Any other business

Is the Elizabeth line worth the cost?

28 May 2022 9:00 am

It’s 8.16 on Tuesday morning and I’m actually writing this on a moving Elizabeth line train. Moving in the sense…

How far will house prices fall?

21 May 2022 9:00 am

‘Forecasting is a mug’s game’ is a truism attributed to everyone from fantasy author Douglas Adams to former Bank of…

Could Haldane have helped save us from inflation?

14 May 2022 9:00 am

Would Andy Haldane, the economist who left the Bank of England to run the Royal Society of Arts, have made…

No, BP’s profit hasn’t boosted Starmer’s windfall-tax call

7 May 2022 9:00 am

BP’s ‘underlying’ first-quarter profit of $6.2 billion, compared with $2.6 billion in the first quarter of 2021, was a direct…

The one thing Netflix could do to keep me subscribing

30 April 2022 9:00 am

Anecdotes and statistics should never be confused, but let’s do just that to build a composite picture of today’s UK…

Why Elon Musk should forget Twitter and stick to Tesla

23 April 2022 9:00 am

I spent Easter agonising over whether to throw the considerable weight of this column behind Elon Musk’s maverick $43 billion…

Who can put the toothpaste of inflation back in its tube?

16 April 2022 9:00 am

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s food price index rose 13 per cent last month to stand a third higher…

Why Channel 4 shouldn’t be privatised

9 April 2022 9:00 am

Enough of stagflation forecasts, each more frightening than the last. Enough – for now – of energy policy sermons, as…

How men’s pants predict economic crashes

2 April 2022 9:00 am

Should you happen to spot me these days lurking outside a Calvin Klein boutique, notebook in hand, I assure you…

The moral of P&O: too many strategic assets are in foreign hands

26 March 2022 9:00 am

P & O once stood for ‘Peninsular and Oriental’, with pleasant connotations of sailings to Cadiz and Constantinople – but…

Biden is right: the crypto world needs to be controlled

19 March 2022 9:00 am

President Biden’s executive order ‘Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets’ won praise on all sides, an unfamiliar experience for one…

Is fracking the answer to the energy crisis?

12 March 2022 9:00 am

I’ll approach the hot topic of a ban on Russian oil by way of personal anecdote: I’ve never been a…

At least BP and Shell tried to teach Russia true capitalism

5 March 2022 9:00 am

BP will offload the 20 per cent stake in Rosneft, the Kremlin-controlled energy giant, that is the residue of 25…

Pipeline politics: what happens if Putin cuts off Europe’s gas?

26 February 2022 9:00 am

The price of Brent Crude oil was hovering at $100 a barrel as Germany halted approval of the controversial Nord…

Bad news, Governor: the wage-rise spiral is already raging

19 February 2022 9:00 am

I’ve had the opportunity recently to take part in wage-rise discussions for several small entities in which I’m involved. The…

Why windfall taxes are a rotten idea

12 February 2022 9:00 am

Annual profits of £9.5 billion at BP this week followed a £20 billion jackpot at Shell last week, thanks to…

The ghosts that could come back to haunt Blair

5 February 2022 9:00 am

I’m picturing Sir Tony Blair enjoying a fitting of his Garter robes after watching Boris Johnson stagger through PMQs. ‘I’m…

What’s really behind the crypto crash

29 January 2022 9:00 am

‘Market turmoil’ looks set as the theme of the week, so let’s take a close look at a trading arena…

The TV licence is a dead duck

22 January 2022 9:00 am

‘Tell me we’re winning the media battle!’ I imagine Unilever boss Alan Jope barking at his team on Tuesday, following…

Hunterston’s closure is the nuclear accident no one noticed

15 January 2022 9:00 am

So farewell, Hunterston B, the nuclear power plant on the Firth of Clyde that shut last week after 46 years’…

Will the energy price spike bring down Boris?

8 January 2022 9:00 am

What does the new year have in store for consumers — and families trying to make ends meet? A stumbling…

Gastro-nomics: a foodie’s guide to a changing world

18 December 2021 9:00 am

Twice recently I’ve been asked my opinion of ‘Doughnut Economics’. The first time, I was tempted to cover my ignorance…

Don’t strand Cambo until our energy future is secure

11 December 2021 9:00 am

If the phrase ‘stranded asset’ hasn’t yet entered your vocabulary, here’s a useful example of what it means. The 178…

For industry, the pandemic isn’t over yet

4 December 2021 9:00 am

‘So you think it’s all over? Ho ho ho!’ That’s the message from Satan’s dark laboratory (twinned with Wuhan’s) where…

Why you should be wary of buy now pay later

27 November 2021 9:00 am

Are you logged on to Klarna, Clearpay, Laybuy or Zilch for your Black Friday shopping binge — or are you…