The Middle East could be heading for a game-changing implosion. US bond yields are surging and Western central banks, despite growing tension within their ranks, remain in ostrich mode. 19 Feb 2011 'The simplest concept cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him,” wrote Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian polymath, in 1893. 12 Feb 2011 "Don't panic – this time it's different." That's the line taken by most Western governments in the face of food prices spiralling upwards and oil jumping above $100 a barrel. 05 Feb 2011 Back in 2009, the Western world's top bankers were so reviled in the aftermath of the sub-prime crisis that they didn't dare attend the annual Davos summit. 29 Jan 2011 High inflation and a falling make it tougher for Britain to sell gilts, which we're about to do in near-record quantities. 22 Jan 2011 First, a disclaimer. I have a "day-job". As the strap at the bottom of this column states every week, I'm chief economist at a company called Prosperity Capital Management. 15 Jan 2011 Liam Halligan firmly believes QE is the wrong response to the financial crisis, so when respected economist Tim Congdon called him a "monetary conservative of the backwoods persuasion" for his vews he felt compelled to respond. 02 Jan 2011 As 2010 draws to a close, it's becoming ever clearer that the UK's economic prognosis is not good. 26 Dec 2010 'The dragon and the elephant should tango!" So said Wen Jiabao last week during a rare visit to India. The Chinese premier employed some uncharacteristically colourful language to convey an unusual idea – that of Sino-Indian co-operation. 18 Dec 2010 US Treasuries last week suffered their biggest two-day sell-off since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. The borrowing costs of the government of the world’s largest economy have now risen by a quarter over the past four weeks. 11 Dec 2010 News of which countries will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals was met with shock, incredulity even. There was actually a sense of outrage at the decisions reached last Wednesday by the 22-member Executive Committee of Fifa, football's world governing body. 04 Dec 2010 The prospect of "haircuts" for all those who leant money to Irish banks has sent banking stocks spiralling downward across the eurozone's periphery. 27 Nov 2010 Last Wednesday was a hinge point in history. The United States decided to drop all pretence of being interested in leading – or even being part of – a coordinated global policy response to the most serious economic crisis in more than 70 years. 06 Nov 2010 Mervyn King, lest we forget, is Governor of the Bank of England. The "Old Lady of Threadneedle Street", as the Bank is known, is about to take back from the Financial Services Authority responsibility for ensuring the stability of UK banks. 30 Oct 2010 The Government's proposed fiscal retrenchment still looks inadequate, given the scale of the UK's problem. 23 Oct 2010 Tempers are rising, as are protectionist sentiments, as some of the world's leading economies deliberately debase their currencies to make their exports more competitive. 16 Oct 2010 We live in a strange world. On Friday, data were released showing that during September alone the US economy lost a worrying 95,000 jobs. In response, Wall Street rallied. 09 Oct 2010 In Dublin, early last Wednesday morning, a protester rammed a cement truck – with the words "TOXIC BANK" emblazoned on the side – into the ornate iron gates of the Irish Parliament. 02 Oct 2010 Quantitative easing might seem the easiest option but it is storing up major problems for the future. 25 Sep 2010 Europe's sovereign debt crisis and fears of a US double-dip recession have driven recent demand for the yen as a "safe haven" currency. Japan's economy remains lack-lustre, but investors have been determined to diversify away from the euro and the dollar. 18 Sep 2010 Little known to the West, superpowers are investing in Central-Asia as they rush for raw materials. 11 Sep 2010 After an awful August, global markets ended the month with a muted cheer. Investors greeted upbeat surveys of manufacturing output in both America and China – the world's two biggest economies – as a sign recovery is happening and we can avoid a "double dip". 04 Sep 2010 In 1944, the summit at Bretton Woods created a monetary system that helped the war-torn West rebuild. In 2010 the Jackson Hole summit showed how little there is in the way of new thinking among A-list policy makers. 28 Aug 2010 There's no mystery about our inflationary problems - but to solve them we need to face up to some harsh realities. 21 Aug 2010Liam Halligan
Liam Halligan's column tackles head on the key issues facing the British and global economy.
LATEST FROM LIAM HALLIGAN
China's influence is on the rise – the West must stop this self-delusion
UK rate rise is common sense – whatever the inflation-deniers say
Does a surge in food and oil prices mean that it's now time to panic?
Bankers regain power as summit ends with a fudge
Our currency has gone West and stagflation will soon be upon us
BP's Russian deal makes good sense and the West should be cheering
Why Congdon is on losing side of monetary easing argument
The UK inflation genie is out of the bottle
China and India's latest love-in raises serious issues for the West
Market alarm as US fails to control biggest debt in history
The West has no God-given right to be rich – or to host the World Cup
Haircuts for all as vexed Germany takes a firm grip on the clippers
The rest of the world goes West when America prints more money
Mervyn King makes a stand for reform as banks seem intent on forgetting
Coalition claims of 'pulling Britain back from the brink' are nonsense
China's not the villain if the West tries to debase its debt through QE
The gloves are off, QE is now seen as an aggressive depreciation tool
Why we need to follow the Irish and restructure our 'zombie' banks
Policy makers must do more than print money and hope for the best
The real lesson we can learn from Japan's dramatic currency sell-off
China and Russia drive mineral-rich Mongolia to join the mining elite
Western countries need trade liberalisation more than the East
How sugar-rush economics has left the West with a headache
Inflation comes through the door and wisdom flies out of the window
Sunday, 20 February 2011
Posts
