Sir Keir Starmer has jumped aboard  the populist bandwagon, pandering to voters convinced immigration is the UK’s greatest challenge and threat. Silly me… I thought it was the Russians, or jobs, or the economy. The reality is aging nations need workers.

This morning’s Guest Post is from Adrian Jones, who argues there are clues in the fate of Henry VIII’s fixer Thomas Cromwell as to Elon Musk’s possible future. Society swirls around themes and narratives, and being caught on the wrong side of them as they chop and change can be fatal! Let’s not lose our heads over complex issues like Climate Change and Vaccinations, but understand them and the power of consensus…  

The nations of the West face crisis: how to fund vital infrastructure and critical defence spending without upsetting bond markets? They are worrying about the wrong things. Time to rethink government spending and how to do it.

Revelations about corruption at the heart of the UK government during Covid will hardly come as a surprise.. Unhappy voters will demand changes. Time to make some examples “pour les encourage les autres”!

This week’s Covid Inquiry in the UK has been revelatory for what it revealed about political incompetence. That’s a good thing – a timely reminder that politics is about service rather ambition. Better politics = better economies.

Post-pandemic markets are challenging! We’re juggling multiple crises from inflation shocks, market wobbles and policy normalisation. Markets today are adjusting to the last 14 years of extraordinary monetary policy which have distorted the basis of markets and economic behaviours. Addressing them will be a long-term market challenge.

How much has Covid changed people, markets and the way the global economy works? The event has triggered significant phycological, behavioural and expectational changes across society, and we can only guess how they will ultimately play out in terms of consumption and politics. It ain’t over till it’s over!

Markets are welcoming victory versus COVID, but the next crisis is upon us: Energy instability. The consequences could be dramatic..

Lockdowns and travel restrictions highlight the economic damage Omicron has done to the whole European Economy. Corporate resilience will be severely tested – whatever governments decide. The likelihood of stagflation has risen, but markets are likely to benefit from buy-the-dip mentality as investors weigh-up renewed government support if/when it turns nasty!

The Omicron Variant dominates the headlines, but will likely prove a short-term market factor. No doubt a renewed round of panicked responses, lockdowns, travel bans and Christmas threats will occur, but markets should take these in their stride – the biggest risk is margin calls triggering something deeper.