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Tag Archives: UK
To Win the Election, Obama and Romney Must Promise to Break Up the Big Banks
Campaigning for a break-up of the big banks has gone mainstream. If Obama is to win the election, he will have to stand up for the middle class, which is fed up with the unfairness of the present economic system. This means he will have to tackle the concentration of bank power that continues to threaten economic stability. For while the overarching purpose of the Dodd–Frank reforms was to end Too-Big-Too-Fail, it may actually be increasing banking industry concentration and preventing the economic recovery.
Posted in Companies, Economy, Fund Management, Politics, Uncategorized Also tagged Bank of America, Citigroup, Dodd-Frank, Federal Reserve, financial crisis, France, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Too-Big-Too-Fail, US, Wells Fargo Comments closed
The West’s Manufacturing Continues to Pay for Green Gesture Politics
The true economic cost of Western government’s obsession with fighting global warming is becoming increasingly apparent. News that a fifth of the UK’s soaring energy bills now consist of hidden environmental subsidies has brought home the cost of Britain’s economically suicidal commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% within 40 years. It can’t be long before there is a political backlash from consumers and industry against the West's green gesture politics.
Posted in Companies, Global Warming Scare, Stockmarket, Uncategorized Also tagged China, climate, coal, EU, fuel poverty, Germany, manufacturing, renewable energy, steel Comments closed
Threat to YouTube As UK Government Turns Spotlight on Hate Videos
US websites like YouTube now face being taken down in the UK, if they do not remove al-Qaeda’s hate videos from their site. Such is the anger amongst UK government ministers about the failure of YouTube to remove content that incites murder, that serious pressure will be put on US politicians to change the law governing online intermediaries.
Posted in Companies, Politics, Uncategorized Also tagged air transport, Google, internet, terrorism, US, YouTube Leave a comment
Europe’s Sovereign Debt Crisis Hasn’t Gone Away
It’s surprising that the banking crises facing Ireland and Portugal, and the wider European banking sector - have not been more contagious. While the risk of Ireland and Portugal defaulting soars, other Europe sovereign bond yields remained fairly flat in the third quarter, and Greece even enjoyed a rally of 140bp to 775bp. This calm is not likely to last long though, before more questions are asked of the banks which own the dodgiest euro-zone debt.
Posted in Bond markets, Currency Markets, Economy, Politics, Uncategorized Also tagged banks, dollar, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, sovereign debt crisis Leave a comment
Is There Wind in the UK’s Sails?
The weak pound is the UK’s saving grace. Investment is recovering, and before long so will manufacturing. That's the game plan anyway. The biggest questions remain. What effect will budget cuts have on overall employment? And can the private sector make up the difference? So far, Sterling's weakness, and the UK's underrated capabilities as a trading nation, have helped cushion the economy. But as Mayor of London Boris Johnson has warned, there are stormy political and economic waters for the UK to navigate before the ship of state can be steadied on a new and prosperous course. And there are signs it's getting rougher out there. Still, it wouldn't be wise to bet against the UK's manufacturing and export sectors riding out the turbulence, and continuing the recovery they've started.
Posted in Bond markets, Currency Markets, Economy, Politics, Uncategorized Also tagged Caterpillar, Kraft, property, QE, Sterling Leave a comment
Putting the Frighteners on the UKs Banks and Bondholders
If the UK’s banks don’t increase lending to small business, then the government is going to give them a serious kicking. At least so says Business Secretary Vince Cable, who will go on the “war path” and impose financial penalties such as an increase in the banking levy or taxes. However, because of political imperatives to increase inflation, Cable, like the Bank of England seems to be willfully misinterpreting the economic evidence, while the risk of higher interest rates grows.
Posted in Bond markets, Economy, Politics, Uncategorized Also tagged Bank of England, inflation, quantitative easing Leave a comment
Fund managers face exodus out of bonds
Let’s face it, it’s time to get real on bonds. Ultra loose monetary policy always risked creating new asset bubbles, and bonds seem to be in serious bubble territory, now that record flows into bond funds have pushed returns to such low levels that only serious deflation can possibly justify these investments.
Posted in Bond markets, Economy, Fund Management Also tagged bond market, bubble, corporate bonds, US Leave a comment
Benefits of a Weak Pound Kick In
The benefits of the weak pound are starting to kick in, as export volumes pick up. They may have made a minor contribution to overall GDP growth this year, which has been driven by domestic demand, but there are signs that businesses are investing on the back of it. British manufacturing may have recently piggy [...]
What A Wicked Game to Play: The Truth Germany Conspires to Hide
Germany’s politicians are up to their necks in fraudulently covering up the true state of their banking system. Getting serious about cleaning up their banks would mean admitting the financial crisis was not all the fault of Anglo Saxon bankers. The price that Germany and Europe as a whole pays for this disingenuousness is likely to be another full-blown banking crisis. Only this time it will be Chancellor Angela Merkel and her colleagues that end up being cast as the villains.
Posted in Companies, Economy Also tagged banks, bond markets, Deutsche Bank, Euro, France, Germany, Greece, Hypo Real Estate, Landesbanken, Postbank Leave a comment
Looming Electricity Shortages are Killing Jobs in Britain