Why did gold fail to protect portfolios during the latest market shock? In this episode of Merryn Talks Money, Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Evy Hambro, global head of thematic and sector investing at BlackRock, about the violent moves in gold and silver, the new energy risk premium, and why commodities may be entering a powerful new cycle. They discuss inflation, interest rates, energy securit...
Why did gold fail to protect portfolios during the latest market shock? In this episode of Merryn Talks Money, Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Evy Hambro, global head of thematic and sector investing at BlackRock, about the violent moves in gold and silver, the new energy risk premium, and why commodities may be entering a powerful new cycle. They discuss inflation, interest rates, energy security, mining valuations, AI-driven demand for materials, and why investors may need to rethink how much exposure they have to gold, energy and broader commodity equities. (Source: Bloomberg)
The 34-year-old plumber last month secured the Green party its first byelection victory and a record fifth concurrent MP. She discusses the problem with career politicians – and being screamed at by voters Hannah Spencer presents nothing like a politician – open, frank, friendly, wearing hot-pink joggers. I don’t want to say I’ve never encountered these qualities in an MP, but I’ve never encounter...
The 34-year-old plumber last month secured the Green party its first byelection victory and a record fifth concurrent MP. She discusses the problem with career politicians – and being screamed at by voters Hannah Spencer presents nothing like a politician – open, frank, friendly, wearing hot-pink joggers. I don’t want to say I’ve never encountered these qualities in an MP, but I’ve never encountered them in the same person. Her house tells the story of her recent byelection victory . The path and the hall are filled with mostly empty cardboard boxes that once contained leaflets. When Spencer, 34, won Gorton and Denton in Greater Manchester for the Greens last month, there was a 26% swing from Labour. She won more than 40% of the vote, up 28 percentage points on the party’s performance in the 2024 general election. It was billed as a shock to the political establishment, a seismic blow to Labour (who were knocked into third place) and a reality check for Reform, who had peacocked their certain victory beforehand yet finished a distant second. But it wasn’t that much of a surprise to the Greens. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia actively pursue regressive policies, watchdog finds Governments in five EU member states are “consistently and intentionally” eroding the rule of law, Europe’s leading civil liberties group has warned, while democratic standards are deteriorating in six more, including historically strong democracies. Drawing on evidence from more than 40 N...
Exclusive: Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia actively pursue regressive policies, watchdog finds Governments in five EU member states are “consistently and intentionally” eroding the rule of law, Europe’s leading civil liberties group has warned, while democratic standards are deteriorating in six more, including historically strong democracies. Drawing on evidence from more than 40 NGOs in 22 countries, the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) described the governments of Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia as “dismantlers” that were actively weakening the rule of law. Continue reading...
A huge rise in internet users under the age of 30 has fuelled an increase in online violence against women and girls with devastating real-life effects, activists say Activists and lawyers in Africa are calling for urgent action to protect women, girls and boys as digital violence surges across the continent. A massive rise in internet users, coupled with huge numbers of people aged under 30 , has...
A huge rise in internet users under the age of 30 has fuelled an increase in online violence against women and girls with devastating real-life effects, activists say Activists and lawyers in Africa are calling for urgent action to protect women, girls and boys as digital violence surges across the continent. A massive rise in internet users, coupled with huge numbers of people aged under 30 , has fuelled an increase in gendered online violence across the continent, according to experts, by giving perpetrators new tools to control and silence women and girls, and influence boys. Continue reading...
About 6.4 million Nigerian children are expected to be acutely malnourished by the end of the year, putting impossible pressure on scarce treatment centres Zuwaira Hanafi stood in shock as four doctors rushed past her to enter the ward where her eight-month-old daughter, Hambali, lay semiconscious. At the entrance to the healthcare facility in Kaita community in Nigeria’s northern Katsina state, m...
About 6.4 million Nigerian children are expected to be acutely malnourished by the end of the year, putting impossible pressure on scarce treatment centres Zuwaira Hanafi stood in shock as four doctors rushed past her to enter the ward where her eight-month-old daughter, Hambali, lay semiconscious. At the entrance to the healthcare facility in Kaita community in Nigeria’s northern Katsina state, medical personnel were using colour-coded tape to measure the diameter of children’s arms and determine their levels of malnutrition. A steady stream of mothers, some as young as 15, filtered through with children, many of them, like Hambali, arriving in a critical state. Zuwaira Hanafi watches over eight-month-old Hambali as she is treated for acute malnutrition Continue reading...
The AOR jazzer behind smash hit The Way It Is veered off into the avant garde. But he’s having sudden mainstream acclaim. ‘Well,’ he says as he releases yet another album, ‘it’s nicer than being ignored’ When people tell you they remember exactly where they were when JFK was shot, they don’t often add that the room erupted in cheers and shouts of: “Hooray! Nixon can take over!” Speaking via Zoom f...
The AOR jazzer behind smash hit The Way It Is veered off into the avant garde. But he’s having sudden mainstream acclaim. ‘Well,’ he says as he releases yet another album, ‘it’s nicer than being ignored’ When people tell you they remember exactly where they were when JFK was shot, they don’t often add that the room erupted in cheers and shouts of: “Hooray! Nixon can take over!” Speaking via Zoom from his home in Williamsburg, Virginia, one of the oldest towns in the US, Bruce Hornsby shrugs and says: “Well, that was my experience!” It was the day before his ninth birthday and the whoops of delight came from his classmates, all of which is recalled on an impressionistic track from his new album Indigo Park: “I was really alarmed and confused / Watching the children parroting parents’ views.” Until now, Hornsby has rarely written autobiographical lyrics, so people don’t know all that much about him. His biggest song, The Way It Is, was a piece of social commentary, the product of a liberal upbringing in the segregated south. His aunt campaigned against the likes of Senator Harry F Byrd, who opposed the desegregation of Virginia’s schools in the 1950s. Continue reading...
The president may not be benefiting directly from betting markets, but he has encouraged a culture that treats politics like a casino floor Odd things are happening in the markets. Last Monday, 15 minutes before Donald Trump posted an announcement that “productive talks” with Iran had taken place, oil traders placed half a billion dollars’ worth of bets on the future price of oil. Trump’s statemen...
The president may not be benefiting directly from betting markets, but he has encouraged a culture that treats politics like a casino floor Odd things are happening in the markets. Last Monday, 15 minutes before Donald Trump posted an announcement that “productive talks” with Iran had taken place, oil traders placed half a billion dollars’ worth of bets on the future price of oil. Trump’s statement triggered a drop in crude oil prices, and it seems as if some people knew that the announcement was coming, and so a profitable wager was made. Do not be envious; some people are just born lucky. We do not know if the transactions were made with prior knowledge of political developments, but it’s a hell of a coincidence. It all appears “abnormal for sure”, an oil analyst told the BBC . Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
More than half of roles could be hit and young shop workers in particular could lose out, trade body warns More than half of retail jobs could be affected by reform to guaranteed working hours, making it harder for shops to employ people – particularly young workers – in part-time roles, the industry’s lobby group has warned. From April, the Employment Rights Act will introduce new protections for...
More than half of roles could be hit and young shop workers in particular could lose out, trade body warns More than half of retail jobs could be affected by reform to guaranteed working hours, making it harder for shops to employ people – particularly young workers – in part-time roles, the industry’s lobby group has warned. From April, the Employment Rights Act will introduce new protections for workers on sick pay, sexual harassment, parental leave and trade union recognition. Continue reading...
Thanim Rahman had every reason to smile when his LinkedIn profile picture was taken in September 2025. Wearing his graduation gown, cap and hood, he holds a red-ribboned degree certificate — computer science first class — with the “Open to Work” badge displayed to attract recruiters. Six months, 50 applications and only one interview later, that picture tells a different story: he’s still unemploy...
Thanim Rahman had every reason to smile when his LinkedIn profile picture was taken in September 2025. Wearing his graduation gown, cap and hood, he holds a red-ribboned degree certificate — computer science first class — with the “Open to Work” badge displayed to attract recruiters. Six months, 50 applications and only one interview later, that picture tells a different story: he’s still unemployed. Once a global hub for entry-level jobs, London is now the epicenter of a growing youth joblessness crisis that is threatening to blight the futures of hundreds of thousands of people and fuel a backlash against Prime Minister Keir Starmer ’s Labour government in key municipal elections in just over a month. Young people drawn to the British capital for its rich cultural life and opportunities are finding the junior roles that traditionally launched careers, from marketing to HR traineeships, increasingly hard to find in a labor market upended by artificial intelligence and global turmoil. “When I went into computer science, I was expecting quite a lot of demand for the skills that I worked for,” said Rahman, a graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London. “But then we’re in 2026 now and people are talking about having AI replacing software developers, and it is hard to compete with a technology that makes mistakes, but can be easily fixed by a senior.” The 22-year-old, who lives with his parents in Ilford in east London, described job-hunting as “demoralizing,” noting that it can take weeks for new roles to appear on LinkedIn. The number of graduate roles in London fell from around 13,000 in 2019 to just over 2,000 at the start of 2026, according to Adzuna, a job-search website. Around one in four 16-24 year-olds in the capital are looking for work, the highest proportion in the UK. Young people in other European capitals like Madrid or Paris are faring better. Like developed economies everywhere, AI is reshaping white collar work in Britain. But the problem of youth un...