Every now and again someone – often Kamal Sharma from Bank of America (BofA) – warns that sterling is at risk of being downgraded to ‘emerging market’ status. This is lapped up and gleefully retweeted by anyone with an axe to grind against Brexit, or Boris Johnson.,, However, as Sharma himself rightly said in his … Continue reading No, sterling is still in no danger of becoming an ‘emerging market currency’
Tag: sterling
Could Russian sanctions undermine the US dollar?
So, it’s official. The global rating agency S&P has determined that the Russian government has defaulted on part of its international debt. In itself, this is not as big a deal as it may sound. Nonetheless, the unusual circumstances have revived concerns about the future of the US dollar as the reserve currency of choice … Continue reading Could Russian sanctions undermine the US dollar?
Book review: “The Elephant in the Room” by John Mills
John Mills’ new book, The Elephant in the Room (published by Civitas and the John Mills Institute for Prosperity), leads with a dire warning that UK living standards may be lower in 2030 than in 2019, but counters this with the bold claim that the economy could grow sustainably by 3% to 4% a year instead, if … Continue reading Book review: “The Elephant in the Room” by John Mills
Why bans on ‘short selling’ are a bad idea
It is understandable that some people are on the lookout for villains to blame in this time of national crisis – and who better than City ‘fat cats’ who are ‘profiting from the misery of others’? But it usually only takes a moment of serious thought to realise that these attacks are well wide of … Continue reading Why bans on ‘short selling’ are a bad idea
Plain-speaking Economics 