Summer is coming, we know this as one of the wizards is packing the bucket and spade and heading to the beach this week, but will it be a warm balmy salad days kind of summer, or the kind we used to call "drookit" up in the land of the purple heather ?
The business forecast is mixed that's for sure, we have definite signs of those green shoots in the South, but if the numbers from the North are to be believed, that growth is probably an infestation of weeds. The Economy in Scotland has developed its own momentum, a sure sign that the disconnection of the union is already underway at least on the high street. We don't have a view on Scottish Independence, save to say that if the old border rises it will bring opportunities and challenges in equal measure on both sides of the divide, I can almost hear the sales pitch of the "cross-border specialists" already. Companies will appear from nowhere offering advice and assistance in trading with "that lot across the border" and there will be an ever growing market in "exchange"
The next few months will shape business on these islands for the next decade, the new mortgage rules are going to slow the housing markets for a while, but there will be "workarounds" available within weeks which will speed it back up again. The traditional bucket and spade lag in the economy will be marginal as we just don't make enough "stuff" anymore, the commonwealth games will raise some interest and activity, although they aint quite London 2012, and the end of the summer will be all about the people of Scotland and the answer to the will they or wont they question. There is no doubt that Britain as a whole is in a better place than the rest of Europe, at least economically, whether that's luck or judgement is anyone's guess, but the simple fact is that the decisions we all make in the coming weeks and months will be critical to our business lives.
If your expecting a plug for the services of the wizards, it isn't coming this time, just a wee bit of free advice, If the sun is shinning, start looking for an umbrella and if its raining outside, prepare for warmer times ahead, nothing stays the same forever
The business forecast is mixed that's for sure, we have definite signs of those green shoots in the South, but if the numbers from the North are to be believed, that growth is probably an infestation of weeds. The Economy in Scotland has developed its own momentum, a sure sign that the disconnection of the union is already underway at least on the high street. We don't have a view on Scottish Independence, save to say that if the old border rises it will bring opportunities and challenges in equal measure on both sides of the divide, I can almost hear the sales pitch of the "cross-border specialists" already. Companies will appear from nowhere offering advice and assistance in trading with "that lot across the border" and there will be an ever growing market in "exchange"
The next few months will shape business on these islands for the next decade, the new mortgage rules are going to slow the housing markets for a while, but there will be "workarounds" available within weeks which will speed it back up again. The traditional bucket and spade lag in the economy will be marginal as we just don't make enough "stuff" anymore, the commonwealth games will raise some interest and activity, although they aint quite London 2012, and the end of the summer will be all about the people of Scotland and the answer to the will they or wont they question. There is no doubt that Britain as a whole is in a better place than the rest of Europe, at least economically, whether that's luck or judgement is anyone's guess, but the simple fact is that the decisions we all make in the coming weeks and months will be critical to our business lives.
If your expecting a plug for the services of the wizards, it isn't coming this time, just a wee bit of free advice, If the sun is shinning, start looking for an umbrella and if its raining outside, prepare for warmer times ahead, nothing stays the same forever