Japan's spluttering economy shows little sign of recovering before the country hosts the summer Olympic Games in 2020, and holds a lesson for others, writes Brian Caplen.
Latest articles from Brian Caplen
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Why isn't infrastructure investment booming?
August 16, 2016One the face of it, it's an easy win: governments spend money on infrastructure projects and the spluttering economies of the developed and developing world would be transformed. However, as Brian Caplen explains, the solution is more to do with political commitment than available funding.
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Are regional banks really safer than their global counterparts?
August 9, 2016With BNP Paribas announcing the sale of First Hawaiian Bank, Brian Caplen examines whether banks that do business through a narrow channel really are stronger that those with multiple earning sources.
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What do the EU’s bank stress tests really tell us?
August 2, 2016Banks within the EU may have largely passed the stress tests to show how they would survive adverse economic growth in the years to 2018, but the problem with adverse scenarios, writes Brian Caplen, is that the form they take is notoriously difficult to predict or replicate.
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The 40% costs cut: why banks must face up to a tough future
July 26, 2016Banks are under pressure from the prolonged low-interest-rate environment and increased regulatory pressures. For most Western lenders, the only solution going forward is to cut costs, but at a level that few will want to take on.
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Brexit will not make trade deals easy
July 19, 2016Trade agreements everywhere are hostage to politics and protest, meaning that the UK can't expect an easy ride as it prepares for post-Brexit life, writes Brian Caplen.
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Europe’s bad loan problem could last a generation
July 11, 2016Banking union is another EU policy stuck halfway, writes Brian Caplen.
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Solving Brexit is easier than fixing the EU
July 5, 2016As the UK comes to terms with the result of its referendum decision to leave the EU, the challenges facing what is left of the union are mounting, writes Brian Caplen.
Top 1000 World Banks – Asia-Pacific, western Europe and North America still own the global picture
June 29, 2016Asia-Pacific, North America and western Europe continue to dominate the Top 1000 in terms of Tier 1 capital share and the number of banks. Elsewhere, the Middle East shows some growth, but Africa and central and eastern Europe are going backwards.
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Does Brexit mean Trump will be the next US president?
June 24, 2016The EU should respond constructively to the UK's referendum result for its own survival.