Some thoughts on why contagion from France should be limited, what businesses really think about Brexit, and the latest on the UK labour market, inflation, consumer confidence and the public finances... Theme of the Week I’m recently back from a lovely break in southern France, where we experienced all the culture the region has to … Continue reading Weekly wrap – A letter from France
Category: oil
The ‘missing’ trillion-pound UK sovereign wealth fund is pure fantasy
Hopefully, whoever suggested the line about a ‘trillion-pound wealth fund’ to the person in charge of the UK's public finances will be suitably embarrassed by now. But I suspect not. One of the Burnham government’s most rational decisions so far has been to green light production from the Jackdaw gas field. The UK will need … Continue reading The ‘missing’ trillion-pound UK sovereign wealth fund is pure fantasy
Why the Bank should follow the ECB and hike rates
There are strong arguments against raising UK interest rates as far as the markets are currently expecting. But I do not believe these arguments are sufficient to justify not raising rates at all... This is an extended version of my submission to the Shadow Monetary Policy Committee run by CityAM, where I reluctantly voted for … Continue reading Why the Bank should follow the ECB and hike rates
Weekly wrap – Has the UK economy really “turned the corner”?
Including thoughts on UK GDP, “rocket and feather” pricing at the pumps, should the BoE follow the ECB, US bond market intervention, German defence spending, and the latest UK evidence on “second round” effects... Theme of the Week The reassuringly strong GDP data added to evidence that the UK economy is holding up better than … Continue reading Weekly wrap – Has the UK economy really “turned the corner”?
