Publications

The UK Budget generated significant interest on the different social media channels, Cicero Consulting has produced the first detailed social …

Today’s Budget was the last chance for George Osborne to set the dial on his political fortunes, and the fortunes of the Coalition.

By next year’s statement – with an election just a year away – it will be too late.

That was the backdrop to the Chancellor’s thinking today. Many commentators expected a ‘jam tomorrow’ Budget with the Treasury having little fiscal room for manoeuvre in this Parliament.

But again and again George Osborne demonstrated he was prepared to chance some bold policy measures during THIS Parliament – and not just promise them only if voters give him a second chance after 2015.

The moves on the housing market stand out most clearly. The measures are designed to fire up house building as well as encouraging homeowners stuck in their homes for the past five years to move up the housing ladder. The planned £130bn ‘mortgage guarantee’ underpinning is a huge step – and perhaps the most eye catching headline from the Budget.

The question is will it do the trick? Policymakers have been trying to stimulate lending since the sub-prime market cracked in 2007. But this measure is the most significant boost to the market yet attempted.

The last Labour government relied on the health of the housing market for most of its good fortune. This is a gamble for Osborne. Has he given it time to work for his poll ratings?

The other major move – and the major cost to the Exchequer in the Statement – is the move on National Insurance. The new ‘employment allowance’ to cut National Insurance bills cut by £2,000 for every firm. Some 450,000 small firms will pay no employer National Insurance at all.

Now that idea was a Tory manifesto commitment. The Conservative backbenches have waited three years for this and they will be delighted. And in virtually the same breath, Osborne gave his Lib Dem colleagues their keynote £10,000 income tax threshold – a year earlier than planned from 2014.

Most business will also cheer plans to reduce Corporation Tax to 20p by 2015. The price will be a harsher focus on ‘aggressive’ avoidance.

Asset managers are very pleased with the move to drop the Schedule 19 requirements, which should boost the UK sector as a place to locate funds. It’s a good move. The Stamp Duty abolition on AIM is great.

So perhaps more meat in the Budget than predicted by the commentariat.

By pressing ahead with a more radical tax reforming agenda today than many had predicted, the Chancellor thinks he can keep his backbenchers happy and give business more confidence.

He spoke today of an ‘Aspiration Nation’. His backbenches call them the ‘strivers’. With the private sector continuing to soak up public sector job losses he believes more voters will identify with those labels by May 2015.

Today Labour leader Ed Miliband pointed to the Chancellor’s top rate tax cuts benefiting those who need the least help.

So it is shaping up to be the ‘them versus us’ election. Only voters can decide just how that feels.

Click here to read the report in full.

The objective of today’s Green Paper and consultation is to better understand long-term investment in Europe and facilitate the conditions …

The recent proposals to change legislation in both the Westminster and Holyrood parliaments, and the high media profile of some …

There lies a fundamental question at the heart of this paper – whether it should have gone further and been …

This first AEGON Retirement Survey (conducted with the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies® and Cicero Consulting) aims to better understand …

All of the countries researched as part of the AEGON Retirement Readiness Survey 2012 are faced with an AGING society. …

At the beginning of 2012 the Asia Pacific region is at a crossroads. The technical and fundamental economic factors and …

We knew long before today’s Statement that the Chancellor’s figures were not going to make for pleasant reading. He had …

The long lasting effects of climate change and more frequent extreme weather incidents are of crucial importance to AXA. As …

I am delighted to be introducing this important piece of research on behalf of AXA UK.

Being part of …

When AXA undertook research into the workplace over three years ago it was especially timely given the 2006 pensions White …

With the consequences of the financial crisis still very evident in the balance sheets of sovereigns, banks and infrastructure specialists, …

The European Commission has at last adopted its long-awaited proposal to strengthen the European banking sector through stricter capital requirements, …

To what extent should banking be a metaphor for how our society works? Should finance be run like a business …

Over four years have passed since the financial crisis began and it is self-evident that the financial sector, wider businesses …

This year it was India’s turn to host the annual meeting of key emerging markets leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, …

The aims of the Banking Reform Bill are clear – the same cannot yet be said of the means through …

For the first time in a decade, China has ushered in a new generation of leaders; a group of seven …

As politicians presided over the new regulatory framework in the aftermath of the financial crisis, Andrew Tyrie and fellow Treasury …

As Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee noted, India has not been isolated from the global economic crisis. The Eurozone debt crisis, …

On February 13 the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced it is conducting a review on the regulatory oversight of the …

Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, delivered the Budget Statement for the FY2012 on February 17. …

Higher taxes for large companies and wealthy individuals at heart of President’s programme for greater fairness

Barack Obama urged …

Mitt Romney has a chance to open a significant lead over his opponents on Super Tuesday, in what has been …

On November 6, 2012 the American public will go to the polls to choose the next President. It will also …

George Osborne will have caught cartoonists’ imagination by linking tax incentives for the film industry to “keep Wallace and Gromit …

After an interminable and colossally expensive campaign we have Barack Obama in the White House, the Democrats in control of …

We’re in an age where financial transactions in shares and derivatives can be completed within milliseconds yet on the retail …

Since the financial crisis of 2008 and the G20 commitments that followed, the European financial services sector has been the …

As Europe’s leaders continue their efforts to contain the crisis in the eurozone, the role of Germany – as the …

“The reputation of a man is like his shadow: it sometimes follows and sometimes precedes him, it is sometimes longer …

The US Budget is staggering in its size and complexity. This we all know. But few people outside the Beltway …

If it were needed, December 8 offered another reminder of how much controversy surrounds the CFPB, as Senate Republicans blocked …

And so the EU Pensions White Paper is finally published after much delay. Was it worth the wait? After all, …

This has been an exceptional few months for the government and British politics more widely. The latest incarnation of the …

Insurance plays as pivotal a role in society in the twenty-first century as it did when Winston Churchill gave his …

Political risk is something typically associated with poor, unstable nations. Those countries, usually hot ones, where the deals get done …

The key finding of the Dilnot Report – published this morning – is unequivocal in its analysis, “the current adult …

Seven years ago, the European Commission began work to produce a Mortgage Credit Directive that would focus on mortgage market …

122 rulemaking deadlines are set for July 2011, the one year anniversary of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer …

As the Commission nears the end of its term and with the majority of the financial reform programme complete …

Our report on the views of MEPs towards a European banking union, eurobonds, fiscal union and economic union outlines the …

In the pipeline since 2008, expected from the Commission for twelve months, delayed due to concerns of market turbulence around …

Today’s announcement, while hugely anticipated, can only be considered the first step of a very long process – a process …

In the pipeline since 2008, expected from the Commission for twelve months, delayed due to concerns of market turbulence around …

The Commission has published today its legislative proposal on Packaged Retail Investment Products (PRIPs), ending the months of uncertainty that …

If you were at all unsure about David Cameron’s commitment on IN or OUT of the EU – you only …

So go Sam Cooke’s famous song lyrics, and they seem very apt for the banking industry in 2011. Having gone …

Well at last we have it – the UK’s roadmap for financial regulatory reform. More radical and more detailed than …

2012 is not even a month old and already it feels well worn…

There was barely a …

This year’s Future of Retirement report – It’s time to prepare – explores four themes.

Firstly, the demographic trends …

Ageing is one of the most significant issues facing societies around the world. Populations are ageing as people live …

Creating an internal market for Venture Capital

Small and Medium Enterprises are of crucial importance to EU Member States …

In the wake of the crisis that began five years ago the Bank of Finland Governor Erkki Liikanen announced today …

The world’s population is steadily growing older. The prospect of enjoying a retirement lasting 20 to 30 years is already …

This year’s Future of Retirement report – The power of planning – explores a number of emerging themes in retirement …

Many financial needs are driven by key life events – including getting married and having children – and as the …

UK pension provision is at a crossroads. The economic climate has led to a dramatic fall in the provision of …

The first in a series of Cicero events called ‘in conversation with…’, this features an interview with outgoing editor of …

The latest in a series of Cicero Group events entitled ‘In conversation with…’, this video features interviews with former Number …

Treasury Select Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie recently chastised the Treasury for allegedly leaking substantive elements of the Budget in the …

With limited fiscal flexibility, this budget surprised many with its emphasis on increasing government spending. This budget was shaped …

While many businesses have embraced social media, the relationship between the financial sector and social media holds many similarities to …

The European Commission’s intention in its Regulation on Market in Financial Instruments (MIFIR) and Market in Financial Instruments Directive (is …

Around the world countries are confronted by the challenge of longevity. The wonder of greatly increased life expectancy for millions …

On 1 July 2011 Poland has assumed its first ever EU’s six-month rotating Presidency taking over from Hungary, and is …

The sudden retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United today will ensure his place in football history. …

We have a date. Alex Salmond has announced to the Scottish Parliament that on Thursday 18 September 2014, the people …

It has been another year of unremittingly gloomy financial and economic headlines, though women have been holding onto their jobs …

The recession that has now, hopefully, come to an end has been the deepest for decades. It will have adversely …

We are clearly in a period of significant economic changes. The economy is now in recession, and 2008 saw house …

The recession that has now, hopefully, come to an end has been the deepest for decades. It will have adversely …

The UK economy-wide saving rate fell to 2.9% in 2007. Not only is this its lowest level since 1959, but …

The Scottish Widows UK Protection Report explores the attitudes and behaviours of UK adults to try to understand:

Why they’re not …

In a year dominated by turbulence in financial markets and concerns over the security of banks and other institutions, pensions …

Whether you are a global law firm or a local restaurant, social media is changing the way brands are perceived. …

THE US banking sector has been slow to make use of social media and is only now playing catch-up with …

In the first State of the Union address of his second term, the President laid out to the American public …

Whisperings began on the need to reform public sector pensions before the general election last year with organisations such as …

Gordon Brown will be hoping that 13 is his lucky number – with just 13 Bills unveiled in today’s Queen’s …

Turner has produced a report at breakneck speed which will answer many of the brickbats being lobbed by the political …

The European Commission project of creating a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) has proceeded at a snail’s pace through …

The publication of today’s proposal for a financial transaction tax (FTT) of 0.1 per cent on non-derivative instruments and 0.01 …

This report describes the views of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) towards future regulatory reforms that seek to enhance …

“The news goes on for 24 hours a day”, so said Orson Welles in his depiction of newspaper magnate William …

And so, after a ‘European Spring’ which saw the collapse of governments in Greece and the Netherlands, as well as …

On 1 January 2012 Denmark has assumed the EU ’ s six – month rotating Presidency, taking over the helm …

The recent recession and continuing financial uncertainty have led many people to undertake a fundamental reassessment of their finances.
…

The Single Market, a cornerstone of the European project has been re-released with the intention of re-invigorating life into it …

The aftermath of the financial crisis left governments grappling with a thorny problem: what to do with financial firms …

As politicians and business leaders seek ways to jump-start economic growth, attention has returned to trade liberalisation. While the multilateral …

Just when the industry was really starting to believe the RDR implementation schedule – along comes the Treasury Select Committee. …

There were shades of Nigel Lawson’s reforming zeal in George Osborne’s Budget Statement. Of course Labour wanted to dub him …

David Cameron’s first cabinet reshuffle since the General Election is marked by the continuity at the top of Government.
…

This report looks to the future. I am determined that the financial services industry remains an essential and important part …

UK MPs tweeted 7 million words in 2012
Top three MPs most active on social media are Jamie Reed, Julian Huppert …

Despite a rather innocuous title, today’s ‘Action Plan on European Company Law and Corporate Governance’
from the European Commission is …

Pinterest’s decision to open to all web users could provide the financial sector with an opportunity to reconnect with the wider …