The latest swings in global oil prices show just how fragile the international energy market has become as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to collide with attempts at diplomacy. Although peace negotiations are still taking place behind the scenes through Gulf mediators, military action has once again returned to the centre of events after the United States carried out strikes against Iranian-linked targets near the Strait of Hormuz.
What if the national debt is not a burden at all? What if it is simply the nation’s savings? Any sensible analysis shows that this so-called debt is no such thing: it's just a massive savings bank operation. That sounds like a contradiction, but it is not.
Concerns about whether financial markets are reaching a peak and moving toward a crash are resurfacing again, particularly as valuations remain elevated in parts of global equities and interest rates have reset after a long period of cheap money. But the UK picture is more nuanced than a simple “bubble or bust” narrative.
Donald Trump has made the biggest mistake in provoking a war with Iran. Steve Keen has been proved correct on many aspects of economy for many years.
Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has now pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the Scottish National Party over a period stretching from 2010 to 2023. The case was part of the long-running Police Scotland investigation known as “Operation Branchform.” How much money was involved? Originally prosecutors alleged about: £459,046 had been embezzled.
Oil prices are under threat. Food supplies are becoming more fragile.
Farmers in Scotland’s pig industry are facing a combination of financial, processing, disease-control and market pressures, and farming organisations are now openly calling for help and intervention from the Scottish Government. There is currently an over supply of pig meat in Europe affecting prices.
The World Bank report State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2025/2026 says carbon trading and carbon taxes are becoming a major part of the global economy. Governments are increasingly using them both to cut emissions and raise money.
The main reason oil prices appear to have dropped today is growing market optimism that tensions between the United States and Iran may ease, reducing fears of a prolonged disruption to Middle East oil supplies. The question is whether the current talks lead to a solid agreement.
A lot of people ask exactly that question, and on the surface it seems logical. If one company is cheapest, why not simply have the government publish the answer and let everyone switch automatically?.
The IWSR (International Wine and Spirits Research) has been consistently reporting a structural slowdown in global alcohol consumption growth, but it’s not a simple story of “everyone drinking less”. It’s more about how, what, and why people drink changing.
U.S. consumer confidence is dropping because Americans are being hit by persistent high prices, geopolitical shocks, tariffs, and a sense that inflation never really went away even though official inflation rates have cooled.
That pattern actually shows up quite consistently in retail downturns, and it comes down to a mix of psychology, affordability, and product type. Health and beauty products tend to behave more like “everyday essentials with emotional value” than discretionary luxury items.
The UK Government’s latest report on retirement saving delivers a blunt message: millions of people are not saving enough for later life. It’s not a political point, nor a technical quirk of the pension system it’s a reality check.
UK and Australia agree deeper ties to tackle AI risks. The UK and Australia agree deeper ties to tackle AI risks, with new partnership between the UK AI Security Institute and the Australian AI Safety Institute.
The World Bank Group’s fertilizer price index rose more than 12 percent in 2026Q1 (q/q), marking its sixth increase in seven quarters. By April 2026, the index had reached its highest level since October 2022, driven mainly by export disruptions related to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Lena Petrova discusses the inflated valuations of many private equity companies. Will Private Equity shrink back and the cracks about to explode.
The number of children living in the private rented sector (PRS) has almost tripled over the last quarter century, from 1.1 million children in 2000-01 to 3.2 million in 2024-25. As a result, children are now more likely than working-age adults to live in the PRS (23 per cent compared to 22 per cent) as it increasingly becomes a permanent tenure for many young families, the Resolution Foundation said on Saturday 23 May 2026.
The UK and Norway are now taking quite different strategic approaches to the North Sea even though both still need oil and gas. Norway has decided that fossil fuels remain central to its economy and Europe’s energy security for decades ahead.
There is now fairly strong evidence behind the widely discussed prediction that the UK energy price cap could rise by around 13% from 1 July 2026. The main source is energy consultancy Cornwall Insight, whose forecasts are closely watched because they model Ofgem’s actual pricing formula.