To say that 2016 was an eventful year would be an understatement. Political surprises have become the order of the day with the vote for Brexit & Trump (“BRUMP”) the highlights. The political landscape at the end of 2016 looks vastly different to what we had at the start of the year. The same holds true for the local economy.
FDI
10 key questions the EU Referendum result raises for Northern Ireland
So, the UK has voted to leave the EU. But what does that actually mean? For now, it means no change, as David Cameron signalled today that his successor decides whether to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Only when this happens does the clock start to tick on two years of negotiation for the UK’s exit from the EU. In the meantime, we have seen heavy falls in UK equities, sterling has slumped, and we can anticipate further short-term volatility. But what are the key questions emerging from the Referendum results from a NI perspective? Continue reading
NI’s strong economic links with the US
Northern Ireland has very strong economic links with the US, when we look at a range of indicators, including visitors to NI, manufacturing exports, the number of US businesses operating in Northern Ireland and the number of local people American firms employ.
With it being around 4th July time, this graphic gives a snapshot of those strong economic links.
For further context, it is also worth noting, for instance, that US visitors spent nearly £55million in NI in 2014, which works out on average at nearly £300 per visitor, compared to £220 per English visitor, and around £200 per German visitor.