It is one of the most tantalising – and entertaining – puzzles in art, stretching from the Louvre to the Loire via, well, Norfolk. And our critic thinks he has just worked it out Increased security after the recent heist has made the queues at the Louvre even slower, yet on this rainswept, very wintry morning, no one grumbles. After all, the Mona Lisa is waiting inside for all these tourists who h...
It is one of the most tantalising – and entertaining – puzzles in art, stretching from the Louvre to the Loire via, well, Norfolk. And our critic thinks he has just worked it out Increased security after the recent heist has made the queues at the Louvre even slower, yet on this rainswept, very wintry morning, no one grumbles. After all, the Mona Lisa is waiting inside for all these tourists who have come from the world over. Leonardo da Vinci’s woman – swathed in dark cloth and silk, smiling enigmatically as she sits in front of a landscape of rocks, road and water – draws crowds like no other painting. But if the Mona Lisa can attract such attention fully clothed, what would the queues be like if she was nude? Strangely, this is not just amusing speculation – because in 18th-century Britain, she was. An engraving issued by a publisher called John Boydell gave libertine Georgians the opportunity to hang “Joconda” in their boudoir. It must have been popular because many copies survive. This Mona Lisa sits in a chair with her hands crossed in front of a fading view of distant rock formations. And, like the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, she smiles enigmatically. But there is one key difference. She is naked from the waist up . Continue reading...
My friend and former colleague László Czabán, who has died suddenly aged 62, was a senior lecturer at the University of Manchester’s Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS). An intellectual of the first rank and a dedicated scholar and teacher, he arrived from Hungary in 1993 to take a post at Manchester. I and a colleague, Richard Whitley, recruited him to work with us – at the then Manchester...
My friend and former colleague László Czabán, who has died suddenly aged 62, was a senior lecturer at the University of Manchester’s Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS). An intellectual of the first rank and a dedicated scholar and teacher, he arrived from Hungary in 1993 to take a post at Manchester. I and a colleague, Richard Whitley, recruited him to work with us – at the then Manchester Business School – on a research project on economic transformation in post-socialist Hungary. Working with him was an extraordinary intellectual and social experience. Among other things, it rapidly became clear that he was no “mere” economist: rather, his knowledge ranged across the social sciences and embraced philosophy and the humanities more generally. Continue reading...
In early trading on Friday, shares of Insmed topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 4.9%. Year to date, Insmed registers a 2.6% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Strategy, trading dow
In early trading on Friday, shares of Insmed topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 4.9%. Year to date, Insmed registers a 2.6% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Strategy, trading dow
US consumer sentiment climbed to 54 from 52.9 in December, according to the University of Michigan, on slightly more upbeat views about the economy as tariff concerns fade. Michael McKee reports on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)
US consumer sentiment climbed to 54 from 52.9 in December, according to the University of Michigan, on slightly more upbeat views about the economy as tariff concerns fade. Michael McKee reports on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)
GM Cuts EV Exposure After Policy Shift, Takes $6B Charge Imagine all of the malinvestment that took place in autos, on EVs, thank to the government distorting markets and forcing EV adoption when genuine demand may not have been robust. Now, we're seeing the consequences of returning to a freer market. General Motors will record a $6 billion charge after scaling back several electric-vehicle proje...
GM Cuts EV Exposure After Policy Shift, Takes $6B Charge Imagine all of the malinvestment that took place in autos, on EVs, thank to the government distorting markets and forcing EV adoption when genuine demand may not have been robust. Now, we're seeing the consequences of returning to a freer market. General Motors will record a $6 billion charge after scaling back several electric-vehicle projects, reflecting both weaker demand and the impact of new federal policies under President Donald Trump, according to Reuters . Most of the charge — $4.2 billion in cash — stems from terminating contracts and compensating suppliers that had prepared for higher EV production. GM said the charge will appear as a special item in its fourth-quarter earnings. Additional costs are expected in 2026 but will be smaller than the current year’s EV-related charges. Despite the pullback, the company said its U.S. lineup of about a dozen EVs remains intact: “We plan to continue to make these models available to consumers.” GM’s announcement follows Ford’s much larger move in December, when it revealed a $19.5 billion writedown after canceling several EV programs. Ford CEO Jim Farley said at the time: “When the market really changed over the last couple of months, that was really the impetus for us to make the call.” Automakers across the industry began retreating from aggressive EV expansion last summer after a sweeping Trump tax and spending package and the elimination on September 30 of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, which triggered a sharp drop in sales. GM’s EV deliveries fell 43% in the fourth quarter, after customers had rushed purchases before the credit expired. Reuters writes that while GM once pledged to phase out gasoline vehicles by 2035, analysts have since lowered long-term EV forecasts. GM CEO Mary Barra has said the company will adjust based on customer demand. The company has already slowed EV operations: halting battery production at two joint-venture plants, cutting...
In early trading on Friday, shares of Vistra topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 13.5%. Year to date, Vistra registers a 5.9% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Qualcomm, trading
In early trading on Friday, shares of Vistra topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 13.5%. Year to date, Vistra registers a 5.9% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Qualcomm, trading