Business Archives

A woman presents to colleagues at a conference table in a modern office

Women chair 30.9% of firms in an ILO survey, yet the pay gap has narrowed two points and firms are cutting equal pay work.

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Employment

Job Satisfaction Hits a Record Low. Is It a Warning?

Job satisfaction in Britain has hit a record low of 74%. Evidence links it to quits and firm performance, but its value as an economic warning is less clear.

Business

Oil Demand Shrinks While Metals Hit Record Prices

The World Bank sees oil demand falling 2.5% in 2026, the third-largest drop on record, as metals used in renewables, EVs and data centres hit records.

An empty open-plan office with rows of desks, chairs and computer monitors and no people

Technology

Delaware Wants Firms Run by AI Agents. Argentina Tried First

Delaware's draft law would let companies be run by AI agents. A House inquiry asks who pays for harm, as Argentina's similar bill stalls.

Pile of British pound, twenty pence and five pence coins on a table

Money

HMRC Is Owed £43.8bn, a Third of Last Year’s Borrowing

HMRC tax debt stands at £43.8bn, a third of last year's borrowing. Nearly half may never be paid, as the Budget weighs new powers over bank accounts.

Rows of white server cabinets in a data centre

Business

Meta Seeks $97.5bn and Anthropic Files for IPO as AI’s Bill Moves to Investors

Meta seeks up to $97.5bn in new shares as its cash flow turns negative, the Anthropic IPO filing shows $16.3bn revenue and Microsoft offers 60,000 exits.

A man, woman and child sitting on a sofa, each looking at a mobile phone

Technology

One Digital Day, 10 Working Days of Privacy Small Print

One ordinary day's privacy small print would take a UK family 83 hours to read, Web3 Foundation finds, as regulators rethink consent.

A large grey electrical transformer with pipes and cables in a power substation

Technology

Grid Queues Now Exceed Peak Demand From Texas to the UK

An IEA report for the G7 finds grid queues exceed peak demand in Texas, Virginia, Finland and the UK, as homes and factories compete with data centres.

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Money

Norway’s $2.3tn Fund Told It Can Own Nuclear Arms Makers

A commission says Norway's $2.3tn sovereign wealth fund should be free to own US, UK and French nuclear arms makers. Its ethics watchdog would lose power.

Technology

China Plans Export Controls on AI and Solar Tech

China's draft export controls cover 23 AI technologies and 12 solar manufacturing processes, from perovskite cells to thin wafers. Comments close 15 November.

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Money

Modellers Told to ‘Manage Down the Numbers’, Insiders Say

Insurance insiders say modellers face pressure to cut climate risk forecasts, and warn withdrawn cover could hit mortgage markets as sub-prime did.

Aisle between rows of server racks in a data centre

Business

AI Spending Lifts World Growth to 3.1%. Just 32 Countries Share 95% of It

The IMF lifted its world growth forecast to 3.1% as AI investment offsets the oil shock. Just 32 countries now supply 95% of global growth.

Money

A Blackout Cut Card Spending 41%. Europe Plans Offline Payments

Every new Mastercard in Europe must support offline card payments from 2027, as central banks and regulators prepare for blackouts and IT outages.

Technology

Ofcom Tests Its Pre-Launch Safety Rule on Meta’s Instagram Instants

Ofcom is investigating whether Meta assessed risks to children before launching Instagram Instants, as US states settle and Washington backs self-policing.