MoneyWeek

“Great Budgets change history,” said chancellor Jeremy Hunt before his speech. But how many can you remember? The ones that stick in the mind tend to be the ones that went wrong; Kwasi Kwarteng’s inadvertent bombshell, for instance, or George Osborne

South Korea has unveiled reforms designed to close the “Korea discount”, say Jihoon Lee and Ju-min Park for Reuters. Its shares trade at a persistent discount to global averages, with about two-thirds of firms on the Kospi index trading at a price-to

Stockmarkets exist to price assets and efficiently allocate capital, says Nils Pratley in The Guardian. On recent evidence, the UK market is failing to fulfil even that basic function. Bidding wars for logistics business Wincanton and electrical reta

Bitcoin has hit a new all-time high above $69,000, say Joe Tidy and Liv McMahon for the BBC. The notoriously volatile cryptocurrency is up by 42% since the start of the year, surpassing the previous record that has stood since November 2021. The boom

Rishi Sunak has announced a crackdown on extremism in Britain following George Galloway’s landslide win in the Rochdale by-election last Thursday, a result he described as “beyond alarming”. Galloway, the 69-year-old far-left firebrand, who has been

Hunt’s juggling act: Jeremy Hunt (pictured), the chancellor, “didn’t have a lot of space to offer treats for voters”, says Susannah Streeter of Hargreaves Lansdown. Hunt had warned prior to delivering his Spring Budget speech on Wednesday that gloomy

Fears are growing over the slow-motion collapse of Egypt’s economy, and the possible knock-on effects on the Middle East and wider region, including Europe. For decades, Egypt has been a chronic underperformer, with a sclerotic economy dominated by s

noemamag.com Many of us are fearful for our jobs in the wake of the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), says David Autor. A recent Gallup poll found that 75% of US adults believe AI will lead to fewer jobs. But the fear is misplaced. The industria

Defensively positioned funds have been caught out by the surge in equities and the leadership of technology-related mega-caps. Their performance over most time periods looks lacklustre and investors are not inclined to give them much credit for reduc

Last year was one to forget for many UK investors, but 2024 promises to be much brighter. We need only observe the continued wave of takeovers of British stocks that highlight the gulf between the prices investors in the public market are willing to

If a friend or family has passed away in the past couple of years, you are probably all too aware of the problems the delays in the probate process are causing. Probate is the administrative process every estate goes through after someone dies. It in

More than 140,000 small businesses have had their current accounts closed by their banks over the past year, new figures reveal, raising fears that firms may be being mistreated. The data was uncovered by MPs sitting on the Treasury Committee, who la

The UK’s insurance industry is one of its most underappreciated assets. The City of London is home to the world’s largest concentration of insurance companies, which have evolved around the central pillar that is Lloyd’s of London. And while the rest

The world is becoming a more dangerous place. The four “axis of evil” countries – Russia, Iran, North Korea and China – are all behaving more aggressively. Russia has invaded Ukraine; Iran is sponsoring terrorist groups such as Hamas; North Korea is

It’s been a rough few weeks for WeightWatchers, which lost a quarter of its value in a day on news that its leading patron is quitting the board and giving away her remaining stock to charity. Clearly the “Oprah Effect” has lost none of its power to

Like many super-cities, Paris has several large neighbourhoods with distinct personalities. One of the most famous is the Latin Quarter, located on the left bank of the River Seine and covering the 5th and 6th arrondissements. This area has many nota

Gate Farm, Mungrisdale, Penrith. A renovated Grade II-listed village cottage in the Lake District National Park with views over the surrounding fells. It has flagstone and oak floors, beamed ceilings and open fireplaces with wood-burning stoves. 5 be

When rock guitarist Eric Clapton ripped a page out of a book at a cottage in Wales to declare his undying love for Pattie Boyd, the 1960s model, style icon, photographer and – unfortunately for him – wife of his good friend George Harrison, little di

West led a Diamond and declarer beat East’s Queen with the Ace, ruffed a Diamond, and then led a Club. No good – East ruffed, and the defence had to come to two further trump tricks and the King of Clubs. Down one. * Heavy, but his aceless and ten-le

The most important goal, especially for older investors, is to avoid the Big Loss. Here is where we think it may come from: the world of megapolitics, the deeper, hidden forces behind the headlines. Donald Trump has warned Europe that it better pay m