Blog and updates
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23 Jul 2024
Landlords in Limbo: Buy-to-Let Mortgage Crunch
f you’re keeping an eye on the UK housing market, you might have noticed something peculiar happening: buy-to-let (BTL) mortgages are in a bit of a slump. The number of new BTL mortgages granted...
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23 Jul 2024
Berrynomics: The Juicy Crisis in British Agriculture
Imagine a world without fresh British berries like strawberries and raspberries—quite a bleak breakfast scenario, right? Yet, this could become a reality if current economic trends continue. Let's...
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23 Jul 2024
Vertical Farming: Feeding the Future Without Trashing the Planet
Imagine walking into a massive warehouse and finding rows upon rows of lush, green plants stretching up to the ceiling. Welcome to the world of vertical farming, an innovative method that promises...
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22 Jul 2024
Brewed to Perfection or Priced Out? The Future of Tea
Tea is a British staple, with an astonishing 100 million cups enjoyed every day. However, as this excellent Guardian article makes clear, this beloved beverage might soon cost more as extreme...
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22 Jul 2024
Multi-banks: A Lifeline for Families in Need
In an innovative response to rising child poverty, "multibanks" are sprouting up across the UK, distributing everything from food to toiletries to families in need. These hubs aim to tackle poverty...
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21 Jul 2024
Debt Dilemma: How Developing Countries Are Facing Their Worst Financial Crisis
Imagine nearly half of a country’s budget being used up just to pay off debts. That’s the stark reality for many developing nations today. According to a recent study by Debt Relief International...
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21 Jul 2024
Crowdstrike and Monopoly Power - The Day the Digital World Stood Still
Imagine waking up to a world where planes are grounded, hospitals are in disarray, and government services grind to a halt—all because of a single software update. This isn't a scene from a sci-fi...
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20 Jul 2024
UK national debt climbs to highest figure since 1962
The UK's national debt has soared to its highest level as a proportion of GDP since 1962, (incidentally, the year before I was born!) now standing at 99.5%. This means the government owes almost as...
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20 Jul 2024
Government Intervention: Has the UK Sugar Tax worked?
The UK sugar tax, officially termed the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, was implemented in April 2018 following its announcement in March 2016. This policy, a central element of the 2016 childhood...
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20 Jul 2024
How Sonia Swaps might be cutting the cost of your mortgage!
The UK mortgage market is buzzing with excitement as major banks slash mortgage rates, making home loans more affordable. With the Bank of England expected to cut interest rates later this summer,...
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19 Jul 2024
Labour's Housing Hustle: Can They Build 1.5 Million New Homes?
Labour’s latest manifesto promises to tackle the housing crisis head-on by building a whopping 1.5 million new homes over the next Parliament. But can they really hit the nail on the head? Let’s...
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19 Jul 2024
Electric Clash: EU Slaps Tariffs on Chinese Electric Cars to Counter Subsidy Surge
In a dramatic move shaking the automotive industry, the European Commission has decided to impose hefty tariffs on China-made battery electric vehicles (BEVs) starting from July 5th. This bold...
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19 Jul 2024
Green Economics - China leads the global race in solar energy capacity
For all of the focus on China as the world's largest polluter, it might be worth reframing the problem to accept that it is also one of, if not the, largest innovator in this area.
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19 Jul 2024
Nationwide’s Bold Move to Acquire Virgin Money
The world of UK retail banking looks set to get a major shake-up as Nationwide Building Society gears up to acquire Virgin Money UK PLC in a £2.9 billion deal. The Competition and Markets Authority...
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18 Jul 2024
Transport economics: Labour moves to renationalise the railway system
In the July 2024 King's Speech, Labour has proposed to renationalise the remaining elements of the industry under private sector control. This article explores the implications of nationalizing a...
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18 Jul 2024
Pound Soars as Interest Rates Take Center Stage: What This Means for the UK Economy
The British pound has hit its highest level against the US dollar in a year, driven by investor expectations that UK interest rates will stay high. This change is tied to stubborn inflation,...
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18 Jul 2024
What's Brewing at Pret?
Pret a Manger has decided to shake things up with its subscription model, causing a stir among coffee lovers. Previously, the subscription allowed members to enjoy five free drinks a day and a 20%...
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18 Jul 2024
Green Zambia: Financing a liveable future
An excellent article here from the World Bank's blog on financing green investment in copper-rich Zambia.
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18 Jul 2024
Transition to Net Zero - EV charging points in the UK gather momentum!
Data from Zapmap reported here reveals that a new public charger was installed every 25 minutes during the spring quarter of 2024, indicating a rapid pace of deployment to meet growing demand.
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18 Jul 2024
Minimum Wages and Development: Have minimum wages boosted consumption in China?
VoxDev has published new research showing the impact of minimum wages on consumption in the Chinese economy. It is a very useful example of the importance of the marginal propensity to consume when...
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