The USA is a marvel in marketing. Where a victor among 30-odd cities and towns can shamelessly proclaim to be ‘World Champion’ of just about any sport. The country which persuaded the British that carving holes into pumpkins was a sensible use of our time. So too has it seamlessly convinced some of the UK’s leading companies to become more bricks in the country’s Wall Street.
Worryingly, meanwhile, the UK has stopped marketing itself. As has our stock market and the stocks themselves. In 2000, UK-listed equities made up 11% of the MSCI World Index — which tracks more than 1,500 companies that account for the vast majority of the global stock market by value. Fast-forward to today and it’s around 4%.
