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Retail investors are pouring record amounts into US stocks, potentially giving small traders even greater sway over markets than at the height of the “meme-stock” mania two years ago. Then, an army of bored amateur traders trapped at home during the pandemic drove up the share prices of several small, struggling consumer companies such as

A son of Qatar’s former prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, one of the Gulf state’s richest men, has submitted a bid to take over Premier League club Manchester United. The son, Sheikh Jassim, confirmed his offer for one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious football clubs in a statement

The writer is professor of law at University College London, barrister at 11 KBW and author of ‘East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity’ Four days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, I wrote in this paper on the crime of aggression, introduced into international law during the negotiations of the

The earthquake that has killed more than 40,000 people and brought destruction and misery to Turkey and Syria lasted approximately 75 seconds. The economic, social and political reverberations will last years. As the experiences of countries as diverse as Haiti, Japan and Turkey itself reveal, it is only once the cameras leave and the world’s

It’s not easy being a contrarian. Generally, it is one of the most reliable tricks in the book: when risky markets are euphoric, sell. When they are in the depths of despair, buy. That is always a subjective process. Right now, though, measures of the mood are throwing off so many conflicting signals that this

When Nicola Sturgeon began campaigning for the Scottish National party as a teenager passionately opposed to Margaret Thatcher, support for an independent Scotland was a minority cause. At the time, in 1987, Scotland was still the Labour party’s fiefdom and it returned 50 MPs to Westminster to the SNP’s three. Even staunch opponents concede that

The Chinese balloon that flew over North America and loitered over nuclear missile silos in Montana before it was shot down over the Atlantic inspired a range of emotions among Americans: fear, anger, but also humour. Comedians on Twitter made light of the craft for what to the untrained eye seemed like a lack of

The US military has wrapped up the salvage operation off the coast of South Carolina to retrieve debris from the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down over the Atlantic two weeks ago. US Northern Command, which is responsible for the defending the American homeland, said the mission was concluded on Thursday after the

The writer is a former head of responsible investment at HSBC Asset Management and previous editor of Lex What a time to be a business columnist — and thank goodness I’m not one. Having to ponder what chatbots mean for companies the world over is some ask. Bill Gates calls “generative AI” as important as

Nurses’ leaders in Scotland have recommended their members accept a new pay offer from the government in Edinburgh, in a breakthrough that looks set to spare patients from the strike action that has affected England and Wales for the past two months. Under the proposed deal, NHS workers in Scotland would receive a rise of

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has admonished Germany’s allies for failing to deliver tanks to Ukraine after having spent months urging Berlin to do so. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the German leader who was long criticised for his hesitancy in arming Ukraine, was asked if he was now pushing other nations to provide the heavy

How, as a half-Scot, how do I feel about the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon? I think there’s something admirable about admitting you’ve become an obstacle to the thing you care about most. But I also fear that her exit will do little to quash the relentless quest for division that has become a hallmark of

The writer is a former editor of the Financial Times As a diehard Tottenham Hotspur fan, I’m inured to disappointment. The team I’ve supported for 60 years has seen managers come and go like recent UK prime ministers. Most of the players are not a patch on Jimmy Greaves, Martin Peters and Ossie Ardiles, who

The Russian army is suffering huge losses in Ukraine, shows no sign it has improved its “meat grinder” tactics and is struggling to sustain a stuttering offensive that is “advancing, if at all, in metres not kilometres”, Britain’s defence minister Ben Wallace said. Despite fears that Russia is poised to launch a major attack around

Patrick Odier, scion of one of Switzerland’s most illustrious banking dynasties, has brought me a chocolate cauldron. A lot has changed in Swiss banking during Odier’s 40-year career at his family firm — including, in the past decade or so, a tumultuous if qualified end to its most celebrated quality, unyielding secrecy — but this

The price of European natural gas has fallen below €50 per megawatt hour for the first time in almost 18 months, a landmark moment in the energy crisis as mild weather and ample storage helped temper once runaway prices. European gas prices have fallen as much as 85 per cent from their peak of more

European stocks fell and yields on US Treasuries rose in early trade on Friday as robust economic data and hawkish comments from officials fanned fears that the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates high to combat inflation. The Europe-wide Stoxx 600 was down 1 per cent while Germany’s Dax fell 1.1 per cent. France’s Cac

Good morning. George Parker here, standing in for Stephen while he’s enjoying his holiday. I should have been on hols too, but for the fact that Rishi Sunak flew out to Belfast last night for talks on the Northern Ireland protocol. A deal could be very, very close. Standby. Plus, the strikes get worse and

Football is a simple game. Twenty-two players chase a ball for 90 minutes, and at the end the team with the highest wage bill wins. My version of Gary Lineker’s original line on the inevitability of German victory may be less witty than his, but it captures something of English football’s growing credibility crisis. The

“To prove my innocence, all you have to do is open the constitution and read it.” Standing in the metal cage of a Siberian courtroom, Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko this week closed her trial, triggered by a social media post about the war in Ukraine, by dismissing the entire process as a sham. “What is

I grew up hearing stories of life on the wards. My beloved great-aunt was a nurse in the era when there was camaraderie, heroic doctors, and everyone was scared of matron. No question of contracting out cleaning: you did it yourself, with matron hovering over you to check there wasn’t a smidgen of dust. Tea