The Worlds Leading Financial Centers

[Brown, Jon Brow]

The UK has been named the world's best financial centre, knocking the USA off top spot, but it is also considered one of the most unstable.

The UK has the most developed financial system in the world, according to an an influential report from the World Economic Forum.

This is in reply to Eki's thread on prosperity. The UK wasn't ranked first on any of the 'prosperity' indicators. But by typing into Google 'UK ranked 1st in...' I found out that the UK, like Finland, is good at something.


http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=491688&in_page_id=2#

So lets give our bankers a big pat on the back!

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Nobody is buying my attempt at being Eki? :bigcry:

[DexDexter]

I think the UK is best at doing quality TV. How do you guys do it? I'm talking about series like Life on Mars or Wire in Blood, historical dramas, sport, documentaries, even morning tv etc. They're just so much better than anything I've seen anywhere else.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

We're not bad at F1 too :D

[DexDexter]

We're not bad at F1 too :D

I forgot about it already, Button that is :) . Not too bad, yep.

[Tomi]

I think the UK is best at doing quality TV. How do you guys do it? I'm talking about series like Life on Mars or Wire in Blood, historical dramas, sport, documentaries, even morning tv etc. They're just so much better than anything I've seen anywhere else.

Agree, nothing beats Brittsh quality tv, they just started Morse again here on tv. You should be proud Brittons, also its nice to see the high quality of Brittsh actors and actresses, more please.

[GridGirl]

I was reading Accountancy Age from a couple of weeks ago at lunchtime and there was an interesting article about how the UK is becoming increasingly popular financially as a place for companies restructure debt or go bankrupt. We should be so proud. :p

[Malbec]

I think the UK is best at doing quality TV. How do you guys do it? I'm talking about series like Life on Mars or Wire in Blood, historical dramas, sport, documentaries, even morning tv etc. They're just so much better than anything I've seen anywhere else.

Its the BBC, it trains loads of graduates to a very high standard who then leave and work for other companies, it means there's a high quality supply of staff that private companies don't need to pay that much money to train so they can spend that money on the work they make instead.

Plus a lot of creative types are free to go work and learn from other English speaking countries like the US, the quality of a lot of US TV dramas is incredible.

[Rollo]

I think the UK is best at doing quality TV. How do you guys do it?

The TV Licence Fee, Socialised media and better governance. It equates to bigger budgets and because the BBC is neither controlled by private enterprise nor the government, it's also quite independant.
The BBC, DW, France Télévisions, NHK and the ABC are probably the best in the world.

[Eki]

Nobody is buying my attempt at being Eki? :bigcry:

Being Eki takes years of practise.

[anthonyvop]

Being Eki takes years of practise.
Or just a few seconds of massive head contusions.

[donKey jote]

I forgot about it already, Button that is :) . Not too bad, yep.
Oh I thought he meant Bernie & Max :p :

[anthonyvop]

We're not bad at F1 too :D
That is true.
Last year's Champion drove a McLaren Mercedes.......And this year's was in a Brawn Mercedes.......
How did Germany rank again?

[Rollo]

Pretty average actually, considering that the only cars built in Germany are the Toyotas, and they're heading for fifth yet again.
The Mercedes engines in both the Brawns are built by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines Ltd (who used to be Ilmor) which is in Brixworth, Northamptonshire. oops

[Malbec]

The Mercedes engines in both the Brawns are built by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines Ltd (who used to be Ilmor) which is in Brixworth, Northamptonshire. oops

The cars they go into are British too. oops.

[Mark]

I think the UK is best at doing quality TV. How do you guys do it? I'm talking about series like Life on Mars or Wire in Blood, historical dramas, sport, documentaries, even morning tv etc. They're just so much better than anything I've seen anywhere else.

Can't disagree really.

I think the best example, is as you say, Life of Mars.

Watch the British version of the first episode, then watch the American version.

Same characters, same story, same script. Entirely different feel to it.

[555-04Q2]

Shanghai, and the whole of China with it, will one day be the world economic hub. Sooner rather than later too.

[Tomi]

Can't disagree really.

I think the best example, is as you say, Life of Mars.

Watch the British version of the first episode, then watch the American version.

Same characters, same story, same script. Entirely different feel to it.

Or the cracker with Robbie Coltrane, another good example.

[Malbec]

Can't disagree really.

I think the best example, is as you say, Life of Mars.

Watch the British version of the first episode, then watch the American version.

Same characters, same story, same script. Entirely different feel to it.

Americans may not be able to do their versions of British dramas as well as we do but then we can't come up with anything thats as good as 'the Wire', 'the Sopranos', 'West Wing' etc etc.

I think British TV punches way above its weight but at the moment US TV produces the finest shows in the world. Admittedly there's a large British input in some of those shows though.

[anthonyvop]

Shanghai, and the whole of China with it, will one day be the world economic hub. Sooner rather than later too.
I heard that before only it was Japan in the 1980's

[555-04Q2]

I heard that before only it was Japan in the 1980's

Its not far off, thats the scary part.

China is now the biggest producer of consumer goods to the world market. They are also the largest purchaser of vehicles in the world having surpassed the US this year as the biggest market. They are set to become the worlds largest auto makers too within the next 10 years. They are the largest buyer of raw materials in the world now. The list goes on and on.

I have been to China many times and seen cities such as Shanghai, Chongqing, Beijing, Gangzhou etc and it amazing how rapidly the country is changing. Shanghai is positioning itself as the financial hub of the East and with the passing of the worlds economic power from the West to the East, Shanghai holds all the cards.

[Mark]

And they aren't constrained by such things as a democratic government, health and safety etc etc.

[DexDexter]

Can't disagree really.

I think the best example, is as you say, Life of Mars.

Watch the British version of the first episode, then watch the American version.

Same characters, same story, same script. Entirely different feel to it.

I've never understood why they take a British TV-series and make their own version of it. Don't they understand English or something? And their version is always a mere shadow of the original. Having said that, there is a lot of quality TV in the US, but sometimes it seems to get lost in the crap.

[Mark]

I've never understood why they take a British TV-series and make their own version of it. Don't they understand English or something? And their version is always a mere shadow of the original. Having said that, there is a lot of quality TV in the US, but sometimes it seems to get lost in the crap.

No I'm at a loss too. If they want to watch Life on Mars in the USA. Then watch the British version. Sure it's UK-centric, but then we watch tonnes of US-centric programmes without too much trouble!

[Tomi]

No I'm at a loss too. If they want to watch Life on Mars in the USA. Then watch the British version. Sure it's UK-centric, but then we watch tonnes of US-centric programmes without too much trouble!

I guess they are made a bit easier to watch for the us audience, in the us versions the feeling of reality or "life" often is missing.

[Storm]

I've never understood why they take a British TV-series and make their own version of it. Don't they understand English or something?
On some programmes (I don't remember which but probably some kind of travel/documentary shows) they put English sub-titles on the screen when a British guy was speaking :crazy: (well ok if he was a Scot but still!!!)

[Mark]

On some programmes (I don't remember which but probably some kind of travel/documentary shows) they put English sub-titles on the screen when a British guy was speaking :crazy: (well ok if he was a Scot but still!!!)

It was trawlermen as I recall. To be fair he was speaking with a thick Scottish accent with background noise of the boats engine and the heavy seas, nevertheless I had no trouble understanding what he was saying.

[DexDexter]

It was trawlermen as I recall. To be fair he was speaking with a thick Scottish accent with background noise of the boats engine and the heavy seas, nevertheless I had no trouble understanding what he was saying.

They've subtitled Oasis' Gallagher bros in the US.

[Storm]

Yes Mark..its not just on one particular programme! Jamie would probably be sub-titled too :p :

[Brown, Jon Brow]

That sort of thing really annoys me. You would never see Flavio Briatore being subtitled when he speaks in English and I don't see how anyone can understand a word he is saying. So how patronizing is it to subtitle a British person speaking English? :rolleyes:

[Tomi]

[quote="Storm"]

In norf Jamie is usually subtitled.

[anthonyvop]

The UK has been named the world's best financial centre, knocking the USA off top spot, but it is also considered one of the most unstable.

The UK has the most developed financial system in the world, according to an an influential report from the World Economic Forum.

This is in reply to Eki's thread on prosperity. The UK wasn't ranked first on any of the 'prosperity' indicators. But by typing into Google 'UK ranked 1st in...' I found out that the UK, like Finland, is good at something.


http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=491688&in_page_id=2#

So lets give our bankers a big pat on the back!

Bloomberg disagrees.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aEC0OYmvvcZM


Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) -- New York has withstood the worst economic crisis in seven decades and remains the leading global financial center, followed by Singapore, which topped London as investors’ preferred place for doing business, according to Bloomberg Global Poll.

Twenty-nine percent of respondents in the quarterly poll of investors, traders and analysts who subscribe to the Bloomberg terminal say New York will be the best place for financial services two years from now. Singapore is chosen by 17 percent of respondents and London is the pick of 16 percent. Shanghai has 11 percent, while Tokyo, once considered a global hub, gets the nod from only 1 percent.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Meanwhile the Canadian banking system bought up US banks during the downturn, didn't lose any real money and has just continued on....but then again, Toronto is too dull to ever be considered in this sort of thing.

Shanghai will rule if we in the west let it. Lets face it, demoracy and humanrights obviously mean nothing to the practice of being a banker....