Charities must think more like business to stay ahead in a tough new environment July 28, 2016 An independent report published this week shows that the Prince’s Trust, the charity of which I am chairman, has returned £1.4bn in social value over the last 10 years. It is a figure of which we are immensely proud. Behind it lies a myriad of human stories. We have helped to transform thousands of young lives, [...]
Startups founded during the recession could be the reason why Britain lags on productivity April 6, 2016 Britain’s startups could be the missing piece of the “productivity puzzle” which has had economists and policymakers scratching their heads in recent years, according to new research by the innovation body Nesta. Working with number crunchers at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), Nesta found that new firms – those founded since the recession [...]
Mario Draghi to keep stimulus on ice in this week’s ECB meeting May 30, 2016 Mario Draghi will put his weapons out on display but keep the ammunition locked away at this week's European Central Bank (ECB) monetary policy meeting, experts have predicted. The president is expected to hold fire on another bout of quantitative easing or further interest rate cuts, as early indications appear that the ECB's latest efforts to [...]
Brexit or Bremain, the future is bright for the British economy – at least compared to the rest of the EU June 24, 2016 Much ignored in the EU referendum debate was the fact that Europe’s population is ageing rapidly. From having four working-age people for every person aged over 65 today, within a generation the EU will have just two people to support those over 65. However, there are vast differences across the EU, and the good news [...]
Argentina comes in from the cold with first local float in six years. Here’s how things might change under a new president in Buenos Aires June 13, 2016 Argentina is finally on the road to recovery, having been welcomed back into the fold by the global financial community. Last week, Buenos Aires celebrated the revival of its stock market with the first new local listing on the exchange in six years. It has helped bring an end to a dark period of isolation since Argentina defaulted on [...]
This is how the business community has reacted to the Queen’s Speech May 18, 2016 Business groups welcomed measures in the Queen’s Speech today while urging the government to push on with big decisions after the EU referendum, but clashed over broadband. The Queen’s Speech was announced as a “one nation” effort by Prime Minister David Cameron, and was set around three principles – the economy, increasing chances for the disadvantaged [...]
Long day and night ahead for Eurozone ministers as they discuss Greek debt crisis May 24, 2016 One of the key players in the latest Greek bailout talks has warned there is a long way to go to strike a deal to unlock another €11bn (£8.4bn) of loans. The Slovakian finance minister, Peter Kazimir, said talks currently underway in Brussels between the Eurozone finance ministers could last all night, pointing to a host of [...]
Brazil: Between the rule of law and the rule of politics March 31, 2016 President Dilma Rousseff's hope of surviving a looming impeachment are becoming dimmer each day. On Monday, the Brazilian Bar association filed a new process to remove her from power on the grounds of accounting fraud. Yesterday, her party, PT, lost their largest ally in the Brazilian Congress as centrist party PMDB, presided by vice-president Michel Temer, withdrew their support [...]
Chancellor George Osborne approves Sir Charlie Bean’s shake up of UK economic statistics March 17, 2016 An overhaul of the way the UK collects and manages its economics data has been approved by the Treasury. Plans for an Economics Centre of Excellence and Data Science Campus at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have been announced as part of the budget. Around £17m of investment will support the initiatives at headquarters of [...]
After the government’s volte-face on the sugar tax, will marketeers be left with a crashing low? March 22, 2016 Should the announcement of a sugar tax in last week’s Budget have marketeers worried? It certainly represents a volte-face on the part of the government. In October, when the advisory group Public Health England (PHE) released a report recommending measures to tackle childhood obesity, including a sugar tax of 10 to 20 per cent, a [...]