Why Y-fronts show that recession risks are rising
Should you happen to spot me these days lurking outside a Calvin Klein boutique, notebook in hand, I assure you…
The moral of P&O: too many strategic assets in foreign hands
P & O once stood for ‘Peninsular and Oriental’, with pleasant connotations of sailings to Cadiz and Constantinople – but…
Biden is right: crypto world needs regulatory control
President Biden’s executive order ‘Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets’ won praise on all sides, an unfamiliar experience for one…
The madness of mutual mayhem — and not exploiting our own fuel reserves
I’ll approach the hot topic of a ban on Russian oil by way of personal anecdote: I’ve never been a…
At least BP and Shell tried to teach Russia true capitalism
BP will offload the 20 per cent stake in Rosneft, the Kremlin-controlled energy giant, that is the residue of 25…
Pipeline politics: what happens if Putin cuts off Europe’s gas?
The price of Brent Crude oil was hovering at $100 a barrel as Germany halted approval of the controversial Nord…
Bad news, Governor: the wage-rise spiral is already raging
I’ve had the opportunity recently to take part in wage-rise discussions for several small entities in which I’m involved. The…
Guess who set the most dangerous precedent for windfall taxes?
Annual profits of £9.5 billion at BP this week followed a £20 billion jackpot at Shell last week, thanks to…
Two reasons not to let Sir Tony rest on his Garter laurels
I’m picturing Sir Tony Blair enjoying a fitting of his Garter robes after watching Boris Johnson stagger through PMQs. ‘I’m…
Crypto crash explained: what goes up must come down
‘Market turmoil’ looks set as the theme of the week, so let’s take a close look at a trading arena…
Scorn at Unilever’s GSK bid highlights the perils of ‘purpose’
‘Tell me we’re winning the media battle!’ I imagine Unilever boss Alan Jope barking at his team on Tuesday, following…
Hunterston’s closure is the nuclear accident no one noticed
So farewell, Hunterston B, the nuclear power plant on the Firth of Clyde that shut last week after 46 years’…
Will the energy price spike bring down Boris?
What does the new year have in store for consumers — and families trying to make ends meet? A stumbling…
Gastro-nomics: a foodie’s guide to a changing world
Twice recently I’ve been asked my opinion of ‘Doughnut Economics’. The first time, I was tempted to cover my ignorance…
Don’t strand Cambo until our energy future is secure
If the phrase ‘stranded asset’ hasn’t yet entered your vocabulary, here’s a useful example of what it means. The 178…
No wonder Omicron’s debut made the FTSE 100 wobble
‘So you think it’s all over? Ho ho ho!’ That’s the message from Satan’s dark laboratory (twinned with Wuhan’s) where…
Black Friday warning: beware of buying now and paying later
Are you logged on to Klarna, Clearpay, Laybuy or Zilch for your Black Friday shopping binge — or are you…
A rail plan that levels up by disappointing everyone
The scrapping of most of the eastern leg of HS2, originally planned from Birmingham to Leeds, is a news item…
Breaking the Bank
Andrew Bailey looks increasingly beleaguered
Bankers are more likely to save the planet than Obama or Greta
I have observed before how useful really big numbers can be in response to crises: when US treasury secretary Hank…
Don’t let China’s climate sins cloak its crushing of Hong Kong
China’s failure to bring anything new to COP26 surprised no one. The world’s worst carbon emitter offered no advance on…
My COP26 message: pay more dividends to save the planet
Climate emergency demands action, not rhetoric. So, on the eve of COP26, which UK news item promises to deliver the…
Brace for pain: Danny’s recession forecast might not be so wacko
Does the economist David Blanchflower — who I described as the Bank of England’s ‘resident wacko’ during his 2006-09 tenure…
Why we should all start hoarding cash and loo rolls
If there’s anyone in Britain who knows how to keep grocery shelves stacked, it’s former Tesco chief executive Sir Dave…
Tory ministers, not business leaders, were drunk on cheap labour
‘Blame it all on business’ was the Tory strategists’ answer to petrol queues and the risk of a no-turkey Christmas…
