Why Cash Is Not the Answer
True wealth in an anxious age The anxieties are legitimate. Western economies carry public debt at levels last seen in wartime, and when the interest paid on that debt exceeds the economy’s growth rate, the arithmetic deteriorates (Reinhart and Rogoff, 2009; IMF, 2024). Consider, too, the rise of non-Western markets, the disruptive potential of artificial […]
Navigating US Tariffs: 5 Key Investor Insights amid Economic Shifts
When tariffs drive up import costs, inflationary pressures often follow. Businesses facing new duties tend to pass these expenses on to consumers, inflating prices for goods and services. Moreover, the broader push to bolster domestic manufacturing can elevate overhead costs, from labour to raw materials. Even if tensions ease, these inflationary aftereffects are likely to persist, as the benefits of localised production and more robust supply chains come with higher expenses. It is in the US’s interest to stabilise sooner, otherwise its own radical policy position revolving around unilateralism will force it up an escalatory ladder that can only result in a hot war gambling on the curtailment of competitor development and its own ability to recover at a pace faster than its adversaries.
Corporation Tax: the case for change
The tax contribution made by UK businesses gets a regular airing, given we effectively now have two annual Budgets if you include the Autumn Statement. Yet despite the Treasury frequently tinkering with Corporation Tax rates there seems little appetite to make sweeping changes. And that’s a shame, because a rethink isn’t just needed – it […]
Blockchain and Bitcoin; a hegemonic shift in data centralization and currency
It’s probably useful to start off with some definitions and descriptions so here goes: Cryptocurrencies: Electronic cash not issued by any government or central bank. It started off being used as a substitute for traditional currency on the dark web, and it’s currently not legal tender. It has been popularized with the development of ‘cryptocurrency […]
ADL’s 2020 two sentence insights
Capitalism and technology have made the world glocal. It has and is bringing people closer together like no other point in human history. For example, today, because of the online gig economy, a start-up in London can contract affordable skilled services in the Philippines, without which neither would be able to add value to their […]
Are you paying 60% tax?
As economic pressures grow, ‘middle’ Britain is being taxed more. This piece is particularly relevant to those earning £100,000 and more. Situation 1: Losing your personal allowance You’ll be paying an effective rate of 60% tax on your income between £100,000 and £125,000 in the 19/20 tax year. This is because as your income goes […]
Should we tax the ‘rich’ more?
Tax! A hated necessity, we recognise the need for it, but we have serious disagreements over who should pick up the tab and to what extent. According to the IFS, the top 1% of earners in the UK pay more than a third of the UK’s total income tax, and who are the top 1%? […]
ADL Reflections – If we leave the EU.
If we leave the EU, in order for the UK to compete on the international stage it will have to reposition itself as a tax haven/secrecy jurisdiction such as Singapore and Switzerland. Any progress the tax justice network has made, I fear will be undermined. I can also see our controls on food standards being […]
April Market Commentary
Introduction It’s tempting to think that Brexit is the only story worth reporting: in fact, there was plenty happening in March, from elections in Holland to a rate rise in the US, new growth targets for China and – also in the Chinese capital – a park which spectacularly failed to live up to its […]
4 companies using Brexit to put up prices
Six months on from the Brexit result and there are many factors of the UK’s impending departure from the EU that remain clouded in mystery. What has become clear, however, is the impact the vote to leave has already had and will continue to have upon the price of products. A number of companies have […]