Brian Walker's Page

I'm surprised to see so little attention paid to the Intertrade Ireland conference in Dublin recently - did I miss it or was it pre-empted by the IOD's own work? Some words of cheer and others of warning came from Mike Smyth the plain-speaking University of Ulster economist whose presentation to the… Continue

Has growth has already started or is the recession just bottoming out? That’s the state of the debate on recession. An FT poll of City economists suggests that more than half think that the economy has returned to growth. The CBI sounds a cautionary note, but:

In a hopeful sign, the CBI cut its forecast for unemployment to a peak of 3m from a previous prediction that it could hit 3.2m. Ian McCafferty, its chief… Continue

Gordon Brown’s anger at the stubborn refusal of banks –including Northern Ireland banks - to lend to small business at affordable rates after all those billions of public money handed over to recapitalise them, broke surface at Prime Minister’s Questions today. His message to frustrated small businesses was this : if you’re having trouble getting a bank loan, get your MP to contact me and I’ll take it up with the bank myself. Would be borrowers should take the Prime Minister at his word. Here’s… Continue

Despite the kerfuffle over the MPs' expenses scandal, it's still the economy, stupid. The Guardian sounds the alarm. “Bank of England braced for third wave of financial crisis. Surprise £50bn cash injection is attempt to avert new phase of credit crunch.” The FT contex… Continue

The banks got us into this and the banks must get us out of it. Robert Peston is not the only commentator to lay out the arguments in favour of calling the lynch mobs off the hated financial sector. "Statements today by Barclays and Lloyds indicate that banks should be over the worst." Whatever happened to all those demands for tougher regulation?
Peston touches on the debate that the EU haven’t th… Continue