Memory Lane

OK, I admit it, I was struggling to think of something to write for this week. So I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my debut blog and see how far the market has progressed since then...

Section: Opinion

OK, I admit it, I was struggling to think of something to write for this week. So I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my debut blog and see how far the market has progressed since then. 
While researching for blog topics, I thought I haven’t had any gripes this week with lenders, surveyors or lawyers, so that is one fertile blog breeding ground that is currently fallow. I have also scoured the financial press for inspiration, but there is nothing of interest that I can see there.
I could mention the Best Commercial Finance Packager award that Brightstar won last week, but that would seem a little self-indulgent, wouldn’t it?
So, I thought to myself, what do other people do when there is a bit of a creative gap and the answer came to me – a clip show! I am sure that most shows that you watch will rip you off from time to time by regurgitating old scenes in a ‘flashback’ montage.
Obviously, that isn’t really possible in a blog, so I thought I would go back to my first blog in April last year to see what was catching my eye at the time.
The first point was sabre rattling by North Korea, US anti-missile defences being increased and foreigners being urged to leave South Korea. Well, it is relative, but North Korea seems to have settled back to their normal level of bombast and we have swapped the Korean peninsula conflict for one on the Crimean version.
This does have a much more direct effect on the UK financial market for a couple of reasons. Firstly, many of the Russian super-rich do like to own property in London and to park funds here. Given possible sanctions, travel bans etc. I wonder how much money is currently winging its way to other domiciles? Of a more general issue is the fact that Western Europe was banking on Russian gas to make up a significant portion of the necessary supply. If Russia decides to withhold supplies for next winter look out for domestic energy bills to spike.
On a more positive note the economy was a big topic last April and my comment was that the UK had avoided a double dip recession, but that a second agency has downgraded the UK to AA+. I think that most people will agree that the economy has moved on at a pretty good lick since then and most of the signs are positive. Various funding for business schemes had been launched last year and the commercial ones are having mixed results. By way of comparison the Help To Buy schemes have been flying and commentators are now talking about interest rate rises being brought forward, of housing bubbles and growth targets being exceeded.
So, everything has moved on since my first blog, the economy is powering ahead, we have swapped North Korea for a super-power in the conflict stakes and Brightstar is now the best commercial finance packager. Maybe I will make this blog clip-show a regular feature, just so we don’t forget where we were 12 months ago and how much can happen in a short space of time.

Source: Bridging & Commercial — https://bridgingandcommercial.co.uk/memory-lane