Big Tech credit risks rise sharply as AI spending soars

Investors are increasingly concerned over rush of borrowing to fund huge investments in data centres

Ares Management has held talks to buy Leonard Green & Partners

Deal between LA groups would dramatically expand size of Ares’ private equity business

Energy & Climate

Kuwait's government has signed a $16 billion crude oil pipeline deal with North American private equity firms Blackstone, Brookfield Asset Management, and KKR.

The growing jitters over hyperscaler debt

Among investors, there is a small but growing concern that the tech giants may have bitten off more than they can chew.

Oil falls 8% as Iran and US pause strikes over Strait of Hormuz

Brent lower after two weeks of escalating violence had pushed crude to more than $100 a barrel

Beware the shimmer of holographic markets

Tokenized securities are mirror images of the real thing but pose new risks

The New Premium Product: Books Written by People

Some publishers think AI could not only help authors but replace them

The cash homebuyer is no longer king

In the UK’s slow market, those with a mortgage or who are in a chain have a hunger that can give them the edge

Why economic surveys have lost their relevance

Distorted by partisan passion and rising inequality, they are a reflection of popular frustrations — not overall growth

The sacred Kenyan hill sitting on a rare-earth stockpile

Tug of war between US, Chinese and Australian companies for east African deposit threatens to overrun lush homeland

Unionized workers are bargaining with the bots

Collective bargaining can preserve jobs, pay and worker input as AI spreads.

Why wages and productivity look set to diverge further

AI and a falling labour share of GDP risk accelerating decoupling trends across the rich world