Forget Brexit – the British economy is running out of money January 17, 2019 The media circus around Brexit is currently the focus of virtually all economic commentary on the UK. This fixation is so all-consuming that we risk missing another real threat to the economy: the dramatic slowdown in the growth rate of broad money This refers to the total amount of money in the economy. There is [...]
Climate change and cyber threats among biggest risks in 2019, World Economic Forum warns January 16, 2019 Climate change and evolving cyber threats are among the biggest risks in 2019, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has warned. But the organisation said geopolitical tensions, such as the US-China trade dispute, were hindering the fight against climate change and could impact global growth in the coming year. The WEF’s global risks report – ahead [...]
Capitalism has reduced inequality and improved the world, yet still it is under attack January 16, 2019 DESPITE the First World War ending the previous November, the year 1919 was a very bad one. For example, the UK entered what was by far its deepest ever economic recession. Output fell some 25 per cent between 1919 and 1921 as the economy attempted to adapt to peacetime conditions. The troops had been promised [...]
UK CPI falls close to a two-year low on lower fuel and air travel prices January 16, 2019 The UK's Consumer Price Index was 2.1 per cent in December, falling to a 22-month low driven by falls in petrol prices and a year-on-year drop in air fares. Falling fuel prices contributed a 0.14 percentage points drop in the 12-month rate, as the price of petrol in December last year was the lowest since [...]
Westminster impasse over Brexit has come at just the wrong time January 16, 2019 Ongoing political turmoil surrounding Brexit has been harming the UK economy for at least a year, with data pointing towards a significant squeeze on growth in recent months. City PM recently called on MPs to consider this impact seriously when pondering their actions during the current constitutional crisis. So much for that. Investment decisions put [...]
Brexit: How the pound might react to parliament’s crunch vote tonight January 15, 2019 Sterling has been plagued by volatility in recent months as uncertainty around Brexit has heightened. Theresa May's withdrawal agreement has come under pressure from all sides, and she was forced to postpone a December vote on her deal until tonight, when MPs will get their say at 7pm. But what will happen to the pound? [...]
German economy slumps to weakest growth in five years sending the euro down sharply January 15, 2019 The German economy grew at its weakest rate in five years in 2018 sending the euro down and further signalling a global downturn. Europe’s largest economy’s GDP grew by 1.5 per cent last year, compared with 2.2 per cent the previous year, according to data from the country’s Federal Statistics Office. The euro fell 0.3 per [...]
DEBATE: If Theresa May’s deal fails to pass, is another referendum the best way to break the stalemate? January 15, 2019 If Theresa May’s deal fails to pass, is another referendum the best way to break the stalemate? Jo Swinson MP, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, says YES. Brexit has become a national embarrassment. In the last few weeks, the Conservative government has lost control in parliament, and the Labour frontbench – supposedly the official [...]
Eager for a house price fall? It’s time for a lesson in economics January 15, 2019 Would it be a good thing if house prices in the UK fell? The British public, a host of commentators on Twitter, and even some economists seem to think so. A recent YouGov poll asked Britons whether a 30 per cent fall in property values after Brexit would be a “bad thing”. Just 32 per [...]
Eurozone industrial production suffers sharpest fall in almost three years led by Germany’s slowdown January 14, 2019 Eurozone industrial production suffered its sharpest fall in almost three years in November led by Germany’s economic slowdown, as the single currency bloc’s woes continued. Euro area production fell 1.7 per cent in November compared with the previous month, the EU’s statistical office Eurostat said, the sharpest monthly drop since February 2016. Read more: Eurozone sentiment [...]
