All forecasts are off if Iran shuts the Strait of Hormuz
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… Late last year, a range of forecasts…
Neil Woodford could do the washing-up at my fantasy Christmas lunch
It’s the season for kindness and conviviality. In that spirit — and recognising that business, like personal life, rarely follows…
I was born to be a pantomime Dame (oh yes I was!)
‘Flamenco, lambada/ But hip hop is harder/ We moonwalk the foxtrot/ Then polka the salsa…’ I’m sure you know those…
Take note, Peloton: sweaty blokes make safer marketing
You’ll have had enough of politics and punditry, so let me introduce a non-political City debate (even if rather a…
The RMT strike is a demonstration of what to expect in a Corbyn-McDonnell regime
It’s unusual for a Governor of the Bank of England to announce his next job before Downing Street has named…
There’s no need to mourn the loss of Uber’s London licence
Early experiences of Uber in London did not encourage me to become a regular user. My first driver thought I…
Even Elon Musk thinks Brexit Britain is a risky prospect
Having been awarded the title of business editor of this paper by Boris Johnson in his former incarnation, I know…
Why China is planting its flag on what’s left of British Steel
It cannot be other than good news that a rescuer has been found for the bankrupt remains of British Steel,…
Drill down and it’s obvious: the fracking debate was lost long ago
Five years ago this week, George Osborne as chancellor announced a scheme to place tax revenues from shale gas fracking…
Sajid Javid has become the doormat Chancellor
Mario Draghi, who retired as president of the European Central Bank this week, was arguably the first holder of that…
Is living at sea the best way to escape this Brexit nightmare?
The first time I was ever commissioned by the Daily Mail, the voice on the phone said: ‘You used to…
Why I welcome the collapse of Facebook’s currency
When Facebook announced details earlier this year of a global digital currency called Libra — backed by a roll call…
Are Boris’s hedge-fund pals conspiring to ‘short the UK’? I doubt it
Minding my own business at 67 Pall Mall — the private members’ club favoured by oenophile West End hedge-fund managers…
Why Downing Street still hasn’t named a new Bank governor
Private secretary: ‘The Bank of England governorship, Prime Minister… opposition MPs have been saying it’s a political stitch-up and calling…
At least Thomas Cook’s fall allows ministers to look in control
It’s not obvious that the state has a moral obligation to repatriate holidaymakers whenever a tour operator goes bust, as…
An oil price spike doesn’t mean a recession is on the way
An oil price surge from $60 to $72 per barrel, as happened after the drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq…
WeWork is no more than an overhyped and overstretched landlord
Long ago in my investment banking days I had a glimpse into the mind of the British Airways long-haul pilot.…
The PPI scandal ends at last – but the nuisance calls will keep coming
Of all the stains on the reputation of UK banks, the PPI scandal is surely the most shameful, the most…
Now is the wrong time to tackle rising boardroom pay
The average FTSE 100 chief executive earned £3.5 million last year — 117 times the £29,574 pay of the average…
Why you can’t let Brexit affect your life
A couple with a first baby sought my advice: they had accepted a low offer for their cramped London flat…
If investors are fleeing to gold, this is not the time to be smug
It came as no great surprise that the UK economy contracted by 0.2 per cent in the second quarter, following…
Should we be sad or happy that the pound has buckled?
A wave to the FT team whose weekend feature on how the pound has been hit by fears of no…
Why Rishi Sunak is the one to watch in parliament
‘Turbocharging’: sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Two weeks ago, I noted that our incoming PM had deployed this power-word — with…
Has the gin craze reached its zenith?
The list of business leaders who have damaged their careers with a single word famously begins with Gerald Ratner, who…
Should we all be alarmed by Boris?
Back when Boris Johnson was editor of this magazine and MP for Henley, I was with him at a Tory…
