9 December 2022 - 20% of SME businesses plan redundancies

The Government is about to announce the largest shake-up in the regulation of banking and finance since Big Bang more than thirty years ago. One of Mrs Thatcher’s flagship policies, Big Bang, was designed to radically change the way in which trading was done by opening financial markets for all. It heralded the arrival of electronic trading in stock and shares. Banks took full advantage of the new, liberalized markets, but their thirst for profits created several dangerous practices which led either directly or indirectly to the financial crisis which started with the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 and ended in 2012. The most significant new measures that will be announced are the abandoning of the requirement for banks to keep totally separate their commercial banking business from their far riskier investment banking operations. This effectively means that rather than risking their own capital to increase profits based on investment decisions, they will be free to use their customers' funds. It is expected that there will be a limit to the percentage of their clients’ funds that can be used to reduce the risk, and it is likely that the Bank of England will be given new oversight powers to regulate the markets. Beyond Currency Market Commentary: Aims to provide deep insights into the political and economic events worldwide that can cause currencies to change and how this can affect your FX Exposure.