Recent Dutch opinion polls suggest that Geert Wilder’s Party for Freedom may well win a majority of parliamentary seats in the Dutch General Election on 15th March but looks likely to struggle to form a coalition that would support holding…
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Many economists have upgraded their growth forecasts for the UK following strong growth in Q4 2016 and start to 2017. The Brexit vote was expected to cause a significant slowdown in growth due to an expected decline in business and…
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We expect the UK to trigger Article 50 in late March and so start the proceedings to leave the EU in two years’ time. The first negotiations will likely cover the status of EU agencies based in the UK, the…
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Global equities have hit new all-time highs with the S&P 500 reaching 2395 and the FTSE 100 now standing at 7349. The MSCI World Index rose to a record high after an 8 year bull market run. But should investors…
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The strong equity growth momentum from the second half of 2016 has carried through into 2017. The growth in both the developed world and BRICS economies has been significant. The boost in global activity in the second half of 2016…
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The four fastest growing economies in the world are all in developing Asia. Each is pro-business and should see accelerated growth over the next two years. This growth will be achieved without fiscal stimulus and with relatively normal interest rates.…
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Japan’s economy expanded at a faster than expected rate in Q3 due to higher exports resulting in Japan’s GDP growth rising to an annualised rate of 2.2%. This was the third consecutive quarter of expansion. There are concerns that a…
Read more... This year international trade agreements seem to have come under growing political and populist attack across the developed world. It has taken seven years for Canada and the EU to negotiate the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) only to…
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The global recovery is generally on track with the support of low interest rates, accommodating monetary policy, improving employment rates and growing consumption. The risks remain the potential for US protectionist trade policies, the pace of China’s growth, the growing…
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