The scope and scale of the climate crisis’ impact on the world economy. How miscalculation risks escalation in the Middle East. Russia’s secret foreign 'policy’ plan to undermine US global dominance and re-align the balance of power. Do longer lives inevitably include difficult last years? What’s behind senior execs' new obsession with weights? [...]
Unlike in the past, technological innovation, our era’s engine of progress, risks provoking cultural and political regress. Will Europe’s economy surprise its naysayers in 2024? How the big tech giants are breaking the rules in their desperate quest for (our) digital data. What is causing cancer in today’s young? Could co-operation rather than competition be the secret to survival?[...]
The race is on between green technology and political backlash. Protopias outlining a hopeful future. How to build cyber resistance. How to reap the benefits of exercise for our brains. One author's view from the deck of the biggest cruise ship ever to sail.[...]
Why a global trade backlash is brewing against China. The increasing clout of the ‘middle powers’. A Nobel economics laureate rethinks economics. Why our digital tools sometimes create more problems than they solve. Figuring out why we age.[...]
Geo-economic fragmentation does impact firms’ financial results. Connected and cheap weapons could pose an existential threat to the sophisticated US defence system. How to give away a fortune. Frictionless payments make it too easy to spend too much. MAGA conspiracists - crazy but dangerous and potentially decisive.[...]
The impact of dramatically falling birthrates - almost everywhere. What could the de-dollarisation of the global economy look like? A new Iran might be coming into view - but what will it look like? How milk has entered the culture wars. Why memory is more about now than then.[...]
US Stock-Market disconnect. The Middle East power vacuum. ‘Last-chance' tourism. Dishabituate to learn to enjoy again. The benefits of not-so ’small’ talk.[...]
How to close the green investment gap. Don’t bank on interest rates cuts yet. Giving nature a market value is the only way to protect it. The rich and very personal stories now up for grabs thanks to the ad tech ecosystem. How to become a 'supercommunicator’.[...]
Ukraine under attack from the ‘weak man’. How the Jevons Paradox impacts the green transition. How AI is turbocharging chipmaking. Spring clean to avoid bureaucratic creep. The dangers of doom scrolling.[...]
Can today's US productivity good news story become a permanent narrative? Why today’s chaotic times can be likened to a ’neo-medieval’ era. The story of Palantir and AI in Ukraine on the battle field and well beyond. The story of small and smart states. The incredible tale of MrBeast.[...]
Why Europe should prepare itself for a Trump presidency. Europe is in better shape than many think. An argument in favour of the ’nanny state’. The invisible, unregulated march of AI into our everyday lives. How to avoid slipping into a doom spiral. [...]
China leading the way on clean energy transition. Israel in paralysis. The potency of pessimism. Why conspiracy theories are so convincing. Why character often trumps capacity on the path to success. [...]
Demographics and the global economy. 5 takeaways from Davos on the outlook for global finance. Speculation over the US election results is already impacting global geopolitics. How the benefits (individual and societal) of reconnecting with nature transcend all barriers. Why the Vail Mountain economic formular might prevail in ski resorts across the globe. [...]
Why ‘recency' bias is skewing the 2024 global economic outlook. Why November’s election will be a test of US democracy. 7 things on the horizon for 2024. Why change doesn’t have to be rapid to be radical. Death in Davos - the plot thickens. [...]
The US vs itself tops the list of risks for 2024. The global economy is at risk of a wasted decade. How Google has homogenised capital-C Content. Ten technological breakthroughs for 2024. Death in Davos - a thriller with a message[...]
The global economy is not out of the woods yet. Some 2024 predictions to focus the mind. History is back with a vengeance. But it isn’t all bad news - good things are happening too. How to stress less this year [...]
Bill Gates is optimistic about our AI charged future. France’s secret bureaucracy ‘bonus’. Putin’s boycott bonanza. Preserve the existing forests rather than planting new ones. Good giving boosts happiness. [...]
10 climate science insights for laypeople. Ukraine’s future hangs in the balance. Why 2023 was a very bad year for tech startups. The duality dogging Europe's politics, and its future. The Nordstream pipeline sabotage - a spy story. [...]
Water and the high price of bad economics. Industrial policy: what it is and how it works. How Singapore could bridge the growing gap between China and the West. Tom Whitwell’s learnt-in-2023 list. How food can help us in the battle against cancer. [...]
The miracle cure that is nature. Israel-Hamas conflict ‘explained’. A Trump dictatorship is not dystopian fiction - it's a very real possibility. Our attention is being perpetually ‘fracked’ and traded - we must give the young the tools to resist. The power of little steps to achieve greater joy. [...]
A decline in attention for Ukraine offers an opening to Putin. To avoid the worst, the US must have an entirely new vision for the Middle East. Why the super-rich should spurn selfishness. Where the global talent is going, and why. Today’s definition of wellness is shifting. [...]
Far too much of the global economy is still going in the wrong direction in terms of net zero. We are in an era of global geopolitical reckoning. Why retirement is being pensioned-off. What price our attention? And whose is it to sell? Be inclusive not exclusive with your invitations. [...]
It’s a green economy or nothing. Why primary deficits must come down. The global plusses and minuses of the EV revolution. Troubling psychological and societal traits inherent in all elites. Oh yes we do! Oh no we don’t! Free will: do we have it or not? [...]
To safeguard the positive face of globalisation, build better walls, but don’t forget the bridges. Today’s polycrisis is a reality. A day in our life, with AI. Bridgewater Associates’ best kept investment secret - perhaps there isn’t one. For optimal thinking and even ‘overthinking’ it’s vital to know when to stop.[...]
What will Israel do next and why? Why an ageing demographic may not be so dire after all. Why many Americans think that there is a real risk of violence at next year’s election. Why focus on employees can boost a company’s performance. Why being a good listener matters so much. [...]
Three possible scenarios for the Israel-Hamas conflict. De-risking’s impact on global geopolitics. A five-day office week is now a thing of the past. The weathering effects of stress on our health and longevity. Can nature help take the ‘forever’ out of forever chemicals? [...]
The corrosive power of populism - a caveat for all democracies. The one true law of history - that of unintended consequences. The key questions we should be asking today about the consequences of AGI tomorrow. Capitalist democracy needs to serve a broader demographic. How past utopias can provide a vision for the future. [...]
AI will matter ‘a lot’ for the economy. Only a carbon price can deliver net-zero. Don’t underestimate political turbulence - it's today’s reality. Social media as we know it is fissuring. By harnessing the power of neuroplasticity we can make meaningful and lasting brain changes ourselves. QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Nobody really knows how big an [...]
The now-ended conflict in Nagorno Karabakh could shift to Armenia itself. Why the negative impact on potential output of climate change will always exceed that of transitioning to net-zero. A global windfall levy on petrostates could relatively painlessly raise the trillions needed for mitigation and adaptation in the fight against a climate disaster. The ‘price’ of potentially living forever. [...]
The global economy is re-aligning under the influence of geopolitics. Domestic populist backlash is putting further pressure on globalisation. That global population will peak in 2060’s or 70’s is almost a given, its implications are less clear. Revelations from within the world of management consulting. “Lies, damned lies and statistics.” (Mark Twain) [...]
Geopolitics, not anti-globalization, is the real threat to the global economy. US decline doesn’t have to end in its fall. Let’s be realistic about generative AI’s economic impact. Generosity is more widespread than often assumed and the assumption that opposites attract seems to be a fallacy too [...]
The world is fragmenting and we’re not ready. At the risk of banging on - why walking in nature is the perfect antidote to today’s ills. How AI is transforming the way we do science. More on the Adani saga. Happiness boils down to the quality of our social connections [...]
Has Xi the political will to fix China’s faltering economy? Can eco-thrillers make a difference? How far can AI go in pushing the boundaries of fraud? The staggering economic impact of the public’s current craving to go out and enjoy. Why weak ties really matter [...]
The ubiquitous challenge of AI and how to meet it. The worsening fate of democracy in Africa. The impact of AI on the future of work. What’s happening at Goldman Sachs? The now indisputable link between food and inflammation [...]
Big oil is not investing in energy transition - or at least not enough. Putin’s chaotic war in Ukraine has led to dangerous domestic chaos. A précis of just how valuable nature is. Insights into the future of cities. Re-discovery of circadian rhythms [...]
Why sun, sea and sand are no longer a safe summer bet. The inner workings of Wagner and Prigozhin’s attempted putsch. Climate, AI and nukes - a trio of rising existential risks we are now simultaneously facing. But when you can, choose not to multi-task - it never works. Instead choose to do agreeable things, scientifically recognised to re-grow [...]
Is today's China set to be the Japan of 1990? If green growth is the future, what will it look like? When fear of the climate crisis becomes adaptation. Why AI & social media searches for the perfect vacation end up ruining things for everyone. Time is zero-sum, don’t forget this when doing your meeting schedule [...]
China’s charm offensive in the Global South. The shifting pieces of the world's demographic puzzle. The next big risks. Explaining the addictive nature of ultra-processed foods and what we can do to resist it. The dangerous, super meditative, low-adreline underwater world of deep diving [...]
Adapting to climate change doesn’t make it go away. Reduced fossil fuel extraction will entail negative economic impact, particularly for low-income countries. New China-US communication and co-operation, albeit very limited, is better than nothing. Google’s coming regenerative AI search tool will turn our searches into a ‘doom loop’. A brief video on the huge existential question: are we alone? [...]
The greater the climate crisis becomes, so too the support for populist policies. How 17th century history helps understand what’s happening today in Russia and beyond. As today's social networks decline and perish what will come next? When less can be more, the art of compression [...]
Resolve and realism are needed now to respond to the challenges facing the global economy. The Wagner mutiny has narrowed Putin’s options. AI and SEO demands are exerting a lowest common denominator effect on internet content. The time bomb of real estate debt is already ticking. The science of food is far from exact [...]
Is China readier for a disorderly world than the US? It depends who you ask. Can AI spur growth without greater unemployment? Some think so. Whose to blame for the ongoing trend of the workforce quitting their jobs? Maybe the managers. Are our brains tricking us into believing everything has got worse? Looks like it. “Manners maketh man” - [...]
Globally there is less inequality, but locally that’s not how it feels. To counter this, 'we should pay more tax’ say the Patriotic Millionaires in the US. AI could save the world. Tea pickers in Kenya don’t agree. There are some rules, but no one-size-fits-all, regarding how much is enough in terms of socialising
Understanding the source of so much global economic and financial uncertainty. Understanding what the ‘non Western world’ really thinks about the West. Understanding the true purpose of Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Understanding why carbon capture isn’t ‘a free lunch’. Understanding why it really is great to be grateful [...]
Earth is in the ‘danger zone’ but it need not be terminal, it depends on us. In a Trump second term unpredictability will be the only given. Carbon credit discredited. Why so many of us got hooked on ‘Succession’. The unprecedented damage smartphones are doing to our relationships [...]
China will not soften its stance on international loans unless the IMF and World Bank do too. New AI tools are poised to change human behaviour. How far should the regulators go to protect our children on line? A guide to the benefits and costs of nature-based solutions in pursuit of climate resilience. Just what is alcohol doing to [...]
Why AI has probably reached the point of no return. Why fairness must be part of the decarbonizing process. Why geopolitical ‘swing states’ like India are likely to play a determining role in the new world order. Why eating beans makes nutritional and ecological sense. Why it's proving difficult for employers to get everyone back into the office. [...]
Natural capital isn’t free, it’s priceless and yet it's the source of most industries’ profitability. Capitalism needs to change fundamentally to meet today’s challenges - not everyone agrees. How considering probabilities and a metaphorical yellow note pad can help decision-making. First streaming, now AI - the impact of tech. on Tinsel Town. How flavour altering epigenics could recast the brussel [...]
The time to invest in AI control and safety is now. Opinions remain confused on the global economic outlook and whether China can replace the US. A prominent VC now behind the curve. How to future proof our jobs against AI [...]
Why innovators are almost always strategic copiers. Central banks and the macro-economics of climate change. What China might do to prop up Putin, and why. The potential perils of AI’s increasing capacity to code for itself. The joy to be gleaned for self by being kind to others [...]
