Guy Stephens: Delicate balancing act for Hammond

Limited wiggle room

clock • 3 min read

With the Autumn Budget finally upon us, Guy Stephens assesses the possible aftermath before going on to touch on German politics and the connection between financial markets and alternative investments

Philip Hammond will announce his long-awaited Budget today - the first annual budget since it was agreed that they would no longer be a twice-yearly affair. As usual, much has been dripped to the media beforehand to see how the public reacts. This leaves a little wriggle room should they need to change a few details or try to apply the necessary spin on something that might prove unpopular. Of course, the devil will be in the detail and, while we are no longer in the era of George Osborne pulling rabbits out of hats, we can expect some announcements surrounding housing, the NHS and VAT. ...

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