Ireland: Irish Eyes Are Smiling

27 March 2023 Still basking in the glow of another Saint Patrick's Day celebration, Ireland was crowned the Six Nations rugby champions. As the world's top-ranked team, the nation eagerly anticipates this autumn's World Cup in France. Sure, Irish eyes are smiling indeed! But, that not all Ireland has to celebrate these days. Despite current [...]

Ireland: The Brexit Victor?

13 January 2021 There are no winners in Brexit, or so they say. In the recently agreed EU-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the United Kingdom was able to "regain control" of its immigration policy, to maintain tariff-free access to the EU Single Market (for now at least), to regain the ability to negotiate independent trade [...]

Brexit: Do Markets Think It’s Worth the Price?

4 January 2021 Finally, nearly 1,500 days after the Brexit referendum, the United Kingdom has both left the European Union and signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) outlining its future trading relationship with its largest partner. Political partisans will continue to defend their entrenched positions regarding the merits of this deal. On the one hand, [...]

Europe: Fiscal Stimulus Key to Avoid Recession

29 September 2019 The European economy has been decelerating since 2017. Indeed, the meagre 0.2% gain in GDP during Q2 2019 suggests economic activity may be stalling. And, as Germany, Italy, and the UK all recorded negative growth rates during the interval (and with Q3 looking decidedly weak as well), financial markets are increasingly concerned [...]