Money supply goes south
14 Sep 2010 [0 Comments | 503 views]
Psst, we will let you into a secret. While analysts and commentators tussle over whether there will be a second dip recession, or a full-blown boom, they seem to miss one of the most important trends of the lot. For alas, despite the fact that central banks have been printing money faster than you can [...]
Basel III Rules: common sense, uncommon error in the making
13 Sep 2010 [0 Comments | 539 views]
The last couple of days have seen a new banking accord: Basel III. This one really is significant. Banks across the globe are being forced to change their approach to risk. The new accord is totally logical, is complete common sense, and will transform global banking. Alas, it is also very, very dangerous. Banks are [...]
Has Barclays got diamonds on the soles of its shoes, or is it something else?
10 Sep 2010 [0 Comments | 424 views]
Sometimes for journalists, just the name can be like manna from heaven. George Best was the best; Usain Bolt runs like a bolt of lightning; Arsène Wenger is just an L short of having the same name as the team he manages. And then there’s Barclays. Its new boss even transcends analogy with King Midas, [...]
Sarkozy says to banks: come to France and leave that dirty City of London behind
24 Aug 2010 [0 Comments | 486 views]
Maybe this is a tad hypocritical, but after spending much of the last two years deprecating the evils of Anglo-Saxon banks, the French premier, a certain nearly headless Nick Sarkozy has begun a drive to lure those same banks from London to Paris. The story goes that our Nick has been busy courting banks, offering [...]
Businesses say: who needs banks anyway?
24 Aug 2010 [1 Comment | 370 views]
A number of developments are pointing towards an interesting stage in the world of corporate finance, and the somewhat less glamorous world of small business funding. It seems businesses are bypassing the banks. This is how it used to work. Mr and Mrs Saver put their money in their bank for safekeeping. Rather than letting [...]
The credit crunch may be over
30 Jul 2010 [1 Comment | 589 views]
With talk that the US will suffer a second dip; with the crisis in the eurozone still bubbling beneath the surface; and with British banks coming under the spotlight again for not lending enough; it is tempting to conclude that all we have to look forward to is woe on the economy. And yet, news [...]
The great banking experiment. What matters most: price or service?
29 Jul 2010 [1 Comment | 456 views]
It is time for the British public to put their money where their mouth is. Today saw the first launch of a High Street bank in 100 years. And it offers all the services we have berated banks for not offering. But it comes at a price. Will the public be willing to pay that [...]
All stressed up, and nowhere to go: banks pass stress tests as regulator plays calming music
26 Jul 2010 [1 Comment | 333 views]
Markets breathed a sigh of relief on Friday. And as for the politicians, if you had put your ear to the nearest window on Friday afternoon and listened very carefully, you would have heard their sigh as it emitted synchronously across the length and breadth of Europe. It seems the EU’s banks are in good [...]
Obama signs most important financial legislation in over half a century
22 Jul 2010 [1 Comment | 488 views]
It is one of the most controversial pieces of legislation ever passed in US history. And yet amongst the UK media it has barely raised a flicker. It is a shame, because the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act could have a profound impact upon the global economy for the next half a [...]
Why risk-averse banks are taking too much of a risk
19 Jul 2010 [0 Comments | 232 views]
Vince Cable has been a busy beaver. Last week it was changing the university education system. This week it’s Saint Vince’s favourite whipping boys, the banks. Apparently overdraft fees are now at a ten-year high. It makes a mockery of low interest rates. If you sign up to the school of thought that says you [...]
