Brexit

UK set to take hard line on EU trade under David Frost

Brexit, David Frost, Economic growth, EU, M, Maroš Šefčovič, trade, Trade & Cooperation Agreement

The Brexit debate has always been about politics, not economics.  So it was no surprise that December’s UK-EU Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TCA) was the first trade deal in history to actually increase barriers rather than reduce them. The reason is that Brexiters are focused on a very narrow concept of “sovereignty”. And last week’s

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Buyers scramble for product as global supply chains breakdown

artificial intelligence, Brexit, Consumer demand, new normal, supply chain

Asian LNG prices reached $32.50/MMBTU this month, up from less than $2/MMBTU in June. The Shanghai Containerised Freight Index hit $8000/TEU container (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit), up from prior rates of $1500/TEU. In Europe, UK supermarkets have warned of containing food shortages in N Ireland due to the new Brexit trading rules. None of this would

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Businesses face “biggest imposition of red tape in 50 years” as Brexit begins

auto sales, Brexit, Brexlist, BrexPlan, BrexSure, Customs Declarations, Economic growth, Petrochemicals, ReadyforBrexit, red tape, Rules of Origin, supply chain

Most companies had closed when the new EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) was finally announced on Christmas Eve. And they are only now starting to get their heads around what it all means. Essentially, it creates the biggest shake-up to the UK’s trading relationships since 1973.  As the BBC’s Economics Editor reported: “It is

Your A to Z Guide to the reality of Brexit after 31 December

Brexit, consumer spending, Economic growth, European Union, ReadyforBrexit, WTO

(Picture credit Shutterstock) A.  Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty set out the rules for leaving the European Union. As with most negotiations, it assumed the leaving country would present its proposals for the post-withdrawal period – which would then be finalised with the other members. But the UK government has little experience of trade negotiations, as these

Your A to Z Guide to the Brexit trade negotiations

Boris Johnson, Brexit, Economic growth, European Commission, European Union, free trade, Jean-Claude Juncker, Jeremy Corbyn, Michel Barnier, protectionism, ReadyforBrexit, referendum, Theresa May, Ursula von der Leyen, WTO

A. Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty set out the rules for leaving the European Union. As with most negotiations, it assumed the leaving country would present its proposals for the post-withdrawal period – which would then be finalised with the other members. The UK government, however, has still not yet set out its post-Brexit

Contingency planning is essential in 2020 as “synchronised slowdown” continues

aerospace, auto sales, Brexit, chemical industry, construction, Economic growth, leading economic indicators, paradigm shift, Polyethylene, polymers, recession, shale gas, stimulus, WTO

The IMF has now confirmed that the world economy has moved into the synchronised slowdown that I forecast here a year ago. Its analysis also confirms the importance of the issues highlighted then, including “rising trade barriers and increasing geopolitical tensions”, a sharp decline in manufacturing, contraction in the auto industry and structural forces such