News

Oil Prices Are on a Rollercoaster Again.
Oil prices are moving sharply once more and they are dragging the global economy along for the ride. Crude has been climbing as concerns grow about supply disruptions in several major producing regions. At the same time, demand is looking shaky as global growth slows. When supply is tight but demand is unsure, prices jump around and that is exactly what we are seeing now. For consumers this is not great news. Higher crude prices usually mean more expensive petrol and higher heating costs. Businesses feel it too. Companies that... Read more...
UK Energy Bills Look Set To Rise Again.
Apple just got a reminder that even the most valuable company on earth is not immune to a cold market. Recent data shows iPhone sales slowing in China, which is a problem because China is Apple’s most important market outside the United States. When Chinese consumers ease up on iPhones, Wall Street listens. The biggest pressure is coming from home grown rivals. Huawei has staged a serious comeback with new devices that match Apple on performance and often beat it on price. Add in a wave of strong mid range... Read more...
Apple feels the chill in China.
Apple just got a reminder that even the most valuable company on earth is not immune to a cold market. Recent data shows iPhone sales slowing in China, which is a problem because China is Apple’s most important market outside the United States. When Chinese consumers ease up on iPhones, Wall Street listens. The biggest pressure is coming from home grown rivals. Huawei has staged a serious comeback with new devices that match Apple on performance and often beat it on price. Add in a wave of strong mid range... Read more...
Tesla Slows Down While The Competition Speeds Up.
Tesla just hit a familiar speed bump, and this time it is not a pothole on a California test track. The company’s latest delivery numbers came in softer than expected, and investors are starting to realise that the electric car crown is no longer guaranteed. Tesla is still the loudest name in the electric vehicle world, but the rest of the market is catching up and in some cases overtaking it. Chinese car makers are the main threat. Companies like BYD and Xiaomi are flooding the market with well priced... Read more...
Google Gets Another Knock on the Door From Washington.
Google just got fresh attention from the United States Justice Department, and unfortunately for Google, it is not the friendly kind. Regulators are tightening their grip on the company’s advertising technology business, which is still the money printing engine behind the entire Alphabet empire. The government’s view is simple. Google controls the tools advertisers use, the marketplace where ads are bought, and the spaces where those ads eventually appear. That makes Google the referee, the coach and the star striker all at once, which is a fun position for Google... Read more...
Shipping Costs Are Climbing Again and Your Wallet Might Notice
Global shipping prices are on the move again, and unfortunately they are moving in the wrong direction. After a brief period of calm, container costs are rising as major Asian ports get congested, ships are forced to reroute around conflict zones, and carriers quietly push up rates while demand is steady. The result is a supply chain that feels a little too familiar to the chaos of the past few years. Why should anyone who has never stepped on a cargo ship care. Because shipping is one of those invisible... Read more...
TikTok Shop Hits One Billion and Retailers Are Nervous
TikTok Shop has sailed past the one billion pound mark in the United Kingdom, and it did it with the same energy it uses to make a random lip balm sell out nationwide. What began as a place for dances, rants and oddly satisfying videos is now a full blown shopping engine, and younger shoppers are treating it like the new Amazon with better lighting. The secret is simple. TikTok shows you a product, convinces you that life without it is pointless, and lets you buy it before your brain... Read more...
Putin meets with Trump's team.
Vladimir Putin didn’t meet Donald Trump directly this week, but he did sit down with members of Trump’s transition circle — a move that instantly sparked speculation about a potential thaw in U.S.–Russia relations. The talks were described as “introductory,” but the timing matters. With global energy markets still sensitive and geopolitical tensions at their peak, even a hint of dialogue sent analysts buzzing. Oil prices briefly cooled, and traders began gaming out what a Trump administration could mean for sanctions, NATO strategy, and future Russia–U.S. cooperation. No policy shifts... Read more...
Is there an AI bubble ?
Artificial intelligence is having its moment — and by “moment,” we mean the kind of global, frothy excitement usually reserved for royal weddings and new iPhones. Nvidia can’t make chips fast enough, Microsoft is sprinkling AI into every corner of its empire, and investors are stampeding toward anything that looks vaguely machine-learning-ish. Markets love a good theme, and AI is the theme. But lately, some grown-ups in the room have started clearing their throats. The Bank of England, IMF, OECD, and even Jamie Dimon (Wall Street’s unofficial dad) have warned... Read more...
The Autumn Budget 2025
Freezing income tax thresholds The freeze on income tax thresholds will continue into 2030, meaning more UK workers will be pulled into higher tax brackets as wages rise with inflation. Estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of people will pay more tax overall, reducing real take-home pay even when gross salaries increase. Retail gets a breather, but large stores may yet pay more The Budget reduces business rates for more than 750,000 small and medium-sized retail, hospitality and leisure businesses — a welcome boost for high-street shops battling inflation and slower... Read more...