Economy

A country paralysed by political crisis; people unable to access the food they need; healthcare services foundering; a ruling class completely divorced from the privations of its people; government institutions that are unfit for purpose; growing public anger that threatens to spill over into violent protest and even full-blown revolution.  …

Money, so the song says, is what makes the world go around.  The sentiment is not lost among a growing homeless population on our streets, the millions of working families forced to turn to charity to make ends meet, or the new class of women forced to take up sex …

On both sides of the Atlantic there has been a growing public recognition of a gathering “retail apocalypse” as famous name chain stores have been plunged into bankruptcy.  The crisis, however, has only made its way into the consciousness of the mainstream media and onto the agenda of the political …

Sometime last year we reached the high tide mark for the latest economic cycle.  Between 2010 and 2018 and despite anaemic growth in the real economy, stock markets had been on an uninterrupted upward march.  By the end of 2018 that had changed.  Volatility was back, producing wild ups and …

It is no secret that the UK retail sector has experienced serious and growing problems in the decade since the crash of 2008.  For most of the period, mainstream business journalists were able to pass off the lack of growth on the High Street by blaming the Internet.  While it …

Last year was bad for anyone working or investing in the UK retail sector.  Barely a week went by without a profit warning, a voluntary administration or a closure.  The reason for this is simple and obvious enough to understand for anyone who wants to: after a decade of austerity …

Run a Google search on “university debt” and you will be overwhelmed by stories concerning the growing mountain of student loan debt; projected to top £1.2 trillion by 2049. With an eye-watering (in the post-2008 climate) interest rate of 6.3 percent, there are serious concerns about graduates ability to repay …

The tsunami of bankruptcies that has washed along UK High Streets this year has left mainstream media excuses looking decidedly lame.  Those who still remember the long hot days of May and June 2018 might also remember how news outlets blamed poor sales figures on the heatwave and the world …

According to those who live in the world of finance, every bubble is in search of a pin.  The idea being that as the “smart money” moves into a particular asset, finance journalists take notice and spread the word.  Pretty soon, everyone with cash to spare has invested their savings …

Among the less endearing habits of the anti-Brexit media is a tendency to latch onto any negative economic news as “evidence” that leaving the European Union will have a negative impact on the UK economy (it may actually be far worse than that).  For instance, Mary-Ann Russon at the BBC …