Author Archives
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Diesel Prices Threaten to Keep European Inflation Elevated
The European Central Bank’s concern about diesel prices reflects a broader problem with energy shocks: fuel inflation can spread through an economy much faster than policymakers can respond to it. ECB Vice-President Boris Vujcic has warned that oil prices have… Read More ›
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AI Fraud Exposes the Weakest Link in Banking Security
The theft of approximately 95 million euros from Fideuram, the private banking arm of Intesa Sanpaolo, demonstrates how artificial intelligence is changing financial fraud from a problem of forged documents into a problem of manufactured trust. Fraudsters reportedly impersonated senior… Read More ›
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India Uses Captive Coal Plants to Strengthen Power Supply
India’s decision to direct more than 100 captive coal-fired power plants to operate at maximum capacity reflects a growing challenge in the country’s electricity system: demand is increasing at a time when conventional fuel supplies are already under pressure. The… Read More ›
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Europe’s Energy Crisis Is Turning Demand Into a Policy Tool
Europe’s latest energy warning reflects a shift in the nature of the continent’s energy problem. The European Union is not currently describing an immediate physical shortage of gas and electricity, but it is facing a combination of high prices, disrupted… Read More ›
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Phillips 66 Uses AI to Turn Refinery Reliability Into Profit
Phillips 66 is using artificial intelligence to predict potential equipment outages inside its refining operations, with the aim of reducing maintenance costs and keeping plants operating for longer. The company says greater system availability allows it to process more crude… Read More ›
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AI Is Turning Snack Choice Into a Personalised Search Problem
Artificial intelligence is beginning to influence how some American consumers discover food, and Conagra Brands sees the change as particularly relevant to the rapidly evolving snack market. The company’s research found growing interest in higher-protein foods, bold flavours and products… Read More ›
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Volkswagen’s Excess Capacity Forces a Deeper Restructuring
Volkswagen’s restructuring is moving into a more difficult phase because the company must now translate a broad turnaround strategy into decisions about factories, workers, markets and products. The central problem is not simply the size of its workforce. It is… Read More ›
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Global Shocks Push IMF Toward Fewer, Deeper Loan Reforms
The International Monetary Fund is moving toward a more selective approach to the reforms attached to its lending programmes, reflecting a basic problem exposed by the shocks of recent years: countries receiving financial assistance cannot always implement long lists of… Read More ›
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Iran’s Seven-Day Offer Links Hormuz Reopening to Nuclear Talks
Iran has put a precise seven-day timetable at the heart of its latest diplomatic proposal to the United States, offering to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart comprehensive nuclear negotiations if Washington accepts its conditions. The importance of the… Read More ›
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Rapid Rate Rises Expose Banking and Debt Risks Hidden by Cheap Money
The most important warning from a sharp rise in US Treasury yields is not necessarily that borrowing costs have reached an unusually high level. It is that markets, companies and financial institutions can struggle when rates move upward faster than… Read More ›
