Anxiety

• Global private equity technology M&A transaction volume plummeted by 70% in the first quarter of this year due to widespread anxiety over AI disruption. • Software asset valuations are under significant pressure, and the profit growth threshold required to hit a 2.5x return target has surged from 5% to approximately 12%. • This shift has created a stark divide in the market, where high-quality assets remain viable while older, overpriced assets with uncertain AI prospects are nearly impossible to offload.

• Asian stocks opened with cautious trading on Tuesday, June 2, as geopolitical anxiety in the Middle East offset positive sentiment surrounding artificial intelligence. • Market volatility was evident in the MSCI Asia-Pacific index (excluding Japan), which fluctuated between gains and losses and initially dipped 0.5%. • South Korean shares faced significant pressure, recording a 2% decline after an initially higher opening.

• Asian stocks opened with cautious trading on Tuesday, June 2, as markets balanced conflicting global sentiments. • Renewed optimism surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) provided a boost to shares, but this was offset by ongoing anxiety regarding the Middle East conflict and ceasefire uncertainty. • The MSCI broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares, excluding Japan, fluctuated between gains and losses as investors remained hesitant.

• Asian stock markets experienced volatility as geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran offset optimism surrounding the artificial intelligence sector. • Tech gains were driven by news that AI developer Anthropic has confidentially filed for a US IPO, potentially reaching a trillion-dollar valuation. • Alphabet shares declined 0.7% following the announcement of a plan to raise $80 billion in equity, including investment from Berkshire Hathaway, to expand AI infrastructure.

• Asian stock markets opened with cautious trading on Tuesday, as the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index fluctuated between gains and losses. • Market sentiment was split between renewed optimism regarding artificial intelligence and ongoing anxiety over the conflict in the Middle East. • South Korean shares experienced a 2% decline after an initially higher open, while Brent crude oil prices remained steady around $95.

After 88 days of near-total blackout, first reactions to the return of partial connectivity were not celebratoryAfter 88 days of near-total internet blackout in Iran, long-delayed messages, images and poems flooded phones and social media feeds at about 5pm on Tuesday, when still-limited connectivity flickered back to life.The first reactions, however, were not celebratory. Many new posts were threaded with scepticism, anxiety and anger. Continue reading...

Under government’s price cap typical gas and electricity bills are forecast to rise by £209 from this summerMinisters face growing calls to cut utility bills as millions of households in Great Britain face energy cost “anxiety,” with gas and electricity costs forecast to rise to almost £1,900 from this summer.The typical dual-fuel bill is expected to climb by nearly 13% under the government’s energy price cap, adding £209 a year to household costs, in a blow to families already hit by rising prices for essentials. Continue reading...

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Liverpool-born actor says depression and anxiety followed death of his father when he was 15The actor David Morrissey has spoken of how “terrible” social anxiety contributed to him becoming an alcoholic.“I am a recovering alcoholic,” Morrissey, who has been sober for 21 years, told Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. “Drinking first was about anxiety. I’ve had this terrible social anxiety and that helped me get through it.” Continue reading...

Prime minister says ban would come into force next year and calls for united action across European UnionGreece has announced a social media ban for under-15s from 1 January, with the country’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, citing rising anxiety, sleep problems and the addictive design of online platforms – although he acknowledged it may incur the wrath of some children.“We have decided to go ahead with a difficult but necessary measure: ban access to social media for children under 15 years old,” he said in a TikTok video intended to address a young audience. Continue reading...

Attendees at Conservative Political Action Conference express support and concerns amid rift over Trump’s action Wherever you go, there you are, the saying goes. It was a lesson Donald Trump’s Maga faithful may have been reminded of last week when they gathered in a convention center near Dallas for a revival of the president’s political movement, only to find that there was no escape from the problems it faces.The annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is usually a place of optimism, if not, triumph. It was on its stage last year that Elon Musk pumped a chainsaw in the air amid his abortive foray into clear cutting government bureaucracy, and where JD Vance named undocumented immigration as the “greatest threat” facing the United States and Europe. Trump is a regular, regaling the audience with lengthy monologues about his accomplishments. Continue reading...

Researchers say lack of sleep could be a factor among young people interacting online for more than three hours a dayChildren who are on social media for more than three hours a day are more likely to develop depression and anxiety as teenagers, according to research.Experts said the impact was likely to be linked to a lack of sleep caused by using social media late at night, and that the link to depression was more pronounced in girls. Continue reading...

Hollywood is grappling with a severe production slump, mass layoffs, and growing anxiety over AI's role in filmmaking as the 98th Academy Awards approach on March 15, 2026, in Los Angeles. Industry insiders describe a febrile atmosphere exacerbated by corporate mergers like the potential Warner Bros. takeover by Paramount and Skydance, with Warner Bros. films 'One Battle After Another' and 'Sinners' tipped as frontrunners. The Oscars, while honoring artistic excellence, underscore deeper infrastructural issues amid political tensions including Trump's impact on the industry. Experts predict heightened uncertainty for post-ceremony production pipelines.