In his latest display of fealty before Donald Trump, US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent described the president’s U-turns over tariffs as a deliberate act in creating “strategic uncertainty”. According to Bessent, certainty is over-rated and waywardness brings leverage to negotiations that will generate the best trade deals for the US. This confident talk reminded me … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Is it all over for the movement that liked to describe itself as the “world’s most successful political party”? History cautions against writing obituaries for the Conservatives whose longevity is founded upon an uncanny talent for … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Professional investors are slowly waking up to the realisation that, quite by accident, they have become enormously overexposed to the US, and they’re not sure of the way back. For as long as anyone who … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Much is being said about who holds the cards in this or that conflict. Throughout April I was sustained by the illusion that I hold cards in gardening’s underlying tussle. I hold none. Mother Nature, … Read more
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world A few months ago, Kemi Badenoch, 45, commended JD Vance for “dropping some truth bombs”. What possesses an aspiring UK prime minister to speak like a teenage YouTube provocateur in a Texas basement? … Read more
Saving for retirement is a largely hands-off experience for UK workers. Auto enrolment nudged millions into workplace pensions — undeniably a great thing, though most still aren’t paying in enough. But they never have to make an active investment choice, as their contributions are automatically swept into their provider’s default fund. As workers get older, … Read more
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world The writer is an FT contributing editor, chair of the Centre for Liberal Strategies, Sofia, and fellow at IWM Vienna In his recent book, The Tragic Mind, American strategist Robert Kaplan observes that “while an understanding of world … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. In the famed Capital Asset Pricing Model, which looks at what returns investors should expect for the risks they take, a key input is the “market” return. Snag is, there used to be no figure … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. There is one inescapable message from this week’s elections in England. Reform UK is now a real threat to the political order. Nigel Farage has the most valuable commodity in politics — momentum. There’s always … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Depending on who you ask, US consumers are either buckling under pressure or doing just fine. At McDonald’s, even $5 value meals have struggled to tempt customers into the stores. The fast-food giant reported a … Read more