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Alan Shipman

Lecturer in Economics, The Open University

Alan Shipman is a lecturer in economics at the Open University.

Research interests
Personal finance, currently focusing on the disintegration of insurance pools and the disincentives to household saving. Other active interests in: Chinese multinational business; impact of ‘academisation’ on knowledge; social economics; foundations of the market economy.

Election 2024: polling shows voters don’t believe the tax pledges

Jun 05, 2024 01:51 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The two main parties contesting the UK general election have been unusually cautious on their spending plans, despite urgent calls for more public funding to tackle crises in housing, social care and the...

The idea that US interest rates will stay higher for longer is probably wrong

Apr 15, 2024 10:39 am UTC| Economy

The 0.4% rise in US consumer prices in March didnt look like headline news. It was the same as the February increase, and the year-on-year rise of 3.5% is still sharply down from 5% a year ago. All the same, this modest...

Central Banking Series

If central banks don't start cutting them soon, it could actually increase inflation

Nov 01, 2023 07:03 am UTC| Economy Central Banks

What next for interest rates? The Bank of Englands Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is widely expected to leave them unchanged when it meets on November 2, despite the fact that UK headline inflation is still at 6.7%. If...

Four ways the UK economy is being hampered by the private sector

Mar 28, 2023 14:25 pm UTC| Economy

The UK government has decided to go ahead with a rise in corporation tax in April 2023. The move is a clear reversal of the tax reduction which previous chancellors hoped would encourage output and innovation. The idea...

How to tackle the UK cost of living crisis

Aug 15, 2022 17:42 pm UTC| Economy

UK inflation, already at 40-year highs, could pass 13% in October, according to Bank of England forecasts. While wages have not kept pace with inflation, much of the expected squeeze on households and businesses is down to...

Inflation, recession fears and tax cuts: any new UK chancellor faces an unenviable in-tray

Jul 07, 2022 15:59 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The flood of ministerial resignations from UK prime minister Boris Johnsons government in recent days started with Rishi Sunaks resignation as UK chancellor of the exchequer on July 5 2022, alongside health secretary Sajid...

Global Reflation Series

Inflation or deflation – which would be worse right now?

May 09, 2020 08:16 am UTC| Economy

Inflation among the 37 member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) fell from 2.3% in February to 1.7% in March. With all the damage to global health and economies inflicted by...

Economy

Chinese Yuan Edges Higher but Faces Biggest Weekly Drop in Over a Year Amid Strong Dollar

Chinas yuan edged slightly higher against the U.S. dollar on Friday but remained on track to end a historic winning streak, as global investors reacted to a stronger dollar driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East....

Asian Stocks Slide as Middle East Conflict and Rising Oil Prices Shake Global Markets

Asian stock markets were mixed on Friday but remained on track for steep weekly losses as escalating tensions in the Middle East and surging oil prices weighed heavily on investor sentiment across the region. Ongoing...

ADB: Short Strait of Hormuz Closure Would Have Limited Impact on Developing Asia Growth

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) says the economic impact on developing Asia would likely remain limited if tensions in the Middle East and any potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz last only about a month. According...

Gold Prices Steady in Asian Trade as Strong Dollar and Rising Yields Weigh on Bullion

Gold prices remained largely steady during Asian trading on Friday after posting losses in the previous session, as a stronger U.S. dollar and rising Treasury yields continued to pressure the precious metal. Despite...

Dollar Gains as Middle East Conflict Boosts Safe-Haven Demand, Oil Prices and Inflation Concerns Rise

The U.S. dollar remained broadly steady in early Asian trading on Friday and is heading toward its strongest weekly performance in more than a year as escalating tensions in the Middle East push investors toward safe-haven...

Politics

Shell Signs Oil and Gas Agreements With Venezuela to Advance Dragon Gas Project

Energy giant Shell has signed multiple oil and gas agreements with the Venezuelan government, marking a significant step toward expanding energy development in the region. The deals include offshore natural gas development...

U.S. State Department Expands Charter Flights as Americans Struggle to Leave Middle East Amid Iran Conflict

The U.S. State Department announced it is increasing charter flight operations from the Middle East as thousands of American citizens remain stranded following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. The move...

Israel Orders Evacuation of Beirut’s Southern Suburbs as Tensions With Hezbollah Escalate

Israel warned residents to evacuate Beiruts southern suburbs on Thursday, signaling a potential escalation in the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah. The warning targeted densely populated areas of the Lebanese capital known...

Ukraine to Assist U.S. in Countering Iranian Shahed Drones in the Middle East

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Ukraine will assist the United States in defending against Iranian Shahed drones in the Middle East following a request from Washington. The decision highlights...

Trump Says Iran Seeking Deal After U.S.-Israel Strikes as Washington Eyes Measures to Ease Oil Prices

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran is attempting to open negotiations with the United States following recent U.S. and Israeli military strikes targeting Tehrans military capabilities. Speaking at a White House...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

SoftBank Seeks Up to $40 Billion Loan to Fund Major Investment in OpenAI

SoftBank is reportedly pursuing a loan of up to $40 billion to support a large investment in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. According to a Bloomberg News reporter who shared the update on X (formerly Twitter) on...

Foxconn Sees Strong Growth Ahead Despite Limited Impact From U.S.–Israel–Iran Tensions

Foxconn, the worlds largest electronics manufacturer and a major supplier of AI servers for Nvidia, says geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran are having only a limited impact on its...

California Court Rejects xAI Bid to Block AI Data Transparency Law

Title: Elon Musks artificial intelligence company xAI has failed to secure a temporary court order that would block Californias new AI data transparency law. A federal judge in California ruled that the company did not...

Pentagon Labels Anthropic AI a Supply-Chain Risk, Restricting Use in U.S. Military Projects

The U.S. Pentagon has officially designated artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, a move that immediately restricts government contractors from using the companys AI technology in projects tied...

Amazon Website Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Shoppers Before Services Recover

Amazons e-commerce platform experienced a significant outage on Thursday that temporarily disrupted online shopping for tens of thousands of users across the United States. According to Downdetector, a website that tracks...