How Uber, Airbnb and other sharing economy platforms can win over hostile regulators and reach their full potential February 5, 2016 New research by Europe Economics has put the potential of the Sharing Economy at up to £572bn a year in savings across the EU thanks to increases in the utilisation of assets like cars, homes and consumer goods. Right now those assets often spend most of the time gathering dust, costing their owners money. They [...]
Rand Paul: Farewell to the most interesting man in US politics – but not to his libertarian ideals February 5, 2016 The first round of Americans cast their votes in the 2016 US presidential primaries in Iowa on Monday evening, and the results shocked everyone. The polls were wrong: senator Ted Cruz took 28 per cent of the vote and was declared the winner, despite trailing Donald Trump for weeks. Trump secured 24 per cent, earning [...]
Britain needs a free market energy revolution to keep the lights on February 5, 2016 Over the past decade and a half, Britain’s energy bills have soared. When wages stagnated and demand fell, electricity prices kept going up. Even the recent oil price collapse has barely cut household bills. Why? Politicians like to point the finger at the big six energy providers. They accuse the suppliers of acting like a [...]
As annual house price growth rises to 9.7 per cent, should the Bank of England hike rates to rein in housing costs? February 5, 2016 Andrew Sentance, senior economic adviser to PwC and a former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, says Yes. High house price inflation is one sign of the financial imbalances which are building up in the UK economy on the back of very low interest rates, which also risk fuelling a new wave of [...]
Sainsbury’s bid for Argos parent company Home Retail Group is baffling investors: Mike Coupe must explain the maths behind the deal February 4, 2016 "When my information changes, I change my mind. What do you do?” This old quotation (which may or may not have been uttered by economist John Maynard Keynes) came to mind yesterday when investment giant Old Mutual said it would accept Sainsbury’s 161.3p per share offer for Home Retail Group, despite previously arguing that any [...]
EU neverendum: Why a Remain vote could intensify forces pushing the UK out the European Union February 4, 2016 After months of posturing from the capitals of Europe, David Cameron and European Council president Donald Tusk have finally put a draft deal for proposed European Union reforms on the table. Now the campaign, over an issue that has dominated UK politics for decades, will begin in earnest. As attention turns to Brussels for the [...]
The end of growth? Why the techno-optimists could be wrong about a coming golden age of innovation February 4, 2016 A new book by the economist Robert J Gordon – The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The US Standard of Living since the Civil War – is causing quite a stir. His essential message is that future growth will be much slower than in the past, due to two broad arguments. First, the Third [...]
Sports technology: How open data can help Britain end the scourge of physical inactivity February 4, 2016 Physical inactivity is the fourth largest cause of disease and disability and is responsible for one in six deaths in the UK – it has as great an impact on our mortality as smoking, according to Public Health England. It affects individuals and their families, businesses who are dependent on a healthy workforce, and our [...]
As Yahoo slashes its workforce, is it time for chief executive Marissa Mayer to step down? February 4, 2016 George Spencer, chief executive of Rentify, says Yes. Marissa Mayer was brought in to Yahoo for her product expertise, having worked in early engineering and VP roles on the majority of Google’s most successful products. Her vision was to reinvigorate the company’s culture and build out a suite of world class applications and products harking [...]
EU referendum: Cameron’s EU deal just doesn’t go far enough – and Donald Tusk’s letter is little more than a press release February 3, 2016 Yesterday, we warned that David Cameron’s EU renegotiation was at risk of ignoring vital questions about the future of the UK’s financial services. A focus on immigration and benefits has overshadowed the hugely vital issue of how the rest of Europe views financial regulation and what implications this has for dominance of the City. It [...]