Any other business
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…
Deutsche Bank is a parable for our mad modern era
Among the numbers attached to the restructuring of Deutsche Bank announced by Chief Executive Christian Sewing this week, the 18,000…
The titanic battle between the former Tesco chiefs
How surprising to read one former Tesco chief, 82-year-old Lord MacLaurin, badmouthing another, Sir Terry Leahy. The surprise is because…
Facebook’s new currency is not to be trusted
Friends of former Barclays chief executive John Varley — I don’t mean ‘people who speak to the media on his…
Is Green’s deal with his creditors the beginning of another scandal?
There’s a palpable urge elsewhere in the media to see Sir Philip Green come to grief, whether as a result…
The Woodford saga reminds us that we should never be seduced by star stock-pickers
Hounds are baying for the blood of former star investment manager Neil Woodford, whose shrinking funds have closed for withdrawals.…
In favour of nationalisation? Take a look at Network Rail
We don’t hear enough about Network Rail these days. By that I mean that the entity recently described by the…
Should we fear Facebook’s cryptocurrency?
The cryptocurrency winter has turned to spring: having slumped from $20,000 in late 2017 to $3,200 a year later, bitcoin…
Why the British Steel crisis is not about Brexit
There’s a strong sense of déjà vu in this week’s steel crisis. The whole Brexit saga seems to have been…
Metro Bank was the wrong model for its place and time
This column has long been a fan of the concept of ‘challenger banks’ offering alternatives for personal and small business…
Let’s face it, we’d steal China’s secrets if we could
On the matter of whether former defence secretary Gavin Williamson was the real ‘H’ in Line of Duty, I admit…
