Europe’s top banker warns of eurozone ‘uncertainty’ November 16, 2018 The European Central Bank will push ahead with plans to roll back its stimulus package at the end of the year, the bank’s chief said today. ECB president Mario Draghi said he still expects the eurozone economy to keep expanding, but warned that there is increasing uncertainty. “If firms start to become more uncertain about [...]
An Italian Bank run could crack the euro November 16, 2018 | City Talk The Italian government is defying the European Commission’s request that it revise its draft budget for 2019 to reduce the deficit. Bond yield spreads are widening and Italian banks are under pressure. Should a bank run ensue, could the euro fall apart? After German reunification, interest rates rose to over 9 per cent in the early [...]
Money in the pot? The cannabis trend could be the new gold rush November 16, 2018 Is cannabis the new gold? And if so, are we at the gates of a greener and much more lucrative gold rush? Long gone are the days in which the legalisation of marijuana seemed impossible. Across the world, laws have fallen, new laws have been made, and an increasing amount of research has established that [...]
Fairytale economics will not enchant markets November 14, 2018 In a remarkable break with the economic prudence of the past decade, policymakers in the west are taking their feet off the spending brakes. During the recent midterm elections in the US, President Trump hailed the continuing stream of positive economic data and Democrats’ warnings about the cost of tax cuts failed to cut through. Meanwhile the [...]
Inflation remains steady in October as CPI stays flat at 2.4 per cent November 14, 2018 Inflation remained steady in October, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) flat month on month at 2.4 per cent, according to Office for National Statistics data out today. Rising fuel costs and domestic gas prices offset lower prices for food and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as clothing and transport, leading to CPI staying unchanged from its September [...]
Move over Facebook and Apple, the next generation of customers has other ideas November 14, 2018 A visit to Rochdale Sixth Form College was a cheering experience last week. This year, 55 per cent of A-levels were at grades A* to B. True, Eton and Winchester do better. But this track record shows that even poor boroughs – and Rochdale is one of the poorest – have the capacity to deliver high-quality [...]
Italy rejects EU calls to amend budget ahead of deadline November 13, 2018 Italy defied a European Commission deadline to submit a revised budget tonight, telling the EU it will not change its expansive fiscal plans. Ahead of a midnight deadline, the Italian government said it was sticking to its guns. In a statement released after a cabinet meeting, deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini said its deficit target [...]
Trust me, we’ve been thinking about market power and competition all wrong November 13, 2018 Economists, politicians, and commentators on both sides of the Atlantic are growing more concerned with the supposed “monopolisation” of the economy. In a 2017 report, the Social Market Foundation found that eight of 10 key British markets, including in phones, gas and groceries, were highly dominated by small numbers of companies. Its director, James Kirkup, [...]
Wage growth hits 10-year high as 132,000 EU workers quit the UK November 13, 2018 Wages grew at their fastest rate in a decade in the latest quarter as the employment rate also rose higher, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released today. People’s salaries grew by 3.2 per cent excluding bonuses in the three months to the end of September compared to last year, marking the [...]
Is central bank independence even a thing? November 13, 2018 Parents often find it tough to let go of the control they have on their children’s lives, no matter how old they are. While children usually tend to wriggle out of these constraints, the constant jostling between two often opposing opinions is a worldwide phenomenon. And such is the relationship between the government and the [...]
