Letters to the Editor – 30/06 – Bubble-mania, World Cup, Best of Twitter June 29, 2014 Bubble-mania [Re: Are the Bank of England’s mortgage lending restrictions likely to prove ineffective? Thursday] An interesting debate, but I’m unnerved by how casually commentators and economists throw the word “bubble” around without giving much thought to what they are actually saying. Would a rise in base rates cause the housing market in London to [...]
City & Gild: Has the World Cup Lost its Bite? June 27, 2014 For some, football is more than a game; it’s a matter of life and death. But for me – the Suarez incident aside – the World Cup has lost its bite. As my mind wanders to Wimbledon and the hope Murray doesn’t let me down as badly as the England team, I struggle to see [...]
Letters to the Editor – 27/06 – Global money, Airport options, Best of Twitter June 26, 2014 Global money [Re: Bretton Woods: How stable monetary order was created and then destroyed, Tuesday] An interesting historical article, but the author displays a misguided support for a fixed international monetary system. If a floating exchange rate system is associated with the global expansion of credit, the older order is associated with the inability of [...]
Why Europe’s “right to be forgotten” will prove an expensive mistake June 26, 2014 WITH events like this month’s London Technology Week, the capital has been busy prettying itself up for the global tech entrepreneurs it hopes will find the city an appealing base of operation. But noble as these efforts might be, homebuyers aren’t fooled by fresh paint when the roof has just caved in. Such is the [...]
What our politicians can learn from the Hunger Games rules of persuasion June 26, 2014 PANEM today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever.” You need to watch the chilling new teaser for the next Hunger Games movie, Mockingjay. Its cool irony confirms the series’s remarkable journey from minor young adult diversion to cultural milestone. The series of thrillers is no cinematic masterpiece, but 30 years on from 1984 it is helping inoculate [...]
There’s a silver lining to Britain’s certain Juncker defeat June 26, 2014 THINGS aren’t looking too rosy for David Cameron in the EU – or at least for the short term. He is heading towards defeat at today’s European Council Summit, as it looks almost certain that EU leaders will elect the former Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker as the president of the European Commission. The series [...]
Are the Bank of England’s planned mortgage lending restrictions likely to prove ineffective? June 26, 2014 Shehan Mohamed, senior economist at the CEBR, says Yes. Mark Carney’s new measures are unlikely to have an impact. Lenders are already operating within the proposed cap on the number of new high loan-to-income mortgages, and most are already undertaking stress tests on a possible rate rise. The macroprudential tools seek to provide tighter lending [...]
Letters to the Editor – 26/06 – Making work pay, Choose Gatwick, Best of Twitter June 25, 2014 Making work pay [Re: Significantly extending the Living Wage is not the best way to help the poorest, yesterday] As the cost and complexity of hiring low-paid workers continues to rise, so does the grey market for labour. We need to accept that there is a limit to what the government can do to solve [...]
We need a futuristic vision of genuine capitalism to halt the expanding state June 25, 2014 CAPITALISM is under attack and its defenders need to fight back. Most defences of capitalism begin and end with economic efficiency, and for good reason. The case is overwhelming. Last week, I moved onto the moral case, which is equally compelling. This week, I want to set out the third pillar of the defence, namely [...]
What Keynes can teach us about England’s World Cup failure June 25, 2014 SO FAREWELL, then, England! Yet another failure by our boys at the highest levels of football. Despite their stupendous salaries, our players were once again unable to exhibit the necessary skills, a point which seems to exercise many fans of the game. Tens of thousands, if not millions, of words have been written about the [...]