Warehouse tax could threaten high street businesses, Burnham warned Retail Andy Burnham‘s plans to hike taxes on warehouses to pay for business rates cuts for pubs and shops could backfire and raise costs for high street businesses, industry figures have warned. The UK Warehousing Association (UKWA), a trade body representing retailers including Amazon, Co-op and John Lewis, has written to the new Prime Minister urging [...]
Big Tech faces earnings test after AI spending spree Tech Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon will report earnings over the next two weeks as investors look for evidence that years of record spending on AI are beginning to generate stronger revenue growth. The three companies have led the AI investment boom, committing billions of dollars to data centres, chips and software. Their latest results are expected [...]
Why even gilts are outperforming the once unstoppable Magnificent 7 this year Markets Plagued by sticky inflation and spendthrift politicians, the UK government’s bonds have spent years as an unloved asset class. But six months into 2026 and they have, so far, outperformed the Magnificent 7. Ali Lyon examines what has gone wrong for the so-called hyperscalers even as AI hype is greater than ever. Since the Bank [...]
UK firms ‘bracing for change’ as Trump revives tariff threat over Big Tech tax June 29, 2026 Donald Trump’s latest threat to impose 100 per cent tariffs on countries with digital services taxes has renewed concerns among British exporters, with business groups warning that a trade dispute over Big Tech could end up costing manufacturers billions. The US president said on Friday that any country imposing a digital services tax on American [...]
Oracle slashes 21,000 jobs amid AI embrace as tech sell-off rocks Asia June 23, 2026 Software giant Oracle axed around 21,000 roles in the last year as the US tech giant turbocharged its AI adoption plans – even as markets continue to question the rapid acceleration of the tech boom. The computing firm – which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange – said in its annual report the [...]
Big Tech’s AI capex splurge can’t go on forever June 17, 2026 The eye-watering capital expenditure plans of Big Tech has been one of the year’s biggest stories. Google, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft have all splurged to secure a podium spot in the race to build out the infrastructure which will run the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. Total capex by these four firms is expected to reach $750bn [...]
SpaceX snaps up AI coding darling Cursor as valuation soars past Amazon June 16, 2026 Elon Musk’s SpaceX has overtaken Amazon to become the world’s fifth-largest listed company after a blistering post-IPO rally, as the newly public firm unveiled a $60bn (£45bn) takeover of AI coding start-up Cursor. Shares in Musk’s rocket and AI giant rose more than eight per cent in pre-market trading on Tuesday, extending a surge that [...]
‘Safe’ version of Anthropic’s Mythos model hits market June 10, 2026 Anthropic officially released Claude Fable 5 on Wednesday, allowing the public to access the core architecture of its notorious ‘Mythos’ model for the first time – a technology previously deemed to dangerous for distribution. Fable 5 is being rolled out via Anthropic’s interace, but the launch comes with strict limitations. The San Francisco-based AI titan [...]
Nvidia must ‘step up to the plate’ after $1.5 trillion rally May 20, 2026 The world’s most valuable listed company is expected to report another surge in sales and profits after the US market closes, with Wall Street forecasting quarterly revenue approaching $79bn (£58.9bn). But investors are increasingly questioning how long Nvidia can sustain growth at its current pace after the stock added more than $1.5tn in market value [...]
Bezos calls taxing low-paid Amazon workers ‘absurd’ May 20, 2026 Jeff Bezos has said low-paid Americans should pay no federal income tax, describing the idea of taxing some Amazon workers as “absurd”, as the billionaire founder renewed his criticism of the US tax system. Speaking to CNBC on Wednesday, Bezos said the “bottom half” of US taxpayers should pay zero federal income tax, arguing the [...]