The Blog
China’s renminbi and the global ring of fire
China’s property bubble puts it at the epicentre of the ring of fire © Reuters China’s devaluation could be the trigger for an international debt crisis, as I describe in my latest post for the Financial Times, published on the BeyondBrics blog August has often seen the start of major debt crises. The Latin American
The blog will return on September 1
Oil market weakness suggests recession now more likely than Middle East war
Oil markets remain poised between fear of recession and fear of a US attack on Iran. But gradually it seems that fears about a war are reducing, whilst President Trump’s decision to ramp up the trade war with China makes recession far more likely. The chart of Brent prices captures the current uncertainties: It shows
Smartphone sales continue their decline, whilst $25 smart feature phones open up new markets
Global smartphone sales have now been falling for 8 consecutive quarters, since Q3 2017. They are now down 9% from their peak, as the chart shows, based on Strategy Analytics data. As always in a falling market, Winners and Losers are staring to appear: LOSERS Apple’s market share fell to its lowest level for 10
UK, EU27 and EEA businesses need to start planning for a No Deal Brexit on 31 October
New UK premier, Boris Johnson, said last week that the UK must leave the EU by 31 October, “do or die, come what may”. This means UK, EU27 and EEA companies now have less than 100 days to prepare for a UK No Deal Brexit. That’s less than 70 working days – and even less
London house prices edge closer to a tumble
After the excitement of Wimbledon tennis and a cricket World Cup final, Londoners were back to their favourite conversation topic last week – house prices. But now the news has become bittersweet as the price decline starts to accelerate. As the London Evening Standard headline confirms: “The London property slump has dramatically accelerated with prices