The Bottom Line

THE BOTTOM LINE

How to help the world’s poor most in 2026

There are several policies that deliver astonishing returns even in today’s harsh fiscal reality

Downtown Jakarta (above). The city already faces traffic congestion and air pollution, and is sinking at the rate of 20 to 25 cm a year in some areas.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Jakarta is now the world’s largest city, but it isn’t ready for the challenges

A new UN report highlights the rise of Asia’s megacities and the urgent need for them to have the infrastructure for climate resilience

While power generation from coal is in terminal decline, it still produces almost as much power as renewables do.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Hot metals are exposing the fossil fuel fantasy

The year’s fossil fuel output boom is now piling up in inventories, sending prices slumping

President Xi Jinping was the only foreign leader that stood up to US President Donald Trump’s bullying tactics.

Repeat after me: Never underestimate China

By the law of large numbers, it still has the cost advantage in advanced manufacturing

Nine countries are officially in line to join the EU, and officials have recently hinted some may be added by 2030.
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A bigger European Union must be a better one too

Any additional enlargement to the bloc must be handled with prudence

Scaling responsible AI begins with cultivating a workforce that not only understands the technology but also its principles, risks and broader implications.

South-east Asia’s responsible AI ambition hinges on talent readiness

Ensuring sustainable innovation will depend less on how advanced our systems become and more on how well we prepare our people to guide them

Family businesses produce about two-thirds of all economic output and employ more than half of all workers.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Why do so many family companies exist?

They know how to win without fighting

By sector, more than 20% of these undervalued, high-quality class are industrials, followed by financials and consumer discretionary.
THE BOTTOM LINE

The best time to buy quality stocks is now

It is a generational opportunity in otherwise bubbly markets

Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s boss, does not seem especially worried about Google's TPUs. He is betting on flexibility – and while Nvidia no longer looks as invulnerable as it once did, its strength should not be underestimated.
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Google has pierced Nvidia’s aura of invulnerability

But the search giant’s custom chips may prove tricky for others to adopt

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang reported the company's record-high quarterly revenues on Nov 19. The next day, its share price fell 3%.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Why investors are increasingly fatalistic

Everyone knows share prices have a long way to fall. Even so, getting out now might be a mistake