20 November 2017 I returned recently from Kilkenny, Ireland where I attended Kilkenomics – an engaging mix of global finance and comedy sponsored by the FT and hosted by the irrepressible David MacWilliams. I often found myself thinking only the Irish could pull off this unlikely mix, but then I look at Twitter, and am [...]
IGC_EU Migration Former UK Prime Minister's cogent advice will not have much political impact it desrves, as it comes far too late. Nevertheless, this valuable report from the Institute for Global Change provides lots of welcome facts on this important subject. This is especially important during an era of "alterjnative facts"!
26 September 2017 Despite Europe’s recent economic upswing, Germany’s election result provides a stark reminder of the region’s political discontent in the aftermath of the Euro crisis, protracted unemployment, and increasing income inequality. Following the disappointing elections, can Chancellor Merkel and French President Macron produce the domestic and EU reforms needed to produce European prosperity? [...]
1 August 2017 The recent release of second quarter GDP data had something for everyone. For the post-Brexit sceptics, the meagre 0.3% gain (following a similarly paltry advance in Q1) confirmed the economic recovery was faltering. Recently, weak consumer spending has been a major headwind, resulting from modest income growth and higher prices following sterling’s [...]