Benefit

• Rahul Chadha suggests that South Korea's regulatory crackdown on AI may trigger a "healthy correction" in semiconductor valuations rather than ending the overall market rally. • Market analysts are closely monitoring the AI capital expenditure of major tech firms and the risks associated with leveraged ETFs. • Additional concerns include South Korea's failure to secure developed market status from MSCI due to unresolved currency convertibility issues and potential taxes on unrealized gains.

• Growing hopes for improved diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States are sparking discussions across global financial markets. • The potential for eased tensions is expected to significantly influence commodity prices, investor confidence, and overall economic growth. • Market analysts are currently identifying specific stocks and sectors that could benefit from a reduction in geopolitical conflict.

• Investors are identifying top finance stocks to buy for 2026, specifically highlighting industry leaders such as JPMorgan Chase, Visa, Mastercard, Goldman Sachs, and S&P Global. • The positive outlook is driven by stabilizing interest rates, steady economic growth, and the ongoing digital transformation of financial services. • Key strengths include Goldman Sachs' dominance in M&A and wealth management, and S&P Global's recurring revenue from essential financial data and indices.

• A European Central Bank (ECB) working paper reveals that European households continue to show a persistent reluctance to invest in equity markets. • Utilizing data from the ECB's consumer expectations survey, the report highlights a gap between the known long-term wealth-building potential of stocks and actual investor behavior. • This trend is significant as it suggests that a large portion of the population is missing out on financial growth and diversification opportunities.

Nick Thomas-Symonds says messages between Pat McFadden and Peter Mandelson are ‘embarrassing’ UK politics live – latest updatesLabour MPs are not looking to raise taxes to fund more benefits, the cabinet minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has said.In messages between the work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, and Peter Mandelson released on Monday, McFadden wrote: “Every meeting I have is: ‘Who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others?’ They’re asking the wrong questions.” Continue reading...

Scottish family on low income receives £15,000 more a year than identical household in EnglandThe emergence of “welfare nationalism” in the UK has created striking differences in benefit entitlement that result in a Scottish family on a low income receiving £15,000 a year more in state support than an identical household over the border in England.A typical out of work couple with four children would have received £22,000 a year benefit income in York, compared with £32,000 in Belfast and £37,000 in Glasgow, according to new research on the impact of devolved welfare approaches Continue reading...

Exclusive: IPPR report backed by TUC proposes ‘worker support levy’ to boost employees’ influenceWorkers urgently need more bargaining power over the way AI is adopted in the workplace to ensure the benefits are fairly shared, according to a TUC-backed report from a leading thinktank.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is calling for a package of measures to boost employees’ influence at what it calls a “pivotal moment in the history of work”. Continue reading...

Labour’s Makerfield byelection candidate understood to have changed stance on no recourse to public funds policyUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has rolled back from his previous calls for ministers to scrap a restriction on immigrants claiming benefits as the Makerfield byelection places greater scrutiny on his policy positions.As Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham has called several times for an end to the rule known as no recourse to public funds (NRPF), which since 1999 has prevented new arrivals getting access to benefits or public housing before they are granted settled status. Continue reading...

In highly unusual intervention, ex-PM says his party’s ‘almost infinite capacity for self-delusion’ makes it likely to lose next electionAnalysis: Tony Blair’s essay on Labour failings gets full marks for being unhelpfulTony Blair has accused Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting of putting Labour’s future at risk by abandoning the centre ground, warning that the party’s “almost infinite capacity for self-delusion” means it is likely to lose the next election.In a scathing 5,700-word attack on the prime minister and his would-be successors published on Tuesday night, Blair argued that the party’s agenda should move firmly to the right, calling for the government to crack down on welfare spending, abandon net zero goals and support Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Hitting government’s target of getting 80% of workers into jobs would reduce cost of universal credit by £10bnTackling the root causes of joblessness, instead of cutting benefits, is the best way to get the welfare bill down, and polling shows voters support that approach, according to research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.In a forthcoming report, JRF economists show that hitting the government’s target of getting 80% of the working age population into jobs would cut the cost of universal credit by £10bn – an eighth of the current bill. Continue reading...

• South Korea's deputy prime minister warned in a CNBC interview that AI wealth must benefit the general public to prevent widening wealth gaps and job losses. • The official highlighted that while semiconductors and AI infrastructure serve as the fundamental foundation for growth, they risk concentrating wealth among a few. • These comments come amid heightened labor tensions at Samsung, where workers are pushing for better conditions and fair distribution of profits.

Figure comes amid rising cost of pensions as bond market jitters take monthly debt interest to £10.3bn Business live – latest updatesThe UK borrowed more than expected in April as high inflation drove up the cost of pensions and benefits, amid concern over the Iran war and political uncertainty adding to debt costs.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing – the difference between government spending and income – was £24.3bn in April 2026, £4.9bn higher than in April 2025. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Employer of woman who cares for disabled mother was asked to deduct ‘debt’ from salary despite court ruling she had nothing to payPatrick ButlerSocial policy editor Continue reading...

Research appears to challenge previous studies but some experts call aspects of it ‘misguided’People who are the least fit need to do 30-50 minutes more exercise a week than the fittest to get the same reduction in cardiovascular risk, according to research.Researchers examined data from more than 17,000 British adults taking part in the UK Biobank study. They completed a cycle test to measure their baseline cardiorespiratory fitness (estimated VO2 max) and wore a fitness tracker for a week to record typical exercise levels. Continue reading...

Filings reveal $220m to $750m in trades on US president’s behalf in first quarter of 2026, including securities linked to largest US companiesHundreds of thousands of dollars was invested in Eli Lilly on Donald Trump’s behalf earlier this year, according to financial disclosures, as the US drugmaker benefited from his administration’s bid to expand access to blockbuster obesity treatments.Ethics filings revealed several thousand trades on the US president’s behalf tied to stocks and bonds in the first quarter of 2026, with a cumulative ​value of between $220m and around $750m. Continue reading...

Prime minister claims Coalition imitating One Nation’s policies as refugee advocacy group warns migrants ‘should not be used as scapegoats’ for economic problemsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has accused Angus Taylor of copying One Nation and “dog-whistling” to marginalise immigrants to Australia, as the Coalition seeks to cut social benefits and government programs for permanent residents.Delivering his budget reply speech on Thursday night, the opposition leader announced plans to slash immigration and restrict welfare programs to citizens only. This would cut access to the national disability insurance scheme, jobseeker and other safety nets from permanent residents who could be living in Australia and paying tax for years. Continue reading...

Jim Chalmers’ budget tips the scales in favour of younger and less well-off households – but it’s middle-class gen X that are turning to the rightwing partyExplore all of our 2026 Australia federal budget coverageLabor’s fifth budget will do what it says on the tin: it will benefit the young and the poor at the expense of the older and the rich.This is the most obvious takeaway from distributional analysis conducted by Ben Phillips, an associate professor at the ANU’s Centre for Social Policy Research. Continue reading...

More than half of the benefit of the CGT concession went to the top 1% of income earners, the most recent data showsWant to get more charts in your inbox every fortnight? Sign up for The Crunch hereThis year’s federal budget includes changes to negative gearing and capital gains (CGT) and discretionary trust tax concessions – policies that some blame for fuelling housing speculation and that disproportionately benefit the richest.The top 1% of lifetime earners alone have received more than $700,000 in tax concessions over their working life from capital gains tax, negative gearing and discretionary trusts, according to figures in the budget. Continue reading...

Al Nahyans’ control over farmland in Europe has meant they receive proportion of payments to farmsThe United Arab Emirates’ ruling royal family is benefiting from tens of millions in EU subsidies to grow crops destined for the Gulf, it can be revealed.A cross-border investigation by DeSmog and shared with the Guardian found subsidiaries controlled by the Al Nahyans collected more than €71m (£61m) in six years for farmland it controls in Romania, Italy and Spain. Continue reading...

Polls suggest Reform could win most seats in Senedd election but party is unlikely to be able to form governmentUK politics live – latest updatesOn a sunny but cold evening in a shopping centre car park on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil, Reform UK supporters enjoyed free pizza and loud music as they waited for what the party leader, Nigel Farage, said was his last big speech before Thursday’s Welsh Senedd, Scottish parliament and English local elections.Reform could win the most seats under Wales’s new more proportional voting system but it is unlikely to be able to form a government, as other parties have ruled out going into coalition with it. Yet Farage’s outfit is the first rightwing party with a shot at winning in Wales since the 1850s. The surge in support for a party that got 1% of the vote in the last Senedd election is impossible to ignore. Continue reading...

Injectable pembrolizumab can treat several types of cancer and can be administered in under two minutesThousands of patients across England each year will benefit from a new immunotherapy treatment that can be used for several types of cancer, the NHS has announced.The injectable form of pembrolizumab, which can be administered in under two minutes, kills cancer cells by blocking a protein called PD-1, which acts as a brake on immune responses, allowing the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells. Continue reading...

People with meniscus tears who underwent surgery had poorer knee function and worse osteoarthritis after 10 years than those who did notA common knee surgery for cartilage damage does not benefit patients and may lead to worse outcomes, a 10-year trial suggests.The study tracked outcomes for patients treated for a meniscus tear, who were given a partial meniscectomy, one of the most common orthopaedic surgeries. Their trajectories were compared with patients who had randomly been assigned to receive “sham surgery”, in which no procedure was carried out. Continue reading...

The firms said last week that they will be reducing parental leave and other benefits for employees starting next yearRecent moves by US companies Deloitte and Zoom to reduce how much paid parental leave they offer employees could signal a larger reduction in benefits in corporate America, according to labor market experts.American workers are already seen as having less benefits and labor protections than many of their counterparts across the world, especially in Europe. Continue reading...

Former prime minister says policies will lose support without continued lower prices, while Malcolm Turnbull points to some progress in USGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKevin Rudd has described Donald Trump’s cuts to support for green industries as “unfortunate”, warning that Australians would conclude the clean transition was “bullshit” if it did not offer tangible benefits to their lives.But – in some of his first comments since finishing his term as Australia’s ambassador to the US – the former prime minister said climate policies would have staying power if they delivered affordable prices, a reliable energy supply and new job opportunities. Continue reading...

Government advisers call for review of rules that cause loss of household income when a child takes up job training Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are abandoning valuable job training opportunities because of a little-known welfare “apprenticeship penalty” that can leave their families out of pocket by as much as £340 a week.The problem is caused by benefit rules that classify a 16-year-old apprentice as an “independent worker” who no longer requires parental support. As a result, the parents’ child benefit and child and disability elements of universal credit are withdrawn. Continue reading...

Analysis by IFS shows George Osborne’s mortgage schemes launched in 2013 had little effect on social mobilityHigher-income households were the biggest beneficiaries of George Osborne’s Help to Buy mortgage schemes, introduced in the 2010s, according to an analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) thinktank.Launched by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government in 2013, Help to Buy involved two separate schemes aimed at making home ownership more achievable in a period of rapid house price growth. Continue reading...

Conservative leader promises biggest peacetime rearmament effort in UK history if her party is re-electedThe Conservatives would reinstate the two-child benefit cap and use the savings for a wide-ranging spending splurge on defence in what Kemi Badenoch said would be “the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country’s history”.Speaking at a defence conference in London, the Tory leader criticised the government for Britain’s “lack of readiness” for war, which has been exposed by recent world events. Continue reading...

Study that reportedly found reduction in ER visits and hospitalizations being reviewed by Jay BhattacharyaA Trump administration appointee has delayed publication of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that shows benefits related to the Covid vaccine, leading to concerns that the administration is engaging in behind-the-scenes tactics to undermine vaccines.Research by CDC scientists found that the Covid vaccine cut the likelihood of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for healthy adults last winter by about half, according to reporting from the Washington Post. The acting CDC director, Jay Bhattacharya, reportedly delayed the report’s publication due to concerns surrounding the research’s methodology. Continue reading...