UK consumer confidence slides in April to lowest since November 2023 as war stokes inflation fears www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/...

Oh... my God.

My first tweet to be stolen by the President of the United States 😅

Here is the first signal of the impact of the Iran war on the UK economy.
"Flash UK PMI Composite Output Index: 51.0 (Feb: 53.7). 6-month low......Input price inflation jumps to its highest for just over three years amid a surge in manufacturing costs."

💥 Bank of England holds interest rates at 3.75% in an unexpected unanimous vote.

Markets now fully price in two 0.25% pt rate hikes this year. Short-dated gilt yields rise further.

UK consumer confidence hits lowest since January 2025 amid
outbreak of war in the Middle East "Financial outlook is now the
gloomiest since the closing month of 2023." www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/...

A warm welcome to Bluesky! 👋 Essential reading for everybody keeping up with EU economic news and policy

US economic growth slowed sharply late last year, according to GDP data, which the PMI suggest will remain sluggish into February to hint at a weak Q1. Read the press release at www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/...

The German economy is showing further encouraging signs of life, according to today's flash PMI data for February, with a 44-month high for the Manufacturing PMI and further upturn in growth of the services economy. GDP on course for a 0.3% quarterly rise in Q1. www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/...

Turns out "juicy men embalmed her" was "deceived and then punctured". How?! Who knew that??

If only I'd had the internet as a kid... Turns out I'd guessed the vast majority of these lyrics incorrectly for a few decades...

UK GDP rose by a disappointingly meagre 0.1% in the fourth quarter. But that was in line with the signal from the PMI surveys (www.spglobal.com/marketintell...), which are sending a more encouraging picture for January. Next week's flash February data will be an important guide to Q1 performance.

Can't say it's not a surprise ...the flash PMI surveys for January are all now in, and look who's now reporting the strongest business growth ....

Surprisingly good PMI just out.

S&P Global's @chris-williamson.bsky.social reckons it's consistent with GDP growth around 0.4% qq, on the face of it

Signs of UK economic recovery gaining momentum at start of 2026 as flash PMI shows strongest upturn in business activity since April 2024 (but jobs continue to be lost) www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/...

What no Ya-Ya's??

UBTech unveils ‘world’s first’ humanoid robot to autonomously swap its own battery UBTech Robotics has unveiled its latest humanoid robot, Walker S2, which can autonomously replace its own depleted battery pack – allowing near‑continuous operation around the clock – without requi…

UBTech unveils ‘world’s first’ humanoid robot to autonomously swap its own battery (Aug 2025) roboticsandautomationnews.com/2025/08/01/u...

We saw it over Xmas. We all loved it. Not one dull moment, with brilliant songs throughout.Amazing that they've made such a quirky and potentially dry story so entertaining. Can't recommend it highly enough!

Horrendous housing number on the UK construction PMI for December, out today

"Anecdotal evidence suggested that fragile confidence among
clients and subdued underlying demand had resulted in lower workloads at the end of the year."

World Service highly recommended especially if you also want a less parochial view of the world

CPI Home

BLS has an FAQ re:shutdown impacts to Nov. CPI released tomorrow. In short, Nov. CPI index values will be calculated by comparing Nov. prices to Oct. prices where available (from alternative/non-survey sources) and Sept. prices otherwise (most prices).

www.bls.gov/cpi/

UK #inflation down to 8-month low of 3.2%, cooling in line with the advance signal from the #PMI with further slowing signalled in the months ahead

Some relief to the Chancellor as first #PMI release since the #Budget shows business confidence edging higher, contrasting with the slump seen after last year's Budget. www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/...

UK households’ views on future finances sour to two-year low in December. Post #Budget data collected 4th – 8th December. www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/...

The BLS, Census, and BEA have announced more revised release dates for data delayed by the shutdown. GS

2025 Government Shutdown FAQs on BLS Data — The Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics The Friends of BLS  The 2025 Government Shutdown and BLS Data: Questions & Answers How will the government shutdown, which may be over by the time you read this, affect BLS data? F...

Wondering when you'll get your #BLS data?? The Friends of BLS have posted an FAQ about the impact of the shutdown on #BLSdata: www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

#econsky @aaronsojourner.org @betseystevenson.bsky.social @justinwolfers.bsky.social @jasonfurman.bsky.social @jedkolko.bsky.social

This looks rather meaningful.

Disappointing UK PMI this morning with only a small bounce back after chunky fall in September. This is a key indicator for the BoE so the sliver of good news is that this probably keeps hopes of a rate cut alive for November.

As a mancunian teenager, the stone roses were also a major part of the scene that year and was by far the most exciting sound we'd ever heard live, punching so much harder than the smiths

1972 often cited: exile on main st, harvest, Ziggy stardust, zep iv, tapestry all released plus all the other bands touring at their peaks - you can see why.

Well out of my depth here but "science" is not set in stone. I think Einstein had something to say about Newton, but I only got as far as A level physics...