Rates Spark: Bonds Losing Their Edge as a Hedge
Bonds are losing their appeal as a hedge against equities as correlations between German Bunds and stock indices hit record highs, while long‑end inflation expectations remain anchored. Front‑end rates are volatile amid lingering Middle East tensions, but the longer end shows no sign of a risk‑off shift. The upcoming Fed confirmation hearing for Kevin Warsh could clarify the central bank’s plan to shrink its bond balance sheet, adding further pressure on term premiums. Meanwhile, the UK and Germany are issuing sizable sovereign debt, increasing supply in a market where bonds are already under strain.
You Don’t Have an AI Problem, You Have a Skills Problem
Artificial intelligence has moved from experiment to everyday tool, with 61% of UK organisations now allowing employees to use generative AI at work. Yet productivity gains are falling short—research shows firms are missing roughly 40% of the potential upside because...
WhatsApp Tests Paid Tier for the First Time Globally
Meta has begun testing WhatsApp Plus, a paid subscription offering custom themes, extra pinned chats and organization tools for Android beta users, while keeping core messaging free. The rollout signals Meta’s shift toward subscription revenue, especially relevant in African markets...
Podcast Avatar Essentials: Who Do You Think You’re Talking To!?
Podcast creators are urged to build a detailed “avatar”—a fictional ideal listener—to focus content and marketing. The article defines the avatar, illustrates its impact with a True Crime case study showing women dominate the audience and discover shows via social...
ONS Latest | Unemployment Falls Unexpectedly but Wage Growth Slows in Fragile Labour Market
The UK Office for National Statistics reported unemployment fell to 4.9% in February, marking the first decline after months of rise. At the same time, regular pay growth slowed to 3.6% year‑on‑year and total pay to 3.8%, the weakest pace...
Aluminium Recyclers Push for Duty Cut as Supply Tightens Globally
India imports 85% of its aluminium scrap and faces a 2.5% customs duty that raises costs for downstream users. Geopolitical tensions and the EU’s planned export curbs have tightened global scrap supplies, prompting the Material Recycling Association of India to...
Keep Britain Working | TfL Joins Government Review to Tackle Sickness Absence
Transport for London (TfL) has joined the government‑backed Keep Britain Working Review to address its high sickness absence rates. A 2025 report shows a 6.3% overall sickness rate, equating to roughly 418,885 lost workdays, with long‑term illness responsible for the...
The Deliverability Tax: Why Your Messages Are Disappearing
Marketers are seeing engagement drop not because of creative flaws but due to a growing "deliverability tax" that limits message visibility. MoEngage’s analysis of 40 billion messages shows behavior‑based pushes achieve 93% delivery versus 81% for generic broadcasts, with conversion rates...
Asia’s Largest Oil Buyers Running Low on Hormuz Alternatives
Asia’s biggest oil importers—including China, India, Japan and South Korea—have relied on a patchwork of alternative routes and supplies for more than seven weeks of war in the Persian Gulf, which has threatened the strategic Strait of Hormuz. These workarounds,...
Selfridges Raises Shop Floor Pay by 6%
Selfridges announced a minimum‑wage increase to £13.45 per hour nationwide and £14.80 in London, effective 1 April 2026 – roughly $17.10 and $18.80 in U.S. dollars. The move follows a wave of retail pay hikes, with John Lewis up 6.9%, Marks & Spencer 6.4%, Tesco...
Report: With EUDR Delayed, Beef Imports From Brazil’s Amazon Climb Higher
Earthsight reports EU beef imports from Brazil’s Amazon jumped from €142 million (≈$155 million) in 2024 to €238 million (≈$260 million) in 2025, all sourced from Mato Grosso, Brazil’s second‑largest deforestation hotspot. The surge follows a doubling of EU‑authorized slaughterhouses in the region. The EU...
Crest Nicholson in Talks with Lenders as Market Tanks
UK housebuilder Crest Nicholson has entered discussions with its lenders to obtain temporary relief on banking covenants after issuing a profit warning. The company now expects annual unit sales of 1,400‑1,500 homes, down from its prior 1,550‑1,700 guidance, and land‑sale...
FX Daily: Dollar to Weigh up Warsh
Kevin Warsh’s Senate confirmation hearing is set to dominate U.S. monetary policy headlines, with markets expecting a dovish stance on rates and a hawkish approach to the Fed’s balance‑sheet reduction. A potential Iranian delegation to peace talks in Pakistan is...
After Mecca, Myer’s Beauty Reset Begins
Myer is using the upcoming Mecca exit as a catalyst to rebuild its beauty division, centering the effort on the October 2025 Myer One loyalty relaunch, an exclusive MAC partnership, and a massive product expansion. The loyalty overhaul adds beauty...
Apple Bets New CEO John Ternus Will Bring Back Jobs-Era Decisiveness
Apple announced that Tim Cook will step down as CEO and assume the role of executive chairman, while John Ternus, the longtime head of hardware, will take over as chief executive. The transition was highlighted with a photo of Cook...
HW Martin Tops £300m as Traffic Arm Leads Charge
HW Martin Holdings posted a record £316 million ($401 million) turnover for the year to July 2025, an 18% increase driven largely by its traffic‑management division. However, operating profit slipped to £25 million ($31.8 million) and pre‑tax profit fell to £27 million ($34.3 million), pushing the operating margin...
Geopolitics and FX Cloud Treasury Outlook - Weekly Roundup: 21 April
Treasury teams are feeling heightened pressure from geopolitics, with 88% of respondents expressing moderate to high concern, prompting a defensive shift toward money‑market funds and early AI adoption for cash forecasting. European banks see digital assets as a modest threat,...
Fintech Funding Surges in 2026: From Unicorn Milestones to AI-Powered Infrastructure Bets
Fintech investment rebounded strongly in early 2026, with global venture capital pouring an estimated $45 billion into the sector during the first half of the year. The surge includes multiple unicorn milestones, such as a payments platform crossing the $1 billion valuation...
Eli Lilly to Acquire Kelonia Therapeutics for ~$7B
Eli Lilly announced a definitive agreement to acquire Kelonia Therapeutics for roughly $7 billion in cash, including an upfront payment of $3.25 billion. The deal brings Kelonia’s in‑vivo gene placement system (iGPS0) and its lead candidate, KLN‑1010, a one‑time IV gene therapy that...
Arshdeep Singh Fronts Dual Brand Campaigns for Rotoris and Doctor’s Choice
India’s fast bowler Arshdeep Singh has been tapped as the face of two new IPL 2026 campaigns, representing luxury watch maker Rotoris and nutrition brand Doctor’s Choice. Rotoris positions Singh as “The Rotoris Man,” linking his precision and consistency to...
Southeast Asia Holds the Key to Unlocking Korean Impasse
Inter‑Korean diplomacy remains stalled, prompting Southeast Asian states to step in as mediators. Vietnam, Indonesia and Laos are leveraging historic ties with Pyongyang—Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy,” Laos’s ASEAN chair role, and Indonesia’s restored embassy—to facilitate back‑channel dialogue. Simultaneously, they are deepening...
Major Anti-Piracy Success for LaLiga
Spain’s top‑flight football league LaLiga secured a landmark victory against a massive illegal IPTV network that streamed pirated content to over two million users in 13 countries. The court ordered €12 million in compensation to rights holders and more than €30 million...
China Suddenly Grants New Beef Licences to Australia
China’s customs authority approved eight new Australian beef facilities – six cold‑storage centres and two abattoirs, including Thomas Foods International’s Murray Bridge plant – and upgraded licences for 13 existing exporters to ship chilled beef. The changes effectively add 15...
Why CMO Candidates Should Uncover and Confront Mismatched Expectations
A LinkedIn post revealed a CEO ready to replace a CMO despite the marketer’s recent budget cuts that will only show results in two quarters. The CEO’s premature judgment highlights a common pattern: mismatched expectations between CEOs and senior marketing...
Senior Executive Leadership Program
The Australian Public Administration Association’s Senior Executive Leadership Program is a four‑session intensive for SES Band 1 and equivalent senior public servants. Held on June 10‑11 and June 17‑18, 2026, the course runs at the National Archives of Australia and KPMG’s Canberra office....
Groww Issues Fresh ESOPs Worth Rs 51 Cr Post Q4 Results
Fintech platform Groww issued fresh employee stock options worth about ₹51.3 crore ($6.2 million) on April 20, covering 24.32 lakh shares under its 2024 ESOP scheme. The grant includes 22.68 lakh options at a ₹2 exercise price and 1.64 lakh at ₹173.65, exercisable over ten years....
Beyond Survival, What Palestine’s Resilience Means for Investors
Palestine’s private sector continues operating despite a 2023 economic shock that pushed real GDP to a decade‑low and caused massive job losses. The economy’s resilience is now being seen as an economic capability, not just a humanitarian virtue, as firms...
PopArabia Acquires Viral Wave, Marking A15’s Ninth Exit
Egyptian venture capital firm A15 recorded its ninth exit as PopArabia acquired Viral Wave, a UAE‑based digital music distribution platform founded in 2023 under ARPUPlus. Viral Wave manages a catalog that has generated more than 55 billion streams across major streaming...
Ray Launches in Dubai with $1.2 Million Investment in Hand
Ray, a UAE‑based powerbank‑sharing startup, closed a $1.2 million seed round led by private angels to launch its service in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The company’s portable charging stations let users rent a powerbank and return it at any network location,...
Experience Is Everything – Interview with Jeannie Walters
Jeannie Walters, founder and CEO of Experience Investigators, discusses her new book *Experience Is Everything* on the Punk CX podcast. She argues that customer experience must be proactively designed, anchored to organizational goals, and driven by clear mission statements. Walters stresses...
Playing Safe: Europe’s Fire Safety PE Deal Pipeline Boosted by Revenue Visibility, Regulatory Stability
Europe’s fire‑safety sector is experiencing a surge in private‑equity activity, especially in the lower mid‑market, according to Lincoln International’s Vinod Stalam. Investors are attracted by clearer revenue streams from mandatory compliance work and a stable regulatory environment reinforced by recent...
Semafor’s Ben Smith on Evolving a News Start-Up for the Post-Traffic Era
Ben Smith argues that the era of chasing web traffic is over, so Semafor focuses on high‑quality newsletters and invitation‑only events to build direct audience connections. Its flagship newsletters have attracted over 1 million sign‑ups, while the CEO Signal newsletter targets...
Does Being in the Office More Increase Productivity?
Publicis Groupe has raised its in‑office requirement from three to four days, echoing WPP’s similar mandate and following moves by Apple and Amazon to five‑day office weeks. The Campaign Podcast examines whether additional office time truly boosts productivity in the advertising...
Gallo’s Britt West on Fixing Wine’s Relevance Problem and Recruiting the Next Generation
Chief commercial officer Britt West told the Brave Commerce podcast that wine’s recent sales decline stems more from a failure to recruit new consumers than from health‑related moderation trends. Decades of premiumization delivered short‑term growth but left the category with...
Jio Financial Shares Slip After Q4 Profit Falls 14%; Stock Down 20% YTD
Jio Financial Services posted a Q4 net profit of ₹2.72 billion (≈$33 million), a 14% decline from ₹3.16 billion a year earlier, while operating expenses exploded 188% year‑on‑year. Despite robust growth in its lending book (+35% QoQ to ₹257 billion, ≈$3.1 billion) and a 49%...
AU Protocol on Digital Trade Expected to Boost DPI in Africa: AfCFTA SG
African Union Secretary‑General Wamkele Mene said the newly adopted AU Protocol on Digital Trade could catalyze massive investment in digital public infrastructure (DPI) across the continent. The protocol, backed by eight annexes covering cross‑border payments, data flows, digital identity, fintech, AI...
KRAFTON, Naver Launch Rs 6,000 Cr India-Focused Unicorn Growth Fund
South Korean tech giants Krafton and Naver, together with Mirae Asset Venture Investments, have launched a Rs 6,000 crore (≈ $720 million) India‑focused Unicorn Growth Fund. The fund, announced during the South Korean President’s official visit to India, will be managed by Mirae Asset...
Indian Debt Funds Cut Hedges as Oil Risks Inflate Rate-Hike Bets
Indian debt fund managers, including Bandhan AMC and ICICI Prudential, are unwinding overnight indexed swap (OIS) hedges as soaring oil prices and the Iran conflict push market expectations for higher interest rates. The two‑year swap rate remains near 6%, roughly...
Project Agora Brings Realize to North Africa, Expands Access to AI-Driven Performance Advertising
Project Agora has launched the AI‑driven performance platform Realize across North Africa, covering Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The service taps a network of more than 11,000 premium publishers and offers format‑agnostic ad placements, AI‑optimized bidding and predictive audience models....
Tim Cook Names Successor as He Steps Down as Apple CEO
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced he will step down after a 15‑year tenure, handing the role to hardware chief John Ternus on September 1 while remaining executive chairman. Under Cook, Apple’s market value surged from $350 billion in 2011 to roughly $4 trillion...
Volvo Group Picks Lirmann to Head Mack Trucks
Volvo Group announced Wilson Lirmann will become President of Mack Trucks on August 1, 2026, succeeding long‑time leader Stephen Roy, who is retiring after nearly 25 years. Lirmann arrives from Volvo Trucks Latin America, where he has overseen the brand and regional...
The Forces of Scarcity Hitting Asia May Soon Spread Across the World
The United States and Israel’s war on Iran has triggered a rapid, region‑wide scarcity shock across the Asia‑Pacific. Jet fuel prices have doubled and air traffic has fallen by roughly a third, while manufacturers face fuel‑driven cuts to output, from...
Unknown Knowns: Techboard Dug up Unannounced Startup Investments – and Discovered It’s Potentially the Majority of Funding
Techboard's new report reveals that only about one‑third of Australian startup funding is publicly disclosed, with more than 750 unannounced investments identified. The analysis, based on ASIC share‑issuance filings and internal data, estimates 1,100 startups received external capital in 2025,...
Pepsi Just Banned the S-Word in Its Latest Star-Studded Film
Pepsi has launched the multi‑year “Pepsi football nation” campaign, a global platform that pairs football’s biggest stars with fan‑centric storytelling. The flagship film, featuring David Beckham, Mohamed Salah, Alexia Putellas and others, imagines a fictional nation where supporters set the rules of...
NAB Show 2026: Live Sports Streaming Boom Leaves No Sport Untouched, Even Esports
The live‑sports‑streaming surge that began during the pandemic now covers everything from dirt‑track auto racing to esports, according to a NAB Show panel. World Racing Group streams 80‑90 races a year behind a $300‑annual subscription, using the platform to boost...
What Are HR Teams Missing in Menopause Action Plans?
From April 2026, UK firms with 250+ employees can voluntarily publish menopause action plans, and from spring 2027 the practice becomes mandatory. The legislation forces HR teams to document risk assessments, training and reasonable adjustments, but it does not guarantee...
Middle East CIOs Move From Cloud-First to Sovereign-First in a High-Risk Digital Era
Middle East CIOs are moving from a cloud‑first mindset to a sovereign‑first strategy as geopolitical tension, stricter data and AI regulations, and recent cloud outages expose systemic risk. The shift emphasizes control over data, infrastructure, operations, and artificial intelligence rather...
Databricks Hires SAP’s Simon Davies to Lead APJ
Databricks has appointed former SAP Asia Pacific president Simon Davies as senior vice president and general manager for the APJ region, based in Singapore. Davies brings over 30 years of experience across SAP, Splunk, Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle, Citibank and PwC,...
4 KPIs Supply Chain Leaders Should Prioritize as Tariff Pressures Persist
Tariff volatility remains a daily reality for supply‑chain leaders in 2026, forcing a rethink of traditional performance dashboards. Operators are shifting to decision‑oriented metrics that expose cost exposure and enable proactive action. Amy Dean highlights four priority KPIs: inventory levels...
What Mandarin Oriental Is Seeing in Luxury Travel That Others Are Missing
Mandarin Oriental is shifting its luxury strategy from pure expansion to a brand‑led, guest‑centric model that emphasizes authentic, culturally resonant experiences. The hotel group plans to more than double its portfolio over the next decade, targeting locations such as Mallorca,...