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Merryn Somerset Webb

@merrynsw.bsky.social
238 followers 22 following 42 posts

Editor at Large, Bloomberg Wealth

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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Rising yields might not be about fiscal crisis. Maybe it's AI crowding out. Maybe it's oil prices, say the debt deniers. BUT rising yields will themselves cause fiscal crisis. Look at interest/GDP ratios and start worrying. www.bloomberg.com/authors/AOfC...
bloomberg.com
Merryn Somerset Webb | Bloomberg
Merryn Somerset Webb is UK Money editor-at-large, covering personal finance and investment, and host of the Merryn Talks Money podcast. Previously, she was editor-in-chief of MoneyWeek.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Slowing down scary AI also slows the path to the rev/profits driving valuations. The new story doesn't help the old. Add in rising costs of energy/credit/ success of SLMs..and you sure you want all that AI exposure? Plus why CEOs need to love panopticons. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Using Killer Robots to Get a Regulatory Moat for AI
Tech leaders aren’t worried about killing you. They have something more prosaic in mind.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
What if SMLs (small language models) do 80% of what LLMs can do. And you don't the data centres you are borrowing into rising bond yields to build? Not ideal.. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Don’t Count on AI Spending to Pay Off
The revenue growth that makes bond yields at 5%-plus a nothingburger? It might not happen.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
The land value tax (LVT) is the perfect tax. BUT only if it is the only tax in town. Here's a piece I wrote for the FT years ago explaining how it works, why it works in theory, why its definitely coming.. and why it won't work in real life www.ft.com/content/392c...
ft.com
How a levy based on location values could be the perfect tax
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
It is nearly August. So it is nearly time for @edfringe... which means you need to get your tickets for our fabulous fringe show. Talk economics, politics and investing with us - and be part of our live podcast recording at the same time... www.edfringe.com/tickets/what...
edfringe.com
Wheelchair Access, Wheelchair Accessible Toilets
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
The UK government has made the UK a pretty unattractive place to invest. It also really wants you to invest here. Don't want to? Too bad. Soon you will have to (pension mandating, Brit Isa etc). Maybe lean in.. and buy before the (forced) crowd. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
A fun podcast with @laurence_hulse. You asked for small cap stock chat. You've got it. Lots on stock selection, the tools he uses to outperform (so far) and for those of you interested in my non work life.. some chat about fishing. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...
podcasts.apple.com
This Hated Corner of the Stock Market Is Yielding Big Returns
Podcast Episode · Merryn Talks Money · 15 June · 39min
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
A good one! Carson Block on why in an age of AI you should worry about your job. But way more than that you should worry about other people's jobs. Unemployment will slash flows into retirement funds and hence into ETFs. Result? A GFC style market crash. Nasty. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...
podcasts.apple.com
Carson Block: AI Could Trigger the Next Financial Crisis
Podcast Episode · Merryn Talks Money · 22 June · 43min
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
The original white paper for Bitcoin described it as a “peer-to-peer version of electronic cash." That's it. No mention of an investment/inflation hedge/new asset class. So if we value it on those terms (as cash), what's it worth? Spoiler: almost nothing. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Bitcoin and Its Promises Are Showing Their Age
Looking at the current numbers, things don’t look so good for the digital asset.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Want to avoid inheritance tax? We discuss the 4 best options. 1) Spend everything. 2) Deathbed marriage 3) Move to Costa Rica 4) Insurance. The latter may be the most simple.. details (and prices!) here... podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...
podcasts.apple.com
Inheritance Tax Is Catching More People — Here's How to Fight Back
Podcast Episode · Merryn Talks Money · 3 June · 24min
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Back to 1969? We've got high valuations, unusual concentration, big IPOs coming, not much breadth and inflation. Or is it different this time because earnings are just so amazing? Spoiler: they were pretty good in 1968 too... www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
We need more shareholder perks. Make physical AGMS with full lunch and wine compulsory. More discounts and gifts. Maybe even annual freebie lotteries. Make equity ownership feel real (and fun.. ). open.spotify.com/episode/3QWf...
open.spotify.com
Free Booze to Real Power: Why Shareholder Perks Matter
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Value investing. Back or not back? Best long term strategy or not? Look at the performance of Temple Bar and you will see it is most definitely back for Ian Lance (Temple Bar). Standout performance - and really interesting chat on the portfolio. open.spotify.com/episode/0rkA...
open.spotify.com
Cheap, Unloved, Profitable: The Case for Value Investing Today?
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Using AI makes you stupid. We know that. But what if it makes companies stupid too? Stop hiring at entry level and you lose your foundational knowledge base. Sugar high from cost cutting but also... long term disaster. Long term investors: take note. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Why Investors Should Be Wary of AI Job Cutters
Short-term savings will do long-term damage to companies that give in to termination temptation.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
The UK has the same unpleasant economic problems as everywhere else (just a bit worse). It also has a slew of its own home grown ones (shockingly awful policy choice related). And then there is the housing market... www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Why British Homeowners Have It Worse Than Most
The UK has a lot of the same economic problems as everyone else, only more so.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Everything is equity risk these days. Private equity, private credit..even gilts. The financial industry will promise you escape.. via diversification. Don't fall for it... www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Why Everything in Markets Is Becoming Equity Risk
It’s hard to escape these days, but there are still a few strategies.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
The AI podcast you have been waiting for. I trailed it last week. 1.6m X impressions. So here it is. Why LLMs might be a false start and data centre capex the biggest misallocation of capital EVER. Free to listen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZUD...
youtube.com
Why You Should Wait Out AI’s Super-Spending False Start | Merryn Talks Money
YouTube video by Bloomberg Podcasts
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Everything is equity risk these days. Private equity, private credit..even gilts. The financial industry will promise you escape.. via diversification. Don't fall for it... www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Why Everything in Markets Is Becoming Equity Risk
It’s hard to escape these days, but there are still a few strategies.
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Reposted by Merryn Somerset Webb
Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
What if the whole LLM thing is a false start? If the flaws are inherent systemic problems - if the compounding of hallucinations/errors can't be sorted out? If the capex build out is one of the biggest misallocations of capital ever? Then what? www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Why You Should Wait Out AI’s Super-Spending False Start
Given the flaws of a build, build, build-business model, hyperscalers may be the wrong place for your money right now.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Would you pay for/rely on a calculator that was accurate 97% of the time? No? So why would you pay for/rely on publicly available LLMs? Maybe the whole AI/data centre thing is a false start... www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Current iterations of AI need 2 things from us, compute and data. We can mostly give it the first (at a price) but not the second (there isn;t enough). Worse it can't give us what we need from it - accuracy. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Why You Should Wait Out AI’s Super-Spending False Start
Given the flaws of a build, build, build-business model, hyperscalers may be the wrong place for your money right now.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
What if the whole LLM thing is a false start? If the flaws are inherent systemic problems - if the compounding of hallucinations/errors can't be sorted out? If the capex build out is one of the biggest misallocations of capital ever? Then what? www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Why You Should Wait Out AI’s Super-Spending False Start
Given the flaws of a build, build, build-business model, hyperscalers may be the wrong place for your money right now.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
What's up with gold? How much commodity exposure does a portfolio really need? Is it too later to buy energy.. and what about silver? open.spotify.com/episode/5jMY...
open.spotify.com
Why Investors Are Rotating Into Commodities with BlackRock's Evy Hambro
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Will AI make you happy? It's possible. But right now it looks like it means mass unemployment - which in turns means a hideous expansion of welfare and hence the size of the redistributing state. That will make no one happy. So what's the point? www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Why AI May Cause More Grief Than It’s Worth
Its fans predict a brave new world, but the economic reality might be significantly darker.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Crises do not emerge from abundance. They come from scarcity. And that is what we have - across our new world. The UK has created a scarcity of energy, land, workers, capital and defence. Hence our not very well managed decline - and coming crisis. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
The World Is Getting a Grim Reminder on Scarcity
Crises do not emerge from abundance. In just one week, the Iran war has revealed just how close the cliff’s edge may be.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
The word is moving at speed. From a period of cheap capital driven perceived abundance. To one of genuine scarcity. Best get used to it... and invest accordingly www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
The World Is Getting a Grim Reminder on Scarcity
Crises do not emerge from abundance. In just one week, the Iran war has revealed just how close the cliff’s edge may be.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Why there isn't enough of anything anymore (particularly energy..). Why not to bother with private credit. Why your kids need to learn to shear sheep and the comical inconsistency of AI. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
The World Is Getting a Grim Reminder on Scarcity
Crises do not emerge from abundance. In just one week, the Iran war has revealed just how close the cliff’s edge may be.
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Reposted by Merryn Somerset Webb
Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
All a bit confusing isn't it? Come and help us make sense of it all with a live pod recording. 17/3 5pm Markets/oil prices/inflation/interest rates/gold. Special guest Sebastian Lyon of Personal Assets fame. Plus you'll get a drink... www.bloombergevents.com/event/Merryn...
bloombergevents.com
Home - Merryn Talks Money — Live: Where Markets Meet Your Money
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
All a bit confusing isn't it? Come and help us make sense of it all with a live pod recording. 17/3 5pm Markets/oil prices/inflation/interest rates/gold. Special guest Sebastian Lyon of Personal Assets fame. Plus you'll get a drink... www.bloombergevents.com/event/Merryn...
bloombergevents.com
Home - Merryn Talks Money — Live: Where Markets Meet Your Money
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
The change: you will pay a lot less for hope.. and an awful lot more to avoid despair.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Why there isn't enough of anything anymore (particularly energy..). Why not to bother with private credit. Why your kids need to learn to shear sheep and the comical inconsistency of AI. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
The World Is Getting a Grim Reminder on Scarcity
Crises do not emerge from abundance. In just one week, the Iran war has revealed just how close the cliff’s edge may be.
001
Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
The word is moving at speed. From a period of cheap capital driven perceived abundance. To one of genuine scarcity. Best get used to it... and invest accordingly www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
The World Is Getting a Grim Reminder on Scarcity
Crises do not emerge from abundance. In just one week, the Iran war has revealed just how close the cliff’s edge may be.
001
Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Crises do not emerge from abundance. They come from scarcity. And that is what we have - across our new world. The UK has created a scarcity of energy, land, workers, capital and defence. Hence our not very well managed decline - and coming crisis. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
The World Is Getting a Grim Reminder on Scarcity
Crises do not emerge from abundance. In just one week, the Iran war has revealed just how close the cliff’s edge may be.
001
Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
The bad news at Unite, the fast building student loan row, the shift from AI phoria to AI phobia. These seemingly unconnected bits and bobs.. they are all about the same thing: a change in the price we are prepared to pay for hope. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Forget YOLO or Even FOMO. It’s All HALO Now
Heavy asset, low obsolescence is the coin of the realm in markets slowly being consumed by AI.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
The great rotation out of the US into pretty much anywhere else continues. You'll have some EM, Japan, EU etc. Maybe you are brave enough to have some UK small caps. But have you any of the ETFs that give you exposure to Africa? Thought not. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Why the Next Great Rotation Is to Africa
The continent is nearing the population density Asia had when it started seeing “miracle” levels of growth.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Super majority for Takaichi. Nikkei up 4%. As I said, Japan ight not be most economists idea of normal.. but it is very investable.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
We are losing our chemicals factories very fast (in large part due to the high price of energy). This matters HUGEly to food, medical and industrial security - but also to our ability to defend ourselves. No chemical industry. No explosives. New pod with @edconway www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX12...
youtube.com
The 'Boring' Industries the UK Can’t Afford to Lose | Merryn Talks Money
YouTube video by Bloomberg Podcasts
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Know how depopulation will destroy economies? Japan's young don't see it. They are earning and spending more than ever - and more than the 50+ lot. They are optimistic - and sure that AI/robots will sort worker shortages. Maybe falling populations are OK. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
How Japan Arrived at an Economic Crossroads
No other modern economy has seen deflation over such a lengthy period.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
There's much talk of the normalising of Japan - inflation maybe heading for stability in the 2% range and rates heading to global levels. But how can any of this be normal? Japan's population has been falling for over a decade and that changes everything. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
How Japan Arrived at an Economic Crossroads
No other modern economy has seen deflation over such a lengthy period.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Hair and make up alert. Videoed interview with Jeremy Grantham. The AI bubble, why the small cap premium is nonsense, how he made his many millions, the important thing he did not put in the book (but told me..) and why your kids should be farmers www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-hL...
youtube.com
GMO's Jeremy Grantham Sees an AI Bubble — and a Familiar Ending
YouTube video by Bloomberg Podcasts
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Buying private is all the rage. But how easy is it.. what if you wanted to hold an actual share in, say, OpenAI, all of your own. Could you get one? I gave it a go.. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
That Time I Tried to Buy OpenAI
Could a retail investor buy a single share of the privately held company? The assignment was alluring. It also revealed a few important lessons.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Mini documentary from Bloomberg Originals. Where have all the IPOs gone, will they come back... and what if they don't? www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Where Have All the London IPOs Gone?
On this mini-documentary from Bloomberg Originals, we explore the reasons for a storied stock market’s retreat and what it’s doing to turn things around.
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
You want to see IPOs in the UK.. and the return of the retail investor to the UK market? Stop making it complicated.. and just make the market go up (via pension and ISA nationalism). Money attracts money.. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Savage Pessimism Aside, UK Markets Have Reason to Hope
For me, it’s been a week of chatting about the miseries of UK equities. First, I filmed a bit on the subject of the collapsing initial public offerings market. And it’s been quite some collapse: Betwe...
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Levy Institute @levyecon.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Listen to Senior Scholar James K. Galbraith on the @bloomberg.com podcast Merryn Talks Money to discuss his new book Entropy Economics. @merrynsw.bsky.social www.levyinstitute.org/news_items/s...
levyinstitute.org
Scholar James K. Galbraith for Bloomberg: “Why Economists Are Looking at Economics All Wrong”
Senior Scholar James K. Galbraith appeared on the Bloomberg podcast Merryn Talks Money to discuss his new book Entropy Economics. This interview was recorded before the market chaos of the last week. ...
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katrina-power.bsky.social @katrina-power.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Hay Castle's Weekend of Mistakes📈21-23 March A thought-provoking deep dive into financial booms, busts, bubbles, scandals and lessons for today with Felix Martin, @davidmcwecon.bsky.social, @merrynsw.bsky.social, Daniela Barone Soares, @izakaminska.bsky.social & many more. Tickets bit.ly/41MTTp6
bit.ly
Financial Event | Economics, Investment, and Financial History
The Weekend of Mistakes is a unique annual event reflecting on economics, investment, and financial history, and the valuable lessons they hold for us. Held at Hay Castle in Hay-on-Wye, it is set agai...
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katrina-power.bsky.social @katrina-power.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Hay Castle's Weekend of Mistakes📈21-23 March A thought-provoking deep dive into financial booms, busts, bubbles, scandals and lessons for today with Felix Martin, @davidmcwecon.bsky.social, @merrynsw.bsky.social, Daniela Barone Soares, @izakaminska.bsky.social & many more. Tickets bit.ly/41MTTp6
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
file:///var/mobile/tmp/com.apple.email.maild/EMContentRepresentation/com.apple.mobilemail/005B314B-4131-4B04-BAF4-8A80E6DBAE49/WoM2%20Single%20Ticket%20Asset%207.jpg
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Merryn Somerset Webb @merrynsw.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
We went to Dubai. We did our Adam Smith show (usually only on at the Ed Fest) to a brilliant live audience with super good guests. And here, for you, is the result! Trump, tariffs, too much tax and time to sell tech. Plus useful tips on how to be an influencer. open.spotify.com/episode/4fkB...
open.spotify.com
What Would Adam Smith Think of Donald Trump?
Merryn Talks Money · Episode
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 15/12/2024
A total of 88 companies have delisted or transferred their primary listing from London’s main market this year with only 18 taking their place, according to the London Stock Exchange Group. on.ft.com/4giUWBY
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 18/11/2024
Germany and Finland ‘deeply concerned’ about severed undersea cable www.ft.com/content/a160dccd-a946-42…
ft.com
Germany and Finland ‘deeply concerned’ about severed undersea cable
Foreign ministers do not rule out sabotage as part of Russia’s ‘hybrid warfare’
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