Trade wars will not slow AI’s progress. But they will decide who controls it, how fast it scales, and where its limits are drawn. The age of neutral, globally shared AI development is ending. What comes next is an era of strategic intelligence blocs.

For more than a decade, the United States operated under a deceptively simple business equation: cheap capital plus technological optimism equaled inevitable growth. That era is over.

In the closing weeks of 2025, global capitalism finds itself in a defining moment. Corporations are rewriting financial playbooks, dealmakers are working through holidays, and strategic competition is intensifying in arenas from artificial intelligence investment to media ownership. What had been a cautiously evolving corporate landscape has accelerated into a period of intense structural change; driven by innovation imperatives, debt appetite, and a recalibration of risk and

The UK retail sector has emerged as a vocal critic of proposed labor reforms, warning that higher employment costs and reduced flexibility could undermine hiring and investment. Major retailers argue that while worker protection is important, the cumulative impact of new regulations may strain already thin margins. Retail executives point to a challenging operating environment. Consumer spending remains subdued, online competition continues to intensify, and operating costs h