The Times op-ed: Black Monday crash didn’t last long. We’ll bounce back again now
This was first published in The Times - 05th August 2024 On Monday, Japan’s stock market suffered its biggest fall since Black Monday in 1987. There was contagion as stock markets across the globe crashed. Last Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve left policy rates unchanged at 5.25 per cent to 5.5...
CapX – The Bank of England is costing us billions: here’s why
This op-ed was first published on CapX on Friday 21st June. How the fiscal sums add up is an ongoing feature of the policy and political debate. Into this arena has stepped the issue of whether interest should be paid on the reserves of banks at the Bank of England (BOE). As it stands, this is...
Financial Times op-ed – Low volatility shows investors are underpricing risk
This op-ed first appeared in the Financial Times on 29th May. Are financial markets pricing sufficiently for future risks? Measures of financial market volatility suggest not. There are different measures of market volatility. Occasionally, they move the same way. This is often countercyclical,...
Irish Times Interview – Britain in need of a ‘shake up’ of institutions such as the Bank of England
This interview first appeared in The Irish Times - 07th May 2024. The son of Irish immigrants, Gerard Lyons was a contender for governor of the Bank of England. Now he wants it overhauled. Britain needs a "shake up" of institutions such as the Bank of England, according to Gerard Lyons, a son of...
CapX – Bernanke’s verdict on the Bank of England is withering
This op-ed first appeared on the Centre for Policy Studies CapX website on 14 April 2024. We should all have a vested interest in how successful the Bank of England is in carrying out its objectives. Sadly, the Bank’s track record in recent years has left much to be desired, both in its ability to...
Times op-ed – Greater challenges lie ahead for China’s policymakers
This was first published in The Times - 12 March 2024. The Two Sessions, China’s big annual political and policy gathering, has taken place in Beijing over the past week. A highlight was the opening works council speech by Li Qiang, the Chinese premier, as it unveiled the government’s present...
Budget reflections: Welcome steps from Hunt, but Britain is still struggling
This was first published on the Centre for Policy Studies CapX website. I made similar points during my Times Radio and Bloomberg Radio interviews. Three issues come to the fore in the wake of today’s Budget. First is the fundamental challenge of Britain’s weak economic growth. Second is that...
House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee – Written evidence on UK debt
A submission by Dr Gerard Lyons to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee’s inquiry into, ‘How sustainable is our national debt’. The UK’s debt position is a concern. The current level of public sector debt is high, and while it may improve in the next few years there is a serious danger...
Times op-ed: Geopolitical risk and the end of cheap money is the new normal
This op-ed was first published in The Times - 19 February 2024. What is the new normal? Globally, financial markets are coming to terms with a new geopolitical, economic and policy landscape. The most dramatic change is geopolitical uncertainty and the risk of a further-splintering world order....
Sky News interview
Good to be back on Ian King's show discussing the Bank of England. Among other points, I argued that interest rates are too high and the Bank should show leadership by pivoting to easing soon, not pausing. That two members voted to hike is out of touch. Inflation is decelerating and will hit the...