Year: 2023
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China’s decade of buying influence
It is 10 years since China launched its Belt and Road Initiative, designed to buy influence by the construction of foreign infrastructure.
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Global property prices falling
Each year UBS (The Union Bank of Switzerland) carries out its Global Real Estate Bubble Index.
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War in Middle East
Israel needs to carefully judge its response to the terrorist outrage, whilst the West must end its relaxed approach to the plight of the Palestinians.
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Too early to celebrate
Falling inflation and stabilising interest rates is good news. But it is too early to hail a soft landing.
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Britain must pivot towards Asia
When the UK’s Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, formally signed Britain up to the CPTPP Indo-Pacific trade bloc early in the summer, it was the biggest shift in trade policy in a generation.
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Time to buy emerging markets
After a decade of disappointing returns, could we be due a rally in emerging markets?
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The failing state of South Africa
I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting South Africa this week, meeting by son after he spent five months volunteering in Johannesburg, before travelling around a bit of the country. My last visit was 21 years ago.
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Growth in Greece
It was a real joy to visit Greece last week and, for the first time, visiting the country at a time of economic confidence, rather than chaos.
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Chinese stocks’ going cheap
China’s economy is back in business and the world’s second-largest economy is enjoying a reopening boom.
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Could the UK’s downbeat property market now be stabilising?
The latest data from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors indicated the market could recover this year. Whilst the UK’s housing market remains weak, their latest report suggests green shoots of growth are appearing.
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The Rocky Road of Inflation
Given how poorly most investment portfolios performed over the past year or so, you may not have noticed that financial markets started 2023 floating high on optimism.
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The changing face of globalisation
Global trade, and the ideal of globalisation as a motor of economic growth took some hefty blows in 2022.
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Growth boost for Britain
The World Cup delivered an unexpected boost for the UK economy, raising hopes that Britain may narrowly avoid sliding into recession.
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Who gets squeezed by inflation?
With price inflation at multi-decade highs in the UK, as well as in other big economies, the issue has shot to the top of the policy agenda. Central bankers are under attack for having lost control and politicians blamed for a cost-of-living crisis.
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2022 : the year of the interest rate shock
Whilst markets are getting used to higher interest rates, it does not mean that the chaos Is over.