Economics & Markets

War on Terror II: The Janus-Faced Kingdom

In 1744 in the Arabian city-state of Al-Diriyyah, a prominent Muslim cleric by the name of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhabi came…

Some thoughts on the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement

Last week I was at an event held by the FT where the guest speaker was Paul Johnson from the…

Mercifully, the ECB under-delivered

Yesterday, the ECB extended its QE programme until March 2017, cut its deposit rate to -0.30pc and extended its asset…

What the theory says about the January Effect

We are now approaching the Christmas season during which people prepare to take a small holiday and to make a…

Government finances – the mint with the hole

Five days before Mr Osborne gave his Autumn Statement the UK Government released its latest borrowing figures. They should have…

War on Terror II: How the Markets will Respond

Tomorrow (Wednesday, 02 December 2015) the United Kingdom, barring some unforeseen upset, will formally enter War on Terror II. Given…

Emerging markets are the victims of central banks

After more than a decade of easy money, the emerging world is nearing a downturn (if not a collapse), as…

Mellon on the Markets

As I write this, I am on a working Norwegian ferry, hugging the coast between Bergen half way up and…

Mr Osborne’s Conjuring Trick

Back in July I wrote a piece on Mr Osborne’s budget (Mr Osborne’s Brave New World) in which I praised…

The Pantomime Season and the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement

It is delightful that Her Majesty’s Government has arranged its communication of fiscal policy to serve also as a means…