Economics

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  Last week news filtered through that Handelsbanken, the Swedish-owned bank, had decided to open an office in the small town of Ashford in Kent. Eschewing the capital, the bank is one of many firms looking to secure international footing in the Garden of England. Perched on the banks of River Great Stour at the edge of North Downs, Ashford is a prodigy of international economic growth. Directly connected to London, Brussels and now the three largest...

  By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  Europe is getting back on track, according to Schroders' Senior European Economist Azad Zangana, who believes the unclogging of the banking sector along with falling oil prices and quantitative easing is prompting better-than-expected results. Despite Greece being nowhere nearer to agreeing the terms of its next bailout, raising the likelihood of a forced exit from the eurozone, peripheral markets have seen little contagion and there is even room for optimism in Europe. Firstly, Zangana argues, the weaker euro...

By Alan Owens, Partner and Head of Technology at law firm DWF The current Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations explicitly fail to address the big issues facing the global tech industry – data and US dominance. These issues have come right to the fore following the recent EU action against internet giant Google. Google has been in the crosshairs of the EU for some time, replacing Microsoft as its US tech target of choice. On 27 November last...

By Kerim Derhalli, CEO and Founder of invstr  Seven years after the onset of the financial crisis not much has changed structurally in the financial system. Regulators, central banks, politicians, shareholders and the public at large remain dissatisfied with the performance of the banks. Heavy fines and attempts to regulate compensation have done little to assuage the resentment felt against the sector. This is a cause for concern. Historically, the efficient recycling of savings into investment has been fundamental to economic growth....

By Valentina Magri Ten million people will live in London by 2036 according to a forecast by the business advocacy group London First, but the big question is what does that mean for the future of London and how can the city prepare to the forthcoming boom in its population? The risks of a more populated London Population growth places places significant pressure on any metropolis, particularly those that are long-standing. To start with, London will suffer from a historical problem of houses paucity,...

By Marina Schlotzhauer Gone are the good old days where the major risks for businesses were costs running out of control or the threat of imminent local competition. Globalization has introduced a whole new array of challenges that vary from foreign financial economic ripples to cyber security and beyond. Just in time production and the outsourcing of unskilled labour seems very good from a microeconomics level; However, when applied at a global scale, it increases the chances of sudden demand...

By Peter Munro & Nigel Andrade Success can have two common bedfellows – hubris and apathy. Hubris - that everything unfolded solely on account of our individual enterprise and unique capability. Apathy - that nothing will really ever change for the worse. How did Australia find itself with one of the highest GDP per capita amongst OECD nations produced by an economy that has not seen a significant r recession in decades? One of the initial drivers of Australia’s prosperity...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic Last night I attended a small theatre production in Chiswick based on the life of Marie Curie. I won't bore you with the details, but Curie’s first husband Pierre was a played by a typically refined character  who sported a mustard yellow jacket, waistcoat and chinos in true Ted Baker fashion. In fact, his bearded face and flat cap would look downright ordinary in certain London boroughs, I remember thinking, if not for...

By David Willbe, Director in the Technology team at law firm DWF  Equity crowdfunding is experiencing a boom in publicity and popularity, but investors and startups alike must be aware of the risks when equity is involved. Prominent advertising by the likes of CrowdCube in recent months is a clear sign that crowdfunding has moved beyond being an advance payment for consumer products and become a mainstream investment model. But for all the hype, crowdfunding is not new. As long...