The artificial intelligence sector has become a magnet for global investment, drawing vast sums from technology giants and financial institutions. The latest deal to fuel this activity is a multi-billion-pound agreement between Microsoft, Nvidia and Anthropic, which has reignited speculation about whether the AI industry is entering bubble territory. Whilst the scale of the investment is unprecedented, its structure is equally striking, raising questions about whether capital

Over the past decade, Bitcoin and the broader universe of digital assets have moved far beyond mere technological curiosity. They now sit at the heart of global finance. With Bitcoin’s market capitalization having surpassed silver and now jostling for a place among the world’s top ten assets, a great many investors have come to revere it (almost religiously) as “digital gold” or the ultimate expression of a decentralized future. A parallel and equally powerful belief has take

In mid-November 2025, Iran seized an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a move that drastically increased tensions in one of the most strategically important maritime corridors in the world.  The Strait of Hormuz exists as one of the critical chokepoints for supplies of energy throughout the world, with roughly 20% of global oil flow passing through the strait.  Whilst Iranian authorities defended the move as a matter of national security, financial markets reacted immediate

The Chancellor's upcoming 26 November Budget comes at a moment of unusual economic fragility. Who is behind this story? Well it's Rachel Reeves, the Office for Budget Responsibility, businesses, consumers and economists such as former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane.  What we are seeing is a sharp slowdown in UK growth, with GDP only expanding 0.1% in the third quarter. When this occurred, matters as it came just weeks before the Budget, heightening the political

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has ramped up intensity within the technological industry. The race to dominate has intensified with cloud giants and semiconductor firms accelerating acquisitions to secure a competitive advantage.  Microsoft’s AI acquisitions to strengthen their Azure AI, Amazon Web Services’ investments into AI chip farms, Google’s $32 billion Wiz Acquisition and Intel’s acquisition of AI hardware startups all illustrate the urgency. Nvidia’s latest earnings ha

US healthcare giant Abbott Laboratories has agreed to acquire cancer diagnostics specialist Exact Sciences in a landmark $23 billion deal, marking its largest takeover since 2017 and signaling a decisive push into the fast-growing cancer screening market. The transaction, which was unanimously approved by both companies’ boards, gives Abbott full ownership of Exact Sciences for $105 per share. This represents a roughly 50% premium to the company’s unaffected price.  The deal

Addiction is a profitable business. Sugar, alcohol, drugs – we can’t pretend these (and many other addictive goods) don’t move substantial amounts of money. In fact, the alcohol, tobacco, and junk-food industries make around £53 billion every year from harmful consumption. Needless to say, addiction sells, whether we like it or not.  Despite countless initiatives to reduce the consumption of addictive goods, the demand for these remains constant. And as any introductory econo

With the UK economy predicted to experience a downgrade in productivity, Chancellor Rachel Reeves now faces a moral dilemma - should she break the Labour Party’s election manifesto pledge not to increase taxes on working people, or stay true to her party’s Promise? Since Labour’s return to power following the 2024 general election, the government’s key fiscal target of balancing the UK budget by 2029–30 has been met with unprecedented challenges. Initially, despite analysts p

As the UK approaches a final budget, there is uncertainty in how upcoming fiscal changes will reshape the pensions system.  Why did the budget start with so much uncertainty for pension policy?   The upcoming November Budget will be one of the most significant budgets in more than a decade. As Rachel Reeves abandons the previous signalled income tax rise, she prepares a package of tax increases and tight spending measures. They are expected to total nearly £30bn. As a result,

The New Development Bank (NDB), established by the BRICS nations, is poised to issue its first rupee-denominated bonds in India: a move set to support local development while helping the Indian rupee gain a stronger position in the global financial system.  Scheduled for launch at the end of this fiscal year, pending final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the issuance is expected to raise between USD 400 million and USD 500 million with maturities ranging from t

With the November budget inching ever closer, will Rachel Reeves be able to jumpstart the British economy as she had hoped to do so over a year ago?  In the October 2024 budget, Reeves succeeded in making life more difficult for British businesses. Since April of this year, businesses have seen a hike from 13.8% to 15% in national insurance contributions, making growth through reinvestment less attainable.  This has worsened an issue that some experts have argued Britain alre

In September 2025, international sanctions on Iran returned to the global spotlight. The European Union triggered the “snapback” mechanism which, under the 2015 nuclear deal, reinstated UN-mandated measures. Citing Iran’s “significant non-performance” on Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) commitments, the EU reimposed restrictions on finance, trade, and transport to curb nuclear activity. These measures, however, carry economic, social, and environmental consequences.

The European Commission is reportedly considering delaying or diluting key provisions of its Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act)  amid mounting pressure from the Trump administration and major tech firms. The move reflects growing tensions between Europe’s ambition to lead in ethical AI governance and its dependence on transatlantic innovation. The AI Act, first proposed in 2021, hailed as the world’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, serv

For years, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets sat comfortably in the realm of good intentions. Companies could choose to publish sustainability reports or align with climate goals, but there was little legal weight behind those commitments. That era is ending. In 2025, a wave of new regulation across the UK and EU is transforming ESG from a voluntary exercise into a mandatory framework for accountability.  Earlier this year, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authorit

Balancing coursework, society commitments, part-time jobs and career planning all seem like a hassle, right? As freshers starting university, we tend to say, ‘we'll figure it out later’. But the truth is university life moves fast. Before you know it, it's graduation day, and you're wondering where the time went and wish that you'd started preparing just a bit sooner.  To all the first years, your career doesn’t begin at graduation - it's already unfolding. That is exactly wh

Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022, AI has consumed media discourse, both in its celebration, and in worries over the consequences of such a technology. A 2025 global study by the University of Melbourne and KPMG found that while 66% of people report regular use of AI, only 46% of people globally are willing to trust AI systems . Despite this, the latest United Nations Human Development Report identifies an anomaly. Emerging economies are not only more awar

Artificial Intelligence has come a long way from its theoretical beginnings to the sophisticated systems we interact with daily. Understanding this journey helps us appreciate not only who we are today but also where we might be headed tomorrow.  The Dawn of Symbolic AI  The story of AI begins in the 1950s, when pioneers like Alan Turing and John McCarthy envisioned machines that could think. This early approach, known as symbolic AI or "Good Old Fashioned AI", was straightfo

As the job market becomes ever more competitive and recruiters grapple with thousands of applicants for a single position, securing a place on a graduate scheme or internship becomes increasingly reliant on clearing one crucial hurdle: the online assessment.  A 2024 study  conducted by Hirevue suggested that, despite much talk of target/semi-target/non-target universities, 72% of recruiters instead value applicants’ performance in these assessments rather than a good CV. The

According to the World Economic Forum’s Energy Transition Index 2025, the global transition towards cleaner and resilient energy systems has accelerated over the past decade. The overall ETI score rose by about 1.1% year on year, which is more than double the average pace of the past three years, reflecting a broad-based yet fragile recovery. However, transition readiness, which encompasses policy, investment capacity and infrastructure, grew more slowly. This shows that long

US-China trade tensions have returned to the center of global economics in 2025, disrupting supply chains, reshaping inflation paths, and complicating central bank decisions. The world's two largest economies continue to clash over tariffs, technology restrictions, and strategic resources. As the IMF and WTO warn of the macroeconomic fallout, other countries are rethinking their trade strategies in response to the trade tensions. Tariffs, Controls, and Tit-for-Tat Moves The U