Policymakers should address financial barriers that hinder young people from starting families, says thinktank Politicians hoping to persuade young people in the UK to have more children should prioritise tackling housing affordability, according to research by the Resolution Foundation thinktank.There has been growing concern in recent years about Britain’s declining birthrate, given the long-term fiscal pressures of supporting an ageing population. Continue reading...
• SpaceX launched 83 Starlink satellites across March 2026, including 29 from Cape Canaveral on March 4, 25 from Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 8, and 29 from SLC-40 on March 19.
• These deployments increased the Starlink constellation to over 6,700 operational satellites, targeting internet access for remote regions, aviation, and maritime sectors.
• The expansion bridges the digital divide in underserved areas and enhances U.S. Space Force defense infrastructure amid evolving aerospace demands.
• The US has drafted a comprehensive 15-point proposal delivered to Iran through Pakistan intended to resolve ongoing hostilities between the two nations, according to Bloomberg reports citing people familiar with the matter.
• Stock futures rose Wednesday morning on optimism surrounding diplomatic negotiations, though details of the proposal remain undisclosed.
• President Donald Trump has publicly stated that any agreement must include prohibitions on Iran obtaining nuclear weapons or enriching radioactive material for civilian purposes.
President’s declaration allows officials to tackle fuel hoarding or profiteering, while energy secretary says country will lean more heavily on coalMiddle East crisis – live updates Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has declared a state of “national energy emergency” as a result of the Middle East war, which his administration said posed “an imminent danger of a critically low energy supply”.The state of emergency, which will initially last for a year, was declared just hours after the country’s energy secretary said the Philippines planned to boost the output of its coal-fired power plants to keep electricity costs down as the war wreaks havoc with gas shipments. Continue reading...
• U.S. stocks closed higher on Monday, March 23, 2026, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 1.4% or 631 points to 46,208.47 amid hopes of easing Middle East tensions.
• Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.4% to 21,946.76 led by Albemarle Corporation's 3.5% gain, while S&P 500 gained 1.2% or 74.52 points to 6,581.00 with all 11 sectors positive.
• Consumer Discretionary (XLY), Materials (XLB), and Technology (XLK) sectors rose 2.5%, 1.5%, and 1.5% respectively; VIX fell 2.4% to 26.15 on higher trading volume of 27.94 billion shares.
Government emphasises need to ‘get off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets’ in response to Offshore Energies UKThe UK government has dismissed a warning from an energy trade body that failing to produce more homegrown North Sea oil and gas will leave the UK increasingly reliant on imports at a time of rising global instability.The industry group, Offshore Energies UK, has said the UK “urgently” needs a greater supply of domestically produced energy or consumers will be left “more exposed to global volatility and higher emissions”. Continue reading...
• The Treasury Department's FSOC and AITO launched the AI Innovation Series, a public-private initiative with four roundtables convening financial institutions, tech firms, and regulators on high-value AI use cases.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, 'Leadership in AI adoption is a crucial component of economic security,' shifting regulation from constraint to enabling productivity-enhancing tech.
• Deputy Assistant Secretary Christina Skinner emphasized AI's role in fraud detection, credit allocation, and operational resilience for financial stability.
• The Trump Administration released a comprehensive national AI plan on March 21, 2026, designed to establish one clear federal standard and prevent state patchwork rules that could undermine U.S. competitiveness.
• Key initiatives include workforce training, creator protections, safe AI tools under human oversight, and focused efforts on protecting children and supporting communities across the country.
• White House Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios stated the framework will "unleash American ingenuity to win the global AI race," signaling administration commitment to maintaining global AI leadership.
• The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform advanced nine bills on March 19, 2026, to safeguard American taxpayers and ensure efficient use of federal funds.
• Key measures include H.R. 7934 requiring agencies to publish settlement agreements online, doubling whistleblower cash awards to $20,000, and mandating Treasury reports on fiscal risks from crises amid $38 trillion debt.
• Legislation reforms FFATA for accurate USAspending.gov data and recognizes special districts for federal aid, addressing unreported funds including national security spending.
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsThe number of people in England and Wales falling into insolvency has jumped.There were 11,609 individual insolvencies registered in England and Wales in February, the Insolvency Service has reported this morning. This was 18% higher than in February 2025 and 6% higher than in January 2026.The individual insolvencies consisted of 768 bankruptcies, 4,210 debt relief orders (DROs) and 6,631 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). The number of DROs in February 2026 was a record high in the monthly time series going back to their introduction in 2009, exceeding the previous high of 4,185 in August 2025.The number of IVAs was higher than both January 2026 and the 2025 monthly average. Bankruptcies were 25% higher than in February 2025, although numbers were affected by the clearing of a backlog following the Insolvency Service moving to a new case management system.Average 2-year fix has risen from 4.83% at the start of March to 5.28% today. It’s highest since April 2025.Average 5-year fix has risen from 4.95% at the start of March to 5.32% today. It’s highest since February 2025.“War in the Middle East has added almost £800 to a typical annual mortgage bill in just two weeks, which will be unwelcome news for anyone currently seeking a fixed rate deal.“The average two-year fixed rate has jumped from 4.83% at the start of March to 5.28% today – its highest level since April 2025. The average five-year fix has risen from 4.95% to 5.32%, now at its highest since February 2025. For a borrower with a £250,000 mortgage over 25 years, that equates to paying £788 more per year on a two-year fix, or £651 more on a five-year deal compared to just a fortnight ago. Continue reading...
