CMA also looks into Pasta Evangelists, funeral operator Dignity and review company Feefo in latest crackdown The UK competition watchdog has launched investigations into five companies including Autotrader and Just Eat over concerns they have not done enough to tackle fake and misleading online reviews. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which has previously investigated the tech compani...
CMA also looks into Pasta Evangelists, funeral operator Dignity and review company Feefo in latest crackdown The UK competition watchdog has launched investigations into five companies including Autotrader and Just Eat over concerns they have not done enough to tackle fake and misleading online reviews. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which has previously investigated the tech companies Amazon and Google, said its latest crackdown includes the funeral services operator Dignity, the review company Feefo and the restaurant chain Pasta Evangelists. Continue reading...
The Bank of Japan’s new estimate for the neutral rate of interest, a key indicator showing how much room authorities have to lift rates, was little changed from a previous projection, and therefore won’t likely prompt economists to alter their views on the policy trajectory. In a report released Friday, the BOJ estimated the range for the figure to be between minus 0.9% and plus 0.5%. The previous...
The Bank of Japan’s new estimate for the neutral rate of interest, a key indicator showing how much room authorities have to lift rates, was little changed from a previous projection, and therefore won’t likely prompt economists to alter their views on the policy trajectory. In a report released Friday, the BOJ estimated the range for the figure to be between minus 0.9% and plus 0.5%. The previous estimate ranged from minus 1% to 0.5%. “As it was before, the estimates display considerable dispersion,” the BOJ said. “The bank — similarly to the approach taken by central banks in the United States and Europe — needs to make a comprehensive judgment” to gauge the degree of monetary accommodation, it said. The natural rate is the inflation-adjusted theoretical level for the policy rate that would keep an economy in balance, neither stimulating growth beyond the potential growth rate nor restricting it. Considering the BOJ’s inflation target is 2%, the recalculation means that the nominal neutral rate range would be 1.1% to 2.5%. The recalculation of the rate, which Governor Kazuo Ueda flagged last week, was a highly anticipated event for some BOJ watchers as they continue to estimate how high the BOJ’s board might take the benchmark rate from the current 0.75%. There was some speculation the new estimate might telegraph a higher terminal rate for the current cycle. However, in the event, the small degree of change renders the announcement a virtual non-event. At the same time, the BOJ also noted that compared with previous estimates, many components used in the calculation had been rising moderately due to a higher potential growth rate and cooling demand for haven assets. “It is critical to examine a wide range of indicators related to financial conditions, which can be considered to serve as a transmission channel of monetary policy to the real economy,” the BOJ said in the report. “These include funding costs, the availability of funds, asset prices, and funding volu...
Listen to Odd Lots on Apple Podcasts Listen to Odd Lots on Spotify Watch Odd Lots on YouTube Subscribe to the newsletter Ripple effects from the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to widen. Now there's yet another brewing shortage, this time in helium. While most people associate helium with balloons and funny voices, the element is used in a surprisingly wide variety of ...
Listen to Odd Lots on Apple Podcasts Listen to Odd Lots on Spotify Watch Odd Lots on YouTube Subscribe to the newsletter Ripple effects from the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to widen. Now there's yet another brewing shortage, this time in helium. While most people associate helium with balloons and funny voices, the element is used in a surprisingly wide variety of industrial settings, including semiconductor production, where its role in advanced lithography has been growing rapidly. But helium mining and exploration in North America has been practically non-existent for a variety of reasons. And while the US used to have a strategic helium reserve, the government started selling that down in the late 1990s. On this episode, we speak with Nicholas Snyder, the founder and CEO of North American Helium, which does helium mining in Canada. We discuss the properties of helium that make it so useful, as well as the difficulties of expanding global production and distribution.
In Mexico and Spain, leaders who have capped public costs have been rewarded at the ballot box. As another cost of living surge arrives, it may be a policy our leaders are unable to resist Politicians are not supposed to meddle with prices. Even though much of politics is about whether voters can afford things – especially in an era of recurring inflationary shocks – ever since the collapse of the...
In Mexico and Spain, leaders who have capped public costs have been rewarded at the ballot box. As another cost of living surge arrives, it may be a policy our leaders are unable to resist Politicians are not supposed to meddle with prices. Even though much of politics is about whether voters can afford things – especially in an era of recurring inflationary shocks – ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union’s planned economy four decades ago, the orthodoxy across much of the world has been that only markets should decide what things cost. As the hugely influential Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek argued, in a complex modern society, information is too dispersed among potential sellers and buyers of goods or services for government to make informed and correct decisions about the prices of those goods. Hence, his disciples say, the inefficiency of state-run economies, from post-colonial Africa to the eastern bloc. Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
(Nonesuch) Imaginative interpretations of Funkadelic and Frank Ocean sit alongside starry collaborations and gorgeous instrumentals on the bassist’s brassy side project While some rock musicians fill the boredom of long tours with nefarious activities, bassist Flea spent Red Hot Chili Peppers ’ global jaunt of 2022-24 practising the trumpet, an instrument he first played as a child before funky ro...
(Nonesuch) Imaginative interpretations of Funkadelic and Frank Ocean sit alongside starry collaborations and gorgeous instrumentals on the bassist’s brassy side project While some rock musicians fill the boredom of long tours with nefarious activities, bassist Flea spent Red Hot Chili Peppers ’ global jaunt of 2022-24 practising the trumpet, an instrument he first played as a child before funky rock pulled him away. Now, the 63-year-old’s daily routine and open spirit has produced his own deeply meditative and groovy jazz odyssey. Named after a family member, Honora brings together a star-studded cast of peers and LA jazz and experimental luminaries for 10 tracks spanning Flea-penned instrumentals, chanted mantras and imaginative reinterpretations. The bassist doubles as narrator for spirited track A Plea , a yelled call for sanity (“Live for peace! Live for love!”) amid global madness and takes his trumpet to Eddie Hazel’s famous guitar solo on a beautifully plaintive remodel of Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain. Continue reading...
The US legend declined a $25,000 offer from shoe firm Clarks to meet the cream of England’s juniors The nine-round Reykjavik Open, which began on Wednesday afternoon at the Harpa Conference Centre and which continued with two rounds on Thursday, is an iconic event. It was first played as an all-play-all in 1964, when Mikhail Tal won, and is close to the Hotel Reykjavik Natura, formerly the Hotel L...
The US legend declined a $25,000 offer from shoe firm Clarks to meet the cream of England’s juniors The nine-round Reykjavik Open, which began on Wednesday afternoon at the Harpa Conference Centre and which continued with two rounds on Thursday, is an iconic event. It was first played as an all-play-all in 1964, when Mikhail Tal won, and is close to the Hotel Reykjavik Natura, formerly the Hotel Loftleidir, which featured prominently in the epic Bobby Fischer v Boris Spassky match of 1972. The top seed in the capacity entry of 422 players is Iran’s Amin Tabatabaei, the only 2700-rated player in the field, with Romania’s Bogdan-Daniel Deac (2655) next, and the veteran Ukrainian Vasyl Ivanchuk (2624) the fourth seed. Continue reading...
Former England captain seeks inspiration from the pioneering Kevin Pietersen as he heads a 12-strong contingent of compatriots in 2026’s tournament “I will always be grateful for what the IPL gave me,” Kevin Pietersen tells Jos Buttler. “ It gave me a lot of controversy, I earned a lot of money, but it also saved my career because I made trusting relationships that I was able to call upon to give ...
Former England captain seeks inspiration from the pioneering Kevin Pietersen as he heads a 12-strong contingent of compatriots in 2026’s tournament “I will always be grateful for what the IPL gave me,” Kevin Pietersen tells Jos Buttler. “ It gave me a lot of controversy, I earned a lot of money, but it also saved my career because I made trusting relationships that I was able to call upon to give longevity to my career.” The conversation is on Buttler’s podcast, For The Love Of Cricket, released on Tuesday, with the pair hailing their experiences of playing in the Indian Premier League. (For the love of content, they also discuss Pietersen’s new career as a YouTuber.) The 45-year-old was there in the early years, rebelling against English cricket’s uneasy relationship with a revolutionary startup , exhilarated to call Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis his teammates. Continue reading...
Gewandhaus Orchestra/Nelsons/Schuen/Zeppenfeld (Deutsche Grammophon) The Latvian conductor finds dynamic light and shade in seven discs’ worth of special performances with an orchestra once led by the composer himself Andris Nelsons’ tenure may have been prematurely terminated in Boston , but this handsome box set with his other ensemble, the venerable Gewandhaus Orchestra, is proof positive of th...
Gewandhaus Orchestra/Nelsons/Schuen/Zeppenfeld (Deutsche Grammophon) The Latvian conductor finds dynamic light and shade in seven discs’ worth of special performances with an orchestra once led by the composer himself Andris Nelsons’ tenure may have been prematurely terminated in Boston , but this handsome box set with his other ensemble, the venerable Gewandhaus Orchestra, is proof positive of the Latvian conductor’s prodigious talent. Of course, Mendelssohn is in the orchestra’s DNA – after all, the composer held the reins in Leipzig from 1835 until his death in 1847 – but these performances, especially of the five symphonies, are pretty special. Recorded live between 2021 and 2024, tempi are brisk, though never rushed. It’s the phrasing, elastic and full of dynamic light and shade, that brings these accounts to life. Listen to the ultra-lithe opening movement of the Italian Symphony, or the filigree woodwind in the Scottish Symphony’s scherzo. In Nelsons’ hands, the First Symphony – often the Cinderella of the set – takes its place alongside its more colourful cousins. Continue reading...
Ripple effects from the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to widen. There’s yet another brewing shortage, this time in helium. While most people associate helium with balloons and funny voices, the element is used in a surprisingly wide variety of industrial settings, including semiconductor production, where its role in advanced lithography has been growing rapidly. But...
Ripple effects from the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to widen. There’s yet another brewing shortage, this time in helium. While most people associate helium with balloons and funny voices, the element is used in a surprisingly wide variety of industrial settings, including semiconductor production, where its role in advanced lithography has been growing rapidly. But helium mining and exploration in North America has been practically non-existent for a variety of r
Spanish inflation jumped to its highest level since June 2024 due to the Iran war, supporting the case for the European Central Bank to raise interest rates. Consumer prices rose 3.3% from a year earlier in March, data Friday showed. That’s up from 2.5% in February but short of the 3.8% median estimate in a survey of economists. The surge was driven by costlier fuel, statistics agency INE said. So...
Spanish inflation jumped to its highest level since June 2024 due to the Iran war, supporting the case for the European Central Bank to raise interest rates. Consumer prices rose 3.3% from a year earlier in March, data Friday showed. That’s up from 2.5% in February but short of the 3.8% median estimate in a survey of economists. The surge was driven by costlier fuel, statistics agency INE said. Soaring energy prices brought on by the conflict in the Middle East are stoking fears of an inflation spike like the one that struck four years ago. Traders see the ECB stepping in and some officials are already pondering a hike in borrowing costs at next month’s meeting. President Christine Lagarde , however, said this week that she and her colleagues won’t act without sufficient information on the size and persistence of the shock. Spain is the first major euro-area economy to report price data for this month, with the 21 nation bloc itself only releasing its reading on March 31. The latest ECB outlook envisages prices will rise 2.6% this year, surpassing the 2% target. New forecasts later Friday from the Bank of Spain are likely to revise up previous projections for domestic inflation of 2.1% in 2026 and 1.9% in 2027. “The situation is very uncertain and highly volatile, and what we must do is continue assessing a wide range of information,” Governor Jose Luis Escriva said last week. The government is acting already, rolling out a €5 billion package of tax cuts and subsidies that focus on transport, agriculture and electricity bills. “This is an absolute disaster,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told lawmakers Wednesday. “Every bomb that falls in the Middle East ends up hitting — and we are already seeing it — our families’ pockets.” ECB Won’t Be ‘Paralyzed by Hesitation’ on Iran, Lagarde Says Nagel Says ECB Can React Quickly on Inflation Risks If Needed EU Leaders Face Multi-Year Energy Squeeze After Qatar Attack
Rena Effendi’s film Searching for Satyrus began with a quest for the endangered insect that bears her family name. Before long, she was reckoning with secrets, lies and the mysterious life of her wayward dad High in the Caucasus mountains, the photojournalist Rena Effendi is searching for the butterfly that bears the name of the father she hardly knew. It is rocky, bleak, beautiful – and impossibl...
Rena Effendi’s film Searching for Satyrus began with a quest for the endangered insect that bears her family name. Before long, she was reckoning with secrets, lies and the mysterious life of her wayward dad High in the Caucasus mountains, the photojournalist Rena Effendi is searching for the butterfly that bears the name of the father she hardly knew. It is rocky, bleak, beautiful – and impossible. The grass is fried yellow by the increasingly fierce summer sun, the butterfly’s food has been grazed by sheep and, if it exists at all, Satyrus effendi usually flies only as a single insect across a square kilometre of rock, scree and slope. A butterfly hunt makes an unlikely subject for a prize-winning documentary, but Searching for Satyrus is a gripping quest that reveals a remarkable part of the world little known to western audiences while examining issues from war and nationalism to global heating and extinction. Ultimately, however, Effendi’s search for her father’s butterfly becomes a moving reckoning with the secrets and lies in her family and the life of her wayward father. Continue reading...
It has not been a great year so far for financial stocks, with the sector down about 10% year to date. Consumer finance stocks, which include many fintechs, are some of the worst performers, dragging down the sector with a decline of 21% year to date. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
It has not been a great year so far for financial stocks, with the sector down about 10% year to date. Consumer finance stocks, which include many fintechs, are some of the worst performers, dragging down the sector with a decline of 21% year to date. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
CPB stock has tumbled over the last several years as shifting consumer habits, strong competition from upstarts, and other headwinds have dented its earnings outlook.
CPB stock has tumbled over the last several years as shifting consumer habits, strong competition from upstarts, and other headwinds have dented its earnings outlook.
BWX Technologies is a top supplier of nuclear technologies, components, and fuel that has soared to all-time highs. It is primed to be a long-term winner in the nuclear-heavy AI energy trade, with added exposure to U.S. defense spending.
BWX Technologies is a top supplier of nuclear technologies, components, and fuel that has soared to all-time highs. It is primed to be a long-term winner in the nuclear-heavy AI energy trade, with added exposure to U.S. defense spending.
BWX Technologies is a top supplier of nuclear technologies, components, and fuel that has soared to all-time highs. It is primed to be a long-term winner in the nuclear-heavy AI energy trade, with added exposure to U.S. defense spending.
BWX Technologies is a top supplier of nuclear technologies, components, and fuel that has soared to all-time highs. It is primed to be a long-term winner in the nuclear-heavy AI energy trade, with added exposure to U.S. defense spending.