Thursday, September 22, 2022

Time Magazine: The U.K. Economy Is in Turmoil, But There Are Signs of Hope

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The death of Queen Elizabeth II and the period of national mourning that followed have been the latest blow to Britain’s already struggling economy, but economists and analysts say that there are glimmers of hope.

Britain is at a watershed moment. The country has just completed a 10-day period of mourning, concluding with country-wide shutdowns during a public holiday to mark the late monarch’s funeral. Her death came just two days after a new prime minister, Liz Truss, took office, after the last one was ousted by his own party for unbecoming behavior, while the U.K. faces a cost-of-living crisis unlike anything the nation has seen in decades. Inflation has soared to the highest levels since the 1980s, at around 10%, and the nation faces an energy crisis due to dwindling Russian energy exports to Europe. The British pound has been languishing around a nearly 37-year low against the dollar. And economic growth—the U.K. has now fallen behind India, a former British colony, becoming the world’s sixth largest economy and its central bank, the Bank of England, has warned that it risks falling into a recession that could last well into 2024. Read more here.

User:Hogweard, Public domain, 
via Wikimedia Commons


CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: #France: King Charles first to visit President Macron & What is to be done?

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.


King Charles III, visiting New Zealand as Prince of Wales
CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons



Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Friday, September 2, 2022

Barron's: Tobacco Is a Trusty Inflation Hedge. Here’s a U.K. Name to Play.

By SMON CONSTABLE

Stockholders have had a rough time this year, with surging inflation and fears of a recession. But there is a way to mitigate it: tobacco stock Imperial Brands

The company (ticker: IMB.UK) offers potential total returns above 22% over the next 12 months, some analysts say. It markets cigarette brands including Winston, JPS, L&B, and Gauloises, and rolling paper Rizla. It is also developing next-generation products, or NGPs, which include vaping materials and oral nicotine. Read more here.

Photo by Aman Upadhyay on Unsplash






Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Forbes: Europe’s Energy Crisis Won’t Be Over Anytime Soon, Experts Say

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine quickly laid bare Europe’s dependence on Russian energy. But solving the matter could take years, experts say.

Worse still, the EU and UK will likely suffer economic turmoil while the situation rights itself. Read more here.