Euro Clearing Proposals reveal real European Commission Intent
Clearing is a crucial part of the plumbing of a modern financial system. It involves a clearing house which stands between two parties to a transaction in derivatives, bonds or other financial instruments, effectively becoming counterparty to both sides of a...
Euro-zone cyclical recovery masks structural flaws
The European Central Bank (ECB) last Thursday announced that it would continue its asset purchase programme, buying €60bn a month of bonds to support the Eurozone economy. Most analysts expect the rate of purchases to slow and ultimately end some time next year. The...
Why it’s all about the policy
The biggest shock to capitalism since the Great Depression in the 1930s was the Great Recession that followed the credit crunch and banking crisis that started in 2007. The important questions are: whether the crisis could have been expected; the extent to which...
Wealth in the UK
Policies proposed in the parties’ manifestos, and arising from the overall election debate, have directed attention towards the issue of wealth. Questions explored include those focused on how much wealth people with assets should be obliged to use to pay for the...