Sovereign Wealth Funds: Asset or Liability?

A Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) is a fund managed by the state and comprised of income generated from the government’s surplus reserves. SWFs have been an important aspect of the economic landscape for almost two decades, and their numbers have increased dramatically since the 2008 Financial Crisis, with over 100 funds controlling nearly $8 trillion in assets globally. Many Sovereign Wealth Funds have enjoyed great … Continue reading Sovereign Wealth Funds: Asset or Liability?

coal being moved by a conveyor belt

The Effects of Nationalisation on the British Coal Industry

Although Britain had defeated the Axis Powers in the Second World War, the country was falling from its status as the world’s sole economic heavyweight. 1945 was the second consecutive year that GDP per capita had fallen. Influenced by economists like William Beveridge and John Maynard Keynes, British economic policy operated under the guidance of the “Post-War Consensus”. From the end of the Second World … Continue reading The Effects of Nationalisation on the British Coal Industry

Car bodies being worked on by robots

The Future of the UK’s Sustainable Automotive Industry: Can it save us from a double-dip recession?

On the 18th of November 2020, Boris Johnson announced his Ten Point Plan to drive the UK’s ‘green industrial revolution’, an ambitious plan with reforms in many high-carbon industries such as electricity and transportation. With the predictions that unemployment could reach 2.6 million by mid-2021 along with the fears of a double-dip recession, we may ask whether such costly reforms are currently appropriate, given the … Continue reading The Future of the UK’s Sustainable Automotive Industry: Can it save us from a double-dip recession?

Bitcoin symbol

Can Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrencies save the Internet of Things?

The world of technology and science is mutable and ever-changing. Therefore, businesses and the structure of society adapt to these developments in order to maximise profits: they are closely interconnected. The future of the internet is the Internet of Things (IoT), which is defined as “the interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data.” For … Continue reading Can Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrencies save the Internet of Things?

News Briefing 26/04/2021

We’ve summarised the key stories from the Easter break into an easily digestible briefing, so that you can stay up to date on what’s happening around the world. You can subscribe to receive the briefing in your inbox each week. Business & Economics Plans for a European Super League have collapsed after two days, as all English teams announced their intention to withdraw. Criticised for its perceived elitism and uncompetitiveness, the project received … Continue reading News Briefing 26/04/2021

Chart of the Month – April 2021

This Chart of the Month shows who holds UK government debt.  What is striking here is the increase in total debt after the 2008 financial crisis, as well as subtle changes to its ownership. Significantly, the total value of bonds held by the Bank of England (BoE) has increased from £0 to almost £895 billion, worth 25% of total government debt. This is due to the … Continue reading Chart of the Month – April 2021

News Briefing – 22/3/21

We’ve summarised the 15 key stories of the last week into an easily digestible briefing, so that you can stay up to date on what’s happening around the world. You can subscribe to receive the briefing in your inbox each week. Business & Economics The Bank of England forecast a more positive short-term outlook for the UK economy, but emphasised that it would not cut … Continue reading News Briefing – 22/3/21

Jair Bolsonaro giving a speech and waving his finger

Brazil – Country of the Future

“Brazil is the country of the future, and always will be”, so goes the adage that has haunted Brazilian citizens for decades. Despite boasting one tenth of the world’s fresh water, untapped forests and significant deposits of precious minerals, the Brazilian economy has struggled to fully employ the natural resources it has been blessed with, leaving many wondering whether it will ever achieve the position … Continue reading Brazil – Country of the Future

Collection of factory chimneys puffing out smoke

Warming Worries for Our Economy?

We’ve all seen the countless articles in the news over the past year: ‘2020 tied for warmest year on record,’ NASA; ‘Earth at risk of becoming a hothouse’, CNN; ‘Rising seas will erase more cities by 2050’, The New York Times. Rising temperatures have had grave effects on our planet; but what has this meant for the world economy and how could this impact our … Continue reading Warming Worries for Our Economy?