Country conundrums

Entering 2012 it is obvious that the problems of the Eurozone are not going to be sorted out quickly or in a neat and tidy way.

There continues to be no sign of countries working together and managing the situation, and the "Merkozy" alliance does not fill one with confidence. Announcements on the fate of Hungary and whether countries are going to get a ratings downgrade does not help either.

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If only it were 1940

Winston Churchill and the decision that the War Cabinet had to make about doing a deal with Hitler, and effectively ending England's participation in the War.

The French Prime Minister, who was preparing to capitulate, slipped into the UK unnoticed and quietly had a meeting with Churchill to discuss the agonising decision. Imagine that.

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Thank you, Royals

The Royal Wedding, the capture and death of the world's most wanted terrorist, continuing fighting in the Middle East and the fall in commodity prices - and we are not even half way through the year.

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What happens next?

We are now a few months into the year and the global economic situation appears as uncertain as ever with many sectors - and countries - facing their own set of difficulties.

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What a few months

When the financial crisis erupted in September 2008, there was a definite feeling that life as we knew it was going to be changed out of recognition.

But with equal clarity it was evident that this was a man made crisis. It was therefore up to man in the form of the central government, world bankers et al to sort out all
the mess.

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What we're still learning from 2010

As the New Year gets into its stride we can take a more detailed look at what happened in 2010 and see how this might affect things going forward.

The rise in VAT is expected to cast a dampener over the retail sector and as the different companies report this month, it is clear there are wide discrepancies.

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Have emerging markets emerged?

At what point will we say that the emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) have arrived?

Clearly, we are besieged with information as to what these countries are doing, who they are trading with and how their middle classes are prospering and buying up luxury goods at a phenomenal rate.

Burberry's recent figures, among others, reflect this and with over 50 shops overseas and more planned, they are one of the great success stories of 2010.

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New year, new powers

A new year followed by a Day of Atonement is always a good time to reflect on the last 12 months and to contemplate what might be around the corner.

Two years ago at this time was the beginning of what turned out to be the worst financial crisis the world has ever known. The effect of what happened that September has been well documented, and the aftermath has proved to be quite as difficult and traumatic as people expected.

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On BP stock, herd instinct is dictating

BP may, fundamentally, be regarded as good value. The company has vast assets. Outside the Gulf of Mexico it is still busy producing oil, contributing to the company's bottom line.

But - and it's a big but – the PR war is still not won. The Chief Executive, Tony Hayward, cannot even go sailing with his son without causing an incident.

BP has become a day trading stock. Who would have thought it?

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UK's chink of light

Hopefully, the Greek situation will resolve itself soon as the Greeks need to understand that they are going to have to take their medicine and the Germans will have to accept that their pre-eminent position in Europe means that they have to come to the aid of their much weaker partners.

In the UK, one would hope that we get a more definite result than the polls were indicating. What we need here is clear direction and a robust approach to cost-cutting and bringing down the huge deficit that has built up over the past few years.

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