Latest articles from Brian Caplen

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Brian Caplen blog 2016

Hillary Clinton would make a better than expected president

April 26, 2016

A pragmatic approach and her experience of government would make Hillary Clinton an effective president, writes Brian Caplen. Big ideas are just what she doesn’t need.

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Brian Caplen blog 2016

The high costs of impeaching Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff

April 19, 2016

Dilma Rousseff may not be a good president, writes Brian Caplen, but impeaching her will lead to years of uncertainty and bitterness in Brazil.

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Brian Caplen blog 2016

Forget Brexit – Italian banks are a bigger worry for Europe

April 12, 2016

Germany could not help out Italy and its lenders should the country suffer a similar fate to that of Greece. 

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Brian Caplen blog 2016

Greece is better off with the IMF than with Germany

April 5, 2016

German chancellor Angela Merkel and Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras are happy with a short-term fudge, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde wants a longer term solution. Brian Caplen assesses the dilemma facing the troubled southern European country. 

Ups and downs as Asia moves to the next level

April 1, 2016

The Banker and the Nikkei Asian Review are now sister publications following the Nikkei’s acquisition of the Financial Times in December. We are delighted to present this joint report to coincide with the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Frankfurt in early May.

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Brian Caplen blog 2016

Negative interest rates are a tax on banks and lead to mattress money

March 29, 2016

Out of ideas, out of money, the world's central bankers and governments are now caught in a low inflation rate trap after the failure of quantitative easing. What's more, few are showing an appetite to take the tough decisions to get out of this rut.

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Brian Caplen blog 2016

Belgium terrorist attacks show why Apple needs to help

March 22, 2016

Had a bank behaved in the manner in which Apple has recently regarding its refusal to unlock the smartphone of a terrorist, the criticism and fines would have been both swift and sizeable. Brian Caplen argues that tech companies should be as accountable as their financial counterparts when it comes to the war on terrorism.

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Brian Caplen blog 2016

​Is China the last economy to get rich with cheap labour?

March 14, 2016

The global structure of trade and production is changing at a rapid pace, with 3D printing and increasing digitisation at the forefront of this transition. This means that factors such as cheap labour – one of the key elements behind the rise of China, for example – are becoming less and less important, as Brian Caplen describes.

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Brian Caplen blog 2016

What would a President Trump mean for the US banking sector?

March 7, 2016

As Donald Trump edges ever closer to winning the Republican nomination for the US presidency, Brian Caplen looks at what a President Trump would mean for the country's banks. And it isn't pretty.

Brazilian banks weather the storm

Weathering the storm: Brazil's banks stay strong

March 1, 2016

Brazil’s banks have long experience of steering through choppy financial waters and were able to anticipate the country’s current difficulties with a range of pragmatic and forward-looking measures that have rewarded them with increased profits in a shrinking economy. 

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