The CMA missed its opportunity to level the playing field for challengers and end the banking oligopoly August 9, 2016 To deal with a problem, first you need to recognise it. While yesterday’s final report from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on UK retail and SME banking identifies the problems of the market, it has fallen short when it comes to making recommendations that will address the underlying issues. The report makes several constructive suggestions [...]
Move over Joe Root: What England’s greatest ever batsman tells us about how to use statistics August 9, 2016 Cricket fans will be delighted that Joe Root is establishing himself this summer as a truly great batsman. His Test match batting average of 55.49 is bettered by only 16 players from across the world since Test cricket began in 1877. Root currently sits seventh in the England career batting averages, and he clearly has [...]
As the Chinese ambassador questions the delay, would cancelling Hinkley severely damage UK-China economic ties? August 9, 2016 Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, says Yes. The UK-China relationship will be hurt by the decision to delay and potentially halt Hinkley Point. The “Golden Era” of bilateral relations will suffer a setback, as China will perceive this decision as a loss of face. But while our short-term economic relationship will take [...]
Pensions Regulator’s powers must be strengthened so it can crack down on those avoiding responsibilities August 9, 2016 Pensions are in a pickle. The deficits of private sector schemes are ballooning on the back of rising longevity and interest rates plunging to record lows. The sheer scale of the black hole in defined benefit, or final salary, schemes has prompted senior MPs to call them “the greatest challenge facing longstanding British businesses”. Why [...]
How going public changes the role of the chief executive forever August 8, 2016 Bernard Liautaud, managing partner of Balderton Capital and the first ever European entrepreneur to take a company public on Nasdaq, lifts the lid on the life of a chief executive of a public company in an open letter to Mike Tuchen, the chief executive of software company Talend, which listed on Nasdaq at the end [...]
India risks squandering its hard-won gains if it abandons monetary policy discipline August 8, 2016 Speculation is building over who will replace Raghuram Rajan, the much-admired governor of India’s central bank, amid growing expectations that an announcement will be made soon. Rajan, one of India’s key reform figures, is stepping down in September. His three-year term wasn’t extended despite his important role in helping restore investors’ faith in the way [...]
Why do politicians think they would be better at planning migration than anything else? August 8, 2016 A large number of MPs seem to believe that net inflows of 330,000 people per year into Britain are “too high”. What, then, is the optimal annual number of net migrants? Up until recently, the Conservatives said “tens of thousands” should be the aim. What’s not entirely clear is why they felt they had the knowledge [...]
As May pushes cash payouts for households, would sharing the proceeds of shale turbocharge the dash for gas? August 8, 2016 Michael Hulme, head of commodities at Carmignac, says Yes. Sharing the proceeds of shale with individual households as well as local councils will help kick-start the process, yes. The driver of shale development in the US was the existence of mineral rights – simply put, the ownership of what lies under the ground by the owner [...]
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 could be its best chance to pip Apple to the post August 8, 2016 Samsung versus Apple is one of the fiercest mobile tech rivalries ever and, with the right timing and its latest “phablet” device, the South Korean giant may have found the right formula to steal customers from the iPhone maker. Last week, Samsung released the Galaxy Note 7, a 5.7 inch “phablet” that comes with an [...]
This is why we should already be paying for our current accounts August 8, 2016 The idea of paying for a current account is one that might rankle customers, but the reality is it could be the most beneficial system for users and banks. The rationale is simple. When we pay for something, our expectation of that service is higher, when a cost is involved we almost always compare our options carefully [...]