Not all recent UK company results have made pleasant reading for shareholders. Some highly regarded retailers – such as Next and Kingfisher – have disappointed, and not just because of the recognised headwinds of Brexit and currency. Something bigger seems to be happening. Across the whole of Europe, the retail sector has lagged the main […]
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Tag Archives: Banks
New bubbles from misguided monetary policy
September 22, 2016 
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Have any lessons been learned following the Great Financial Crisis? Around the world, it looks like new bubbles are growing. Certainly, the crisis showed that central banks and politicians can move decisively on the threat of economic collapse. But the sequel has been years of bad policy; propping up banks, bad loans and unsustainable growth. […]
Continue reading 8 years on, has Lehman cut global bank risks?
September 15, 2016 0 Comments
The Great Financial Crisis still casts a shadow in the industry, eight years on. The fear remains that it might not be the main event, but simply advance warning of something bigger. After two decades of accumulated bank leverage and a few years of irresponsible lending, the remedy has mainly been sticking plasters. Regulation has […]
Continue reading Illusory liquidity and other risks from misguided central bank policy
July 7, 2015 0 Comments
Does liquidity matter? Not, it seems, to regulators and central banks. Little thought is being given to the global systemic risk created by today’s liquidity illusion. In a world awash with money, trading is actually drying up, with little depth in many markets. Entering positions is easy, but the exit doors could prove surprisingly narrow. […]
Continue reading Will China be sucked into the currency wars?
April 9, 2015 0 Comments
Currencies are fast becoming 2015’s big investment risk. A factor once largely ignored can now make or break performance. Already, sharp moves this year in the Swiss Franc and Euro have hit some funds hard. But, do investors get enough information from managers about the risks being run? Although many funds do not hedge, monthly […]
Continue reading Risks for blue chips: Disruption for supermarkets, banks, autos & big oil
November 17, 2014 0 Comments
Results of most for the third quarter are coming in ahead of City forecasts. But it is the exceptions, such as Tesco and Morrisons, that have grabbed more attention. Headlines have focused on accusations of poor management and governance failure, and the deeper long-term problem has been largely overlooked. It is clear that some industries […]
Continue reading When will the ECB crack down on banks’ related party lending?
September 22, 2014 0 Comments
Will the European Central Bank’s asset quality review spot all the problem banks? Asset quality is a risk factor in the European Banking Authority (EBA) Comprehensive Assessment, but regulators may be missing a key underlying pattern in failure. Banco Espirito Santo has highlighted the issue of inter-related lending: loans to shareholders, affiliates and related parties. […]
Continue reading Crowdfunding : a real threat to banks – with a little help
May 27, 2014 0 Comments
With small business lending by banks still weak, crowdfunding could assist broader based economic recovery. But the slow pace of regulatory reform is limiting its potential. Banks still fail to view the sector as a strategic threat and regulation is painfully slow. With just a little more encouragement from politicians and regulators, crowdfunding could represent […]
Continue readingIs the Forex market beyond control?
October 22, 2013 1 Comment
How big is too big to rig? Can the scale of a market put it beyond anyone’s ability to manipulate? Forex trading may soon answer these questions, as investigations into possible breaches begin on both sides of the Atlantic. Even a market that trades $5.3 trillion per day may not be beyond the ability of […]
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Behavioural Edge 
Crisis 10 years on – what’s changed
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the opening rounds of the great financial crisis. Though years in the making, it was finally in June 2007, that two Bear Stearns hedge funds created to invest in sub-prime mortgages, collapsed. This triggered an attempt by many banks, such as RBS, to shore up their own capital […]
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