Chinese dragon needs to regain its fire: Falling competitiveness could be the hidden force behind the slowdown September 8, 2015 China's unravelling has had repercussions all over the world, from the $3 trillion (£1.96 trillion) wiped off global stock markets in the space of days, to fears of deflation in the UK and currency devaluations in places as distinct as Vietnam and Kazakhstan. The Shanghai stock market – which is down 40 per cent [...]
US oil agency IEA warns battle for market share has just begun May 13, 2015 The battle for market share in the oil sector has just begun, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) monthly report. The warning follows a report from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) on Tuesday, which stated that US supply was set to decline over the final two quarters of 2015 while Opec [...]
As RICS calls housing a “national emergency”, are UK politicians incapable of fixing the crisis? May 14, 2015 Stephanie Lis, who works for the Institute of Economic Affairs, says Yes Politicians of all stripes have been woeful in their attempts to deal with the UK’s escalating housing crisis. While all the main parties have acknowledged the symptoms of our dysfunctional market – which has seen prices increase more than fourfold in real terms [...]
A quiet tech revolution is happening – not in Shoreditch or Birmingham – but in Croydon July 30, 2015 I read Nick Holzherr’s recent article championing Birmingham’s Silicon Canal with a mixture of interest and a large degree of scepticism. As the founder of Croydon Tech City, I agree that the UK’s technological future doesn’t lie solely with the denizens of Old Street. But I argue vehemently with his alternative. If you want [...]
A strong partnership between the City and Scotland benefits all April 12, 2015 As the Easter weekend fades into distant memory, my programme of visits to the City’s key trading partners kicks back into action. Instead of a far-flung, emerging market on the other side of the globe, however, my travels this week take me to economic partners a lot closer to home – the cities of Edinburgh [...]
RBS sees better-than-expected price for its Aldgate office block March 31, 2015 Bids for one of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s office buildings in Aldgate have entered a second round, with the taxpayer-owned lender set to gain a better-than-expected payout. The bank appointed advisory firm DTZ at the end of last year to sell Aldgate Union on Whitechapel High Street, with a guide price of around £85m. [...]
Is your MBA returning on investment? Average salary growth post-MBA may be a crude measure, but it’s still a useful one August 27, 2015 How does the cost of an MBA stack up against other major life expenses? At a top UK business school, a one year course will set you back between £40,000 and £50,000 in tuition fees alone. Add on living expenses and the opportunity cost of not working for a year, and you’ll be [...]
Peer-to-peer lending isn’t shadow banking: It’s now more transparent than ever June 3, 2015 Whether we in the industry like it or not, peer-to-peer lending has for some time been lumped together with the likes of hedge funds, offbeat types of investment vehicles and even payday lenders in what is known as the “shadow banking sector”. This term was originally designed to cover those entities outside the regular banking [...]
Industry view: Adoption and collaboration are key to defeating the cyber threat September 15, 2015 Cyber-crime is now one of the most serious threats to businesses and national economies. It is rare that a week goes by without a story breaking about a business that has suff ered a cyber-attack. Already this summer in the US, Jeep Cherokee told customers to update their cars after hackers crashed a vehicle, having [...]
Royal Mail share price slides as Ofcom launches “fundamental” review of Royal Mail June 16, 2015 Communications regulator Ofcom today announced plans for a "fundamental" review into Royal Mail's direct delivery service, sparked by the withdrawal of Whistl, Royal Mail's only rival in the sector. Read more: Opinion – Lessons learned as final Royal Mail parcel goes on sale Shares were down 2.5 per cent at 492p as Ofcom said the [...]