The spotlight is on Andy Burnham, but the immediate prospects both for UK markets and for the economy may depend more on events in the Middle East than in Westminster for quite a while yet. Welcome to the latest summary of news that caught my eye over the past seven days. Theme of the week … Continue reading Weekly wrap: don’t forget the US-Iran war…
Tag: Trump
Politicians should not play at being ‘tech bros’ with taxpayers’ money
The British Business Bank's much-hyped £25 million (yes, “million”) investment in Kraken is a perfect example of spin over substance. The Business Secretary, Peter Kyle, has long been on a mission. In January, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he promised to “bet big” and “pick winners” when taking direct government stakes in growing businesses. … Continue reading Politicians should not play at being ‘tech bros’ with taxpayers’ money
Two scenarios: “TACO”, or “Trumpageddon”?
In the early stages of the Iran crisis the markets priced in a relatively benign scenario. The conflict was expected to be short, lasting days if not weeks, with limited fallout for energy prices and for the global economy. A month on, this has proved to be far too optimistic. Indeed, the future looks increasingly … Continue reading Two scenarios: “TACO”, or “Trumpageddon”?
The hard sell: Britain needs to step up to fund its own defence
The BBC is reporting today that the Prime Minister is considering a significant increase in defence spending or, more precisely, that Keir Starmer is looking at bringing forward increases that have already been promised. The Labour government has previously committed to raising core defence spending from a little under 2.5% of national income currently to the new … Continue reading The hard sell: Britain needs to step up to fund its own defence
Plain-speaking Economics 