Britain needs to rediscover the joy of risk and reward March 8, 2023 This time next week, no doubt, your fingernails will be bitten to the quick in anticipation of Jeremy Hunt’s budget. Should you be able to wait no longer, we offer you our best informed prediction: don’t get too excited. In some ways, a muted ‘fiscal event’ sums up Britain and Westminster at the moment. There [...]
In Defence of Capitalism: How free markets are lifting people out of poverty March 8, 2023 In the second of an eight part series, the historian and sociologist Dr Rainer Zitelmann writes for City A.M. in defence of capitalism, arguing that freer markets are usually the answer to society’s problems, not the cause. Each week he will ‘myth-bust’ the common complaints about capitalism – and this week, it’s that capitalism is responsible [...]
The Notebook: Nick Bowes on devolution, LA’s issues and why Lewisham is now home March 6, 2023 ACCESS to opportunities – well-paid jobs and high-quality study – is a major part of the levelling up agenda.Clearly, some parts of the UK don’t have the same access to jobs and education as others. London scores well, being home to amazing universities and colleges and thousands of high-end jobs. Many Londoners can see the [...]
Sniffy frustrations at Solvency II reforms betray Bank’s out-of-touch approach March 6, 2023 Regulation is a risky business – pun intended. Reducing the possibility of something going completely Pete Tong is at the heart of the work of all of the City’s rulemakers, but it should not be the be-all and end-all. It is this trap into which the Bank of England and its Prudential Regulation Authority appear [...]
As a government, we need to bring tech success to ordinary Brits’ lives March 6, 2023 In my new role as Technology Secretary, it won’t surprise you to hear that I get hundreds of emails, and many of them end with that familiar automated line “sent from my iPhone”. I am sure everyone reading this will have had the same, and never thought twice about it. But this week, as I was thinking [...]
Donelan: Tech success must make Brits’ lives better March 6, 2023 THE GOVERNMENT’S new technology secretary has promised to turn the UK’s research triumphs into “actual, tangible benefits” for the country as she launches a new science and tech framework today. Writing for City A.M., Michelle Donelan said the UK’s “most incredible days of innovation are not in our past (but) are happening right now.” Donelan [...]
The Notebook: Ian Whittaker on the City’s listing problem March 6, 2023 An ex-CFO of a FTSE 100 company once said to me “I love seeing US investors because they recognise the role of the capital markets is to provide capital to grow.” “For UK investors, it is all about capital preservation and the dividends,” they continued. Capital growth and capital preservation: two phrases, one word difference. [...]
Arm listing failure shows occasional weakness of UK’s tech ecosystem March 5, 2023 In truth, it was always highly unlikely that Arm would list in London. From the moment a proposed takeover by Nvidia collapsed, any other result other than a Wall Street debut was almost a non-starter. But the British firm’s decision to cross the Atlantic for a public offering should not be ignored just because it [...]
Celebrating the Square Mile: Full list of winners at City A.M. Awards 2023 March 2, 2023 The great and the good of the Square Mile gathered for the annual City A.M. awards in the Guildhall on Thursday evening. The winners – drawn from right across the City – were rightly feted, having gone through a rigorous shortlisting and judging process to stand on the stage with host Julia Streets and City [...]
The City A.M. Awards: A glittering night in the Square Mile March 2, 2023 The great and the good of the Square Mile gathered at the Guildhall on Thursday night for the annual City A.M. awards – with Aviva boss Amanda Blanc walking away with the coveted ‘personality of the year’ award. Blanc’s award came at the end of an evening of celebrations and speeches – with the afterparty [...]