Western automakers are increasingly looking toward defence production as governments expand military spending and civilian vehicle demand becomes harder to rely on. Ford, General Motors and Jaguar Land Rover are among the companies pursuing military opportunities, while other manufacturers and suppliers are exploring whether underused factories can be sold or adapted for defence production. The…
The latest meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping demonstrated the value of direct engagement between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies, but it also exposed the limits of summit diplomacy. The visit produced a warmer atmosphere, an extension of the trade truce and several commitments to continue discussions, yet the most difficult…
Artificial intelligence has become one of the defining investment themes of the global equity market, but gaining exposure to that theme is more complicated than simply buying a broad technology or emerging-market fund. The composition of an index can determine which countries, companies and industries an investor actually owns, and that can leave significant parts…
American consumers are continuing to spend on leisure even as the cost of having fun rises. Spending on hobbies increased 7.9% year over year in August, according to card data, while transaction growth was considerably slower. That gap suggests that consumers are not simply buying more hobbies; they are also paying more for them. The…
The balance between professional investors and individual traders is shifting again in the US stock market. Retail investors played an unusually visible role during the market’s earlier phase of post-pandemic trading, but their share of trading activity has recently declined while institutional participation has become more prominent. The change does not mean individual investors have…
The artificial intelligence boom is increasingly becoming a test of financial markets as much as a test of technology. The companies building data centres, buying advanced chips and expanding computing capacity require enormous amounts of capital, and a meaningful portion of that capital is being raised through debt. That model becomes more complicated when bond…
Europe’s car market is undergoing a change that is becoming increasingly visible in sales data. New EU car registrations increased 5.3% in the first eight months of 2026, even as petrol and diesel demand fell sharply. The expansion is being supported by electrified vehicles, with battery-electric cars reaching 21.7% of the market, plug-in hybrids reaching…
Meta’s latest legal setback in New Mexico is significant not simply because of the size of the potential penalty, but because of the issue at the centre of the case: what a technology company tells consumers about how their personal information is handled. A jury found that Facebook made false or misleading statements about data…
China’s electric vehicle industry is shifting the competition from battery range toward charging time as automakers try to make electric vehicles behave more like conventional cars at the refuelling station. The latest push is toward charging most of a battery in less than ten minutes, with Geely, BYD, Li Auto and other companies developing increasingly…
The latest United Nations diplomatic week demonstrated how international diplomacy is increasingly operating through narrow openings rather than major settlements. World leaders gathered in New York amid conflicts involving Iran and Ukraine, deep disagreements over the role of the United Nations and growing concern about artificial intelligence. Yet the most tangible developments came through limited…
