When you’re Making your Mind Up about your referendum vote, remember that Eurovision is nothing to do with the EU May 13, 2016 It’s that time of year again when parties are held, often with the campest of costumes, much drink is consumed, and we laugh, cheer and argue in equal measure. But wait! It’s only May. It’s not Halloween, Hogmanay, or even a bank holiday weekend. What is this new tradition in our annual calendar of escapist [...]
Is the IMF right that a vote to leave the EU would lead to sharp drops in share prices? May 13, 2016 Aengus Collins, country forecast director at the Economist Intelligence Unit, says Yes. Volatility in the UK’s financial markets would unquestionably surge in response to a vote to leave the European Union. Although the medium-term economic impact wouldn’t necessarily be dramatically worse than the baseline, the immediate aftermath of a leave vote would potentially be brutal. The [...]
Ignore the costumes, the Eurovision Song Contest is serious business May 13, 2016 Eurovision isn’t all fun. It’s serious business, too. SVT, Sweden’s national broadcaster has set aside a budget of £11m for this year’s show. But the cost of Eurovision has been larger-still for some countries. Vienna, last year’s hosts, spent £28m while the Baku extravaganza of 2012 cost an eye-popping £48m. Even participating can be prohibitively [...]
How Brexit would affect the UK’s energy sector May 13, 2016 While debates over the impact of Brexit on high-profile issues such as trade, immigration or security are rarely out of the media, the impact on one of the country’s most important sectors — energy — receives less attention. Surprisingly, despite the UK being part of the EU single market, there is currently no level playing [...]
Why design is finally having its day and being recognised as distinctly different from advertising May 13, 2016 This year so far has been a big moment for brand stories. A number of high profile rebrands have been hugely successful, while others have faced public scorn and confusion. On the positive side, Airbnb’s transformation from its name to a symbol was radical, but clearly reflected the meaning behind the brand and was easily [...]
Online polls got the London Mayoral race right – don’t ignore them for Brexit May 13, 2016 Books, articles and countless university theses will be written about the 2016 campaign for London Mayor, duly won by Sadiq Khan last week. Much will be said about the various candidates, campaigns and tactics, but it’s also worth noting that a number of pollsters got the result not just right, but bang on. After pollsters [...]
EU referendum: Brexit threat doesn’t explain economic woes May 13, 2016 June 24th will be a day of revelation. Depending on your perspective, London will either be freed from the shackles of a sclerotic European Union, or the fog of uncertainty will be lifted by a Remain vote, triggering a flood of welcome investment. Those are the cheery viewpoints, at least. Striking a less positive note, Bank [...]
Standard Life sleepwalks towards a pay revolt May 13, 2016 First Schroders, now Standard Life: it’s turning into a season of grand City institutions firing bullets into their own feet. Fresh from the calamitous handling of Michael Dobson’s elevation to the chair at Schroders, its Scottish-based peer is making an even bigger pig’s ear of a process it should be able to navigate in its [...]
Pharma is failing to spread the word about the millions of lives it saves May 13, 2016 Traders and canny investors take a keen interest in spread – the difference between the buy and sell price on any given market. They know that whatever they buy must bridge this gap before they can make a penny. Spreads are wider on stocks that are infrequently traded and, if they get too wide, traders [...]
Will Brexit knock house prices? Not in prime central London May 13, 2016 In a bid to sway voters, George Osborne is predicting Armageddon in every economic sector as the collateral damage of Brexit. This week he pointed the finger at property prices, predicting a significant dampening if the UK votes to leave. The chancellor is correct that the property market does stall in the face of investor uncertainty, [...]