Business comment, opinions on the business news

Chaos puts North in a tough place Sep 26 2011

THE contagion that sent stock markets plunging around the world last week is more than a Eurozone financial concern.Read

Vital role of our universities Sep 23 2011

ANEW academic year is about to begin for universities and the North East’s 130,000 higher education students will soon transform the pace of life in our cities.Read

Crisis sends investors searching for high yields Sep 21 2011

WITH no end to the euro area crisis in sight and data on the global economy similarly inconclusive, we feel market volatility is likely to remain high.Read

Trivia does count for something Sep 21 2011

RARELY do lawyers get asked to participate in pub quiz teams as there is an assumption that all they really know about is obscure pieces of legislation.Read

Qualified successes: are they academic? Sep 21 2011

YOU could cut the tension with a blunt comment in our house as the day of the GCSE results arrived. The same nervous wait befell a large number of households across the UK and judging by the outcome many students were soon smiling as almost a quarter of all marks were A* or A, a step up on last year's results. Congratulations to all those hard working students. Commiserations to those who fell short.Read

Simplifying apprentice system Sep 20 2011

LAST week CBI members met to discuss how to "Get the UK Working", a critical plank in the narrative to rebalancing the economy and a project chaired nationally by CBI North East chairman and Greggs chief executive Ken McMeikan.Read

Banks will muddle through Euro crisis Sep 19 2011

THERE are renewed fears of fiscal backsliding in both Italy and Greece. Reassurance is pending in Italy, but in Greece the "troika" has yet to be satisfied (even if it is, as we write, still unclear whether the private sector involvement needed will be forthcoming).Read

Time for (re)action Sep 19 2011

THE only thing more shocking than last week’s employment statistics for the North East was the lack of any meaningful reaction from the Government to the bleakest figures since 1997.Read

Past may not be true indicator Sep 16 2011

WE assume that global economic growth will continue and that the globally diversified corporate sector will benefit.Read

Politicians' talk must be converted into action Sep 14 2011

POLITICIANS are not often stuck for words, so I suppose they may see it as a good thing there will be no shortage of issues to talk about when they start the annual round of party conferences this weekend.Read

Strategy needed to kick-start the UK Sep 13 2011

THE Government must act now to attract vital new investment into the UK's ageing infrastructure. Swift investment across Britain’s road and rail networks, digital, waste and energy would ensure we remain internationally competitive and kick-start UK growth.Read

Not the way to improve our society Sep 12 2011

POLITICS is often as much about perception as about the reality of the impact of the various decisions our elected leaders make.Read

Pub sector debt still a concern Sep 12 2011

THE leisure sector tends to evolve quickly as today’s in-vogue venues are inevitably overtaken by newer, more vibrant venues.Read

Energy mix can create employment Sep 08 2011

TWO events in recent weeks have given cause for concern about our ability to develop sustained economic growth in the region.Read

Celebrating the best of our learners Sep 07 2011

THIS week marks an annual celebration for NECC as we showcase the talent and achievements of those that engage in training and development with us.Read

Things are looking rosy post-Rock for Hoffman Sep 07 2011

GIVEN his impressive achievements during his short spell at the helm of the newly-nationalised Northern Rock, it’s no surprise that Gary Hoffman seems poised to re-emerge on the scene as a major force in British banking.Read

Heavy or light, oil production is dependent on political stability Sep 07 2011

GEOPOLITICAL risks are a key aspect when it comes to analysing oil markets, but it’s easy to forget that different regions produce different blends of crude oil.Read

Plenty to be positive about here Sep 06 2011

IT'S no secret that the North-East region has been one of the hardest hit in the UK in terms of job losses during the global economic downturn.Read

Women will bear brunt of the cuts Sep 05 2011

IT'S a long time since women’s wages were considered "pin money". With the news last week that gender inequality remains intractable, the position of women in the economy is more severely threatened by the Government's spending cuts.Read

Diversified portfolios which spread risk are safest route to successful investments Sep 05 2011

MARKET volatility has been significant this year, with a tremendous spike over the past few weeks. For many investors, the focus has been on what to do at the moment to sidestep the sudden downturns.Read