the Leave and Trump campaigns in 2016, investors are determined not to let political risk get the better of them a third time as the French presidential election approaches this spring. Since the beginning of the year, French government bonds [...]
The nightmarish state of the public finances makes NHS reform even more urgent January 18, 2017 While Westminster was awaiting the first lines of Theresa May’s Brexit speech yesterday morning, the government’s fiscal watchdog issued a devastating judgement on the long-term health of the country’s finances. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the accelerating cost of the NHS will double the national debt relative to GDP by the middle [...]
Fifa set to expand World Cup to 48 teams – and bank $1bn in extra revenue January 9, 2017 Controversial but highly lucrative proposals to expand the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 from 2026 are expected to be rubber-stamped by governing body Fifa on Tuesday. Critics say the plans, advanced by Fifa president Gianni Infantino, will dilute the overall standard, produce less exciting matches and could increase the likelihood of teams colluding. [...]
HS2 announces flurry of new contracts including another for CH2M – the firm of its chief exec-to-be February 9, 2017 New contracts have been awarded for the second phase of HS2, including one for CH2M – HS2's incoming chief executive's company. The announcement comes after questions were asked over Mark Thurston's appointment last month and possible conflicts of interest. Thurston joins from his post managing European affairs at CH2M in the spring. American engineering giant CH2M is already the engineering delivery [...]
Three things banks want from Wednesday’s Autumn Statement November 20, 2016 The shops are stocking mince pies and there's a distinct chill in the air, which can mean only one thing; the Autumn Statement is near. While those in the booze sector have their fingers crossed for a beer duty freeze and property tycoons want some plans drawn up for affordable homes, what will bankers be hoping [...]
Five evidence-based proposals to make sure executive pay benefits society November 29, 2016 Theresa May is absolutely right that executive pay needs reform as part of creating “a country that works for everyone”. Today, her government is expected to release a Green Paper outlining measures to ensure that chief executive contracts benefit society, not just the executives themselves. At The Purposeful Company, we applaud and share this mission. [...]
The UK’s the fifth most entrepreneurial country in the world November 27, 2016 The UK is better at fostering entrepreneurial talent than nearly every other country in the world, new research reveals, propelled ahead of the US thanks to its finance expertise and favourable policies. The UK ranks fifth behind only Singapore, New Zealand, Denmark and Canada when it comes to creating an environment where entrepreneurs can flourish, according [...]
Big Oil is sleepwalking into crisis by underestimating the electric car revolution February 15, 2017 The “disruptive” label is overused. However, the unexpected pace of advancement in clean technology over the past decade has taken many established utility companies by surprise. And despite recent, largely reassuring results from the oil sector, Europe’s utilities provide a potentially prophetic glimpse into its future. In the German city of Hamm, the Westfalen D [...]
Autumn Statement 2016: What do strong GDP figures mean for Philip Hammond’s first spending spree? October 27, 2016 Next month's Autumn Statement may not be the mighty spending spree some had expected, as today's expectation-beating GDP figures could prompt a rethink inside the Treasury about how far they need to go. Chancellor Philip Hammond has promised a fiscal reset, although growth of 0.5 per cent in the third quarter is significantly up on economists' forecasts and [...]
US GDP grows at fastest pace in two years in the third quarter, although durable goods orders disappoint December 22, 2016 The US economy grew faster than previously thought in the third quarter of 2016, to post the fastest rate of quarterly growth in two years. The annualised GDP growth rate was 3.5 per cent in the third quarter, according to revised data from the US Department of Commerce. The upgrade in the measure was driven [...]