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☆ IMF upgrades UK growth forecast in another boost to new Labour government
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday lifted its 2024 growth outlook for the U.K. to 0.7% from 0.5%, providing a further boost to the country's new government. Looking ahead, the Washington, D.C.-based IMF reiterated its forecast for 1.5% U.K. growth in 2025 in the July update of its World Economic Outlook. Investment bank Goldman Sachs earlier this month nudged its 2025 forecast for the U.K. economy 0.1 percentage point higher, to 1.6%. Other economies given a 2024 growth upgrade by the IMF on Tuesday included the euro zone, which it lifted by 0.1 percentage point to 0.9%, Spain, up 0.5 percentage point to 2.4%, and China, up 0.4 percentage point to 5%. It lowered its forecast for the U.S. economy by 0.1 percentage point to 2.6%.

Persons: Taylor, Goldman Sachs, Keir Starmer, Goldman, — CNBC's Sophie Kiderlin, Vicky McKeever Organizations: Nine, Monetary Fund, D.C, Investment, Labour, European Union . Deutsche Bank, Friday, Deutsche Bank, Jefferies, Bank of England, Reuters, IMF Locations: Ruskin Park, London, England, Washington, brightening, Spain, China, U.S, Asia

☆ Britain's Labour pulled off a thumping election victory with just 34% of the national vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Toby Melville | ReutersLONDON — The U.K.'s Labour Party won a huge parliamentary majority in the country's general election, but a quirk of the British electoral system means it did so with just 34% of the total votes cast. Results show that the opposition Labour Party has won 412 parliamentary seats of the total 650, with just two seats yet to be declared. This translates as roughly 63% of the total seats, but Labour has won just 34% of the total "popular" vote, while the Conservative Party has secured nearly 24% of that number. Meanwhile, smaller parties including the centrist Liberal Democrats, right-wing Reform U.K. and the Greens took nearly 43% of the popular vote but gained just less than 18% of the seats available. Unlike in other voting systems, there are no second rounds or ranking of first- and second-choice candidates, meaning it can be difficult for smaller parties to translate an increased share of the popular vote into parliamentary seats.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Victoria Starmer, Toby Melville, Gabriella Dickens, Dickens Organizations: British, Labour, Reuters LONDON, Labour Party, Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, Greens, U.K, AXA Investment, Scottish National Party Locations: London, Britain

☆ Goldman Sachs upgrades UK growth forecast after huge Labour election win
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON — Goldman Sachs on Friday upgraded its growth forecast for the U.K. after the Labour Party's thumping victory in the country's general election. The investment bank said in a note released early Friday morning that it expected Labour's fiscal policy agenda to provide a "modest boost to demand growth in the near-term" and raised its gross domestic product (GDP) forecasts for the U.K. by 0.1 percentage points in 2025 and 2026 to 1.6% and 1.5% respectively. "Reforms to the planning system could boost housebuilding and productivity; higher public sector investment could lift potential output; and closer trade ties with the EU could mitigate some of the costs of Brexit," Goldman Sachs economists said in the note.

Persons: Goldman Sachs Organizations: LONDON, Labour

☆ In the struggle against pollution, the humble mushroom could prove to be a valuable tool
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

With that in mind, the researchers decided to test out how effective the leftover mushroom substrate could be in removing contaminating substances from water. A 2023 report by the European Union's lending arm, the European Investment Bank (EIB), highlighted that conventional wastewater treatment methods do not fully remove micropollutants. In April, EU lawmakers approved new measures for urban wastewater treatment. In New Zealand, researchers have used fungi to treat soil contaminated by the pesticide PCP. "For example, integrating an extra treatment step into an existing wastewater treatment system requires an upfront investment to change the existing infrastructure," she said.

Persons: van Brenk, hadn't, Van Brenk, Diane Purchase, Micaela Mafla Endara, Endara Organizations: Getty, Research, Utrecht University, CNBC, Brunel University London, University of Portsmouth, European Investment Bank, Middlesex University, Lund University Locations: Netherlands, Germany, England, Sonoma County , California, New Zealand, Cleveland , Ohio, Sweden

☆ BT shares soar as British broadband provider targets another £3 billion in cost cuts
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Shares of BT Group surged Thursday after the firm announced a target of a further £3 billion ($3.8 billion) in cost savings. BT shares were up 14.9% at 12:40 p.m. London time after CEO Allison Kirkby said the company had passed peak capital expenditure on its fiber broadband rollout and achieved its £3 billion cost and service transformation program "a year ahead of schedule." BT posted revenue of £20.8 billion ($26.3 billion) for the year to March, up slightly from £20.7 billion in the previous year. The firm is now targeting a further £3 billion in cost savings by the end of the full-year 2029. BT is looking to simplify the company as part of the next phase of its transformation program.

Persons: Allison Kirkby, Kirkby, Philip Jansen, Jansen Organizations: BT Group, BT Locations: London, Kirkby

☆ Taylor Swift's Eras Tour could give the UK economy a $1.2 billion boost
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at the National Stadium in Singapore on March 2, 2024. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is set to provide a £997 million ($1.2 billion) boost to the U.K. economy, according to Barclays, which predicts fans will spend an average £848 to see the singer. Barclays' "Swiftonomics" report said the average amount spent on an Eras Tour ticket is £206. The bank also expects ticket-holders to splash out an average of £79 on official merchandise on the U.K. leg of the Eras Tour, which kicks off in June. Based on that total spend of £848 by nearly 1.2 million ticket-holders, across 15 nights at four stadiums, Barclays predicted that the tour will rake in £997 million.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Taylor, Elvis, Beatlemania, Peter Brooks, Swift, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Filip Andersson, — CNBC's Sophie Kiderlin Organizations: Barclays, Danske Bank, CNBC Locations: Singapore, That's, Stockholm, Sweden

☆ GameStop, AMC extend gains but broader meme stock rally shows signs of fizzling
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

GameStop and AMC logged further gains in premarket trading as the broader meme stock frenzy fizzled early on its third day, with Blackberry shares flat and Koss edging lower. Brick-and-mortar video game retailer GameStop was up 10.16% at 6:40 a.m. The meme stock craze resurged on Monday, seemingly reignited by a rare social media update from "Roaring Kitty." The return of the meme stock phenomenon brought GameStop and AMC shares up over 70% on Monday, with the stock extending gains into Tuesday. Speaking on CNBC's "Street Signs Europe" on Tuesday, Smead Capital Management CEO Cole Smead described the meme stock craze as "frankly stupid."

Persons: Keith Gill, Gill, Cole Smead, —, Yun Li Organizations: GameStop, AMC, BlackBerry, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, Smead Capital

☆ China is engaged in ‘deliberate' efforts to undermine the U.S. and Europe, says EU envoy Gitenstein
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Mark Gitenstein, the U.S. ambassador to the EU, said China is deliberately distorting markets with a glut of cheap goods. Speaking to CNBC's Silvia Amaro on Tuesday, Gitenstein said China was "engaged in a deliberate effort to undermine economic sectors in both Europe and the United States." The Chinese Embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by CNBC. It comes amid growing concerns over a raft of cheap Chinese "green" goods — such as EVs, batteries and solar panels — flooding international markets. White House officials have already warned Beijing to amend certain trade practices that it argues have weakened global supply chains.

Persons: Mark Gitenstein, CNBC's Silvia Amaro, Gitenstein, Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, — CNBC's Rebecca Picciotto Organizations: Embassy, CNBC, White, European Commission, European Locations: U.S, China, Europe, United States, London, Beijing, People's Republic of China, PRC

☆ ‘Frankly stupid’: Fund manager weighs in on reignited meme stock frenzy as GameStop soars
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Fund manager Cole Smead has described the meme stock craze as "frankly stupid," as day traders once again pile into GameStop and AMC . The jump was seemingly prompted by a post on social media platform X by "Roaring Kitty," who in 2021 encouraged an army of day traders to pile into GameStop. In premarket trading on Tuesday, shares in GameStop and AMC were up 47% and 51% respectively at 6 a.m. E.T. Quoting "the late, great Charlie Munger," Smead said the day traders were "just taking in rat poison." Munger, who passed away last year, was the vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and famously described cryptocurrency as "rat poison."

Persons: Cole Smead, You've, Roaring, Kitty, Keith Gill, E.T, Charlie Munger, Smead, Munger, Berkshire Hathaway, Yun Li, Fred Imbert Organizations: GameStop, AMC, Smead Capital Management, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, Berkshire

☆ A shift to renewable energy is 'hopeless' without efficiencies, environmentalist says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Daniel Bosma | Moment | Getty ImagesExplorer and environmentalist Bertrand Piccard has called for a renewed focus on cutting energy waste, saying it's "hopeless" to shift to renewables without improving efficiency. "So if we try to replace fossil [fuel] energy with renewables without being efficient, without reducing the consumption, it's hopeless," he said. Another issue Piccard highlighted was that some countries only consider wind and solar as alternative renewable energy sources. Geothermal energy accounted for just 2.7% of renewable energy consumption, while wind power was 13.2% and solar energy was 7.2%. 'Paradox' of China's solar panel oversupplyPiccard also discussed the ongoing concerns about the potential oversupply of solar panels from China to the European market.

Persons: Daniel Bosma, Bertrand Piccard, Piccard, CNBC's Silvia Amaro, bioenergy, Janet Yellen Organizations: CNBC, Solar Impulse, European Commission, Treasury Locations: Netherlands, Europe, China, U.S

☆ Green hydrogen tech boss warns of AI energy consumption risk
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Vertigo3d | E+ | Getty ImagesThe chief technology officer of Ceres Power has warned that as artificial intelligence tools become more widely used for efficiency, there is a risk that this could result in even higher energy consumption. "What scares me is the energy consumption if you're using ChatGPT [for simple queries]," Caroline Hargrove said during an "IOT: Powering the Digital Economy" panel on the new energy landscape. Hargrove is CTO of Ceres Power, a developer of clean energy technology, including electrolysers for green hydrogen. An International Energy Agency report, published in January, highlighted that on average a typical Google search uses 0.3 watt-hours of electricity versus 2.9 watt-hours for a ChatGPT request. Hargrove said if this consumption was not managed properly "then the perverse effect could happen that we use so much more energy."

Persons: Ceres Power, Caroline Hargrove, Hargrove Organizations: Ceres, International Energy Agency

☆ How this UK-based firm is growing a more sustainable cannabis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Cannabis plants grow in the clone room at Aurora Deutschland GmbH, a manufacturer of medical Cannabis products, in Leuna, Germany September 11, 2023. But some companies are trying to combat that like U.K.-based cultivator Glass Pharms. It claims to be the world's first firm to grow cannabis indoors in a carbon-neutral way. That is then used to heat and cool Glass Pharms' greenhouse. This means Glass Pharms' greenhouse facility does not take any electricity from the energy grid, nor does it rely on mains water.

Persons: James Duckenfield, Duckenfield Organizations: Aurora Deutschland GmbH, CNBC Locations: Aurora, Leuna, Germany, England

☆ Modular homes were hailed as a solution to housing crises. But the sector is now struggling to scale
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Modern tech-enabled versions of modular housing promise a faster, more sustainable solution to housing crises, according to experts. The fact that modular housing is also made in a controlled factory environment means less waste is generated, while also resulting in more energy-efficient homes. A 2022 report from industry group Make UK Modular highlighted that 80% fewer vehicle movements were needed to development sites with modular building. In the U.K. last year, Ilke Homes collapsed, while Legal & General moved to wind down its modular housing factory. By comparison, a Make UK Modular report published last year said more than 3,000 modular homes were being built in the U.K. annually, though there was capacity to build five times that number.

Persons: Prefabrication, William the Conqueror, Andrew Shepherd, Shepherd, Modulous, Jonatan Pinkse, Pinkse, Suzanne Peters, Daniel Paterson, prefabrication, Richard Valentine, Valentine, Selsey Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Sears, CNBC, University of Cambridge, Edinburgh Napier University, Ilke, Legal, King's College, Alliance Manchester Business School, Savills Research, McKinsey, Company, Ikea, Vonovia Locations: Foston, Derby, housebuilding, England, U.S, King's College London, Wales, Selsey, Sweden, Japan, prefabrication, Berlin, Germany

☆ Paris has hiked parking charges on SUVs. Now cities like London are taking note
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

At a referendum in Paris last month, almost 55% voted in favor of a specific parking rate for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) for non-residents. The higher charges will apply to SUVs weighing more than 1.6 metric tons that are hybrid or have a combustion engine, as well as electric SUVs weighing over 2 metric tons. According to Jens Müller, deputy director and head of policy and research at the Clean Cities campaign group, "what happens in Paris usually doesn't stay in Paris." Its plans to introduce higher parking charges for heavier vehicles which is due to come into force next June. It's a nod to the fact that pollution isn't the only potential issue with SUVs, with space and safety also of concern.

Persons: it's, Jens Müller, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Edmund King, Belit Onay Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Clean Cities, CNBC, Paris Mayor, International Energy Agency, Times, Lyon, Grenoble, Transport, Environment, Vias Institute Locations: Paris, France, Europe, Bordeaux, Germany, Tübingen, Hanover, 200cm, Belgium

☆ ’50 shades of green’: UN’s Usher highlights financing challenge for companies still in green transition
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But the real challenge is everything in between — some would say the '50 shades of green'," Usher said during a "IOT: Powering the Digital Economy" panel moderated by CNBC's Steve Sedgwick at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This refers to companies still working toward making their businesses more sustainable, making them more difficult to label as truly green investments, according to Usher. watch now"If you're going to work in helping deal with heavy emitting sectors and you're going to put more capital in to help them reduce [emissions], that's going to increase your emissions profile," he explained. "So there's a lot of definitional stuff that's needed before the capital is going to flow really at scale," Usher added. More and more businesses strived to make their businesses more sustainable amid severe weather events across the globe.

Persons: Mark Kerrison, Eric Usher, Usher, Steve Sedgwick, hasn't Organizations: United Nations Environment, Finance Initiative, Economic, UNEP FI Locations: London, United Kingdom, —, Davos, Switzerland, U.S, Europe

☆ Top business leaders bemoan archaic systems in Europe that are curbing climate solutions
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ester Baiget, the CEO of biosolutions firm Novozymes, said that "roadblocks" usually stand in the way of companies producing sustainable solutions which needed to be removed. watch nowMicrobes have been put forward as an alternative to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. However, new microbial fertilizers need to go through regulatory approval before going to market. We need to rethink regulation in regions like Europe." Kadri also said there was a "lack of competitiveness in Europe," referring to the difficulties faced by her sector.

Persons: Lukas Schulze, Ester Baiget, Novozymes, Baiget, Steve Sedgwick, Ilham Kadri, Kadri Organizations: Getty, CNBC, Economic Locations: Bergheim, Germany, Davos, Switzerland, Europe

☆ Germany the ‘tired man’ of Europe, finance minister admits
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 15: German Finance Minister Christian Lindner gives a statement to the media at the Chancellery following the weekly government cabinet meeting on November 15, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. "I know what some of you are thinking, Germany probably is a sick man. Germany is not the sick man," Christian Lindner told World Economic Forum delegates at a Bloomberg panel on Friday. References to Germany as the "sick man of Europe" resurfaced last year. The "sick man" title had first been used to describe Germany's economy in 1998 as the country navigated the costly challenges of a post-reunification economy.

Persons: Christian Lindner, Sean Gallup, Lindner Organizations: German Finance, German, Court, Getty, Economic, Bloomberg Locations: BERLIN, GERMANY, Berlin, Germany, Europe

People attend the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2024. Javier MileiArgentina's President Javier Milei delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos on January 17, 2024. Sam AltmanSam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 18, 2024. He said AGI could be developed in the "reasonably close-ish future," speaking at a private gathering at the Bloomberg House in Davos, Switzerland. AI took a huge leap forward in the last year or two years," Benioff said on a World Economic Forum panel Thursday.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Donald Trump, Ursula von der, Ursula von der Leyen, Jamie Dimon Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan, Adam Galici, Jamie Dimon, Dimon, Larry Fink's, bitcoin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy, Putin, Javier Milei, Fabrice COFFRINI, FABRICE COFFRINI, Fabrice Coffrini, Milei, Adena Friedman Adena Friedman, Adena Friedman, Friedman, Sam Altman Sam Altman, Sam Altman, Altman, Antony Blinken Antony Blinken, CNBC Putin, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Trump's, it's, Christine Lagarde, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Dmytro Kuleba, Arnd Wiegmann, Trump, Vladimir, Ukraine's, Kuleba, Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh, Mike Coppola, Michelle Yeoh, CNBC's Tania Bryer, Yeoh, Pedro Sanchez Spanish, Pedro Sanchez, Isabel Infantes, Sanchez, Li Qiang Li Qiang, Li Qiang, Li, Isaac Herzog, Kfir Bibas, Herzog, Kfir, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Atta Kenare, Joe, Biden, Netanyahu, Amir, Sergio Ermotti, MICHAEL BUHOLZER, Ermotti, Marc Benioff Marc Benioff, Salesforce, CNBC's Sara Eisen, Marc Benioff, Benioff, Ray Dalio Ray Dalio, Bridgewater, Ray Dalio, Dalio, Mark Carney Mark Carney, DANIEL LEAL Organizations: Economic, Reuters, European, JPMorgan Chase, CNBC, BlackRock, Getty, Afp, NASDAQ, CNBC Nasdaq, Reuters OpenAI, Bloomberg, State, European Central Bank, Central Bank, Reuters Ukraine's, United Nations Development, Spanish, Getty Images, Hamas, Palestinian, Hezbollah, Turkish, AFP, Iranian, Sergio Ermotti UBS, Getty Images UBS, Credit Suisse, Bridgewater Associates, U.S, Bank of England, UN, OLIVAS Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Ukraine, Gaza, Russia, China, Moscow, WEF, AFP, OpenAI, U.S, Russian, Iran, Europe, United States, Hollywood , California, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, Washington, Lebanese, Tehran, Israel, Hiroshima

☆ Ukraine dismisses Trump-Putin relationship, brushes off U.S. election fears
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba attends a joint briefing with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Hanke Bruins Slot. Kuleba said: "So do I believe there is a potential for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Trump to agree on something behind Ukraine's back if Trump becomes president? He added that Trump was also the "first to sell lethal weapons to the Ukraine." The U.S. administration continues to push for further funding in Congress to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, which began in Feb. 2022. The U.S. has been a staunch ally of Ukraine throughout the war, supplying more than $75 billion in humanitarian, military and financial support.

Persons: Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, Dmytro Kuleba, Donald Trump, Kuleba, Vladimir, Putin, Trump, Ukraine's, Steve Sedgwick, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden, Washington's, Joe Biden's Organizations: Foreign Affairs, Netherlands, Bruins, Publishing, Ukraine's, CNBC, Economic, Trump, Republican Party, Ukraine, House Republicans Locations: Ukraine, Davos, Russia, Europe, America, U.S

☆ Advance of far-right parties is the ‘biggest concern’ for Western democracies, Spain’s Prime Minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spanish acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during the investiture debate at the Spanish Parliament on Nov. 15, 2023 in Madrid, Spain. The rise of far-right political groups is the "biggest concern" for Western democracies, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told CNBC. "I think that not only the [political] fragmentation, but the advance of the far-right, it is something … I would say [it is] the biggest concern for Western democracies," Sanchez said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. His comments come in a year set to bring voters to the polls in several countries worldwide, which will include European Parliament elections in June. In France, Marine Le Pen's National Rally party has grown in popularity in the polls, while Geert Wilders' Freedom Party recorded a decisive victory in Netherlands' general elections in November.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Pedro Sánchez, Sanchez, Geert Wilders Organizations: Spanish, CNBC, Economic, Freedom Party Locations: Madrid, Spain, Davos, Switzerland, France, Netherlands

☆ Top pharma CEO says preparedness for a new pandemic has not improved
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Vas Narasimhan, chief executive officer of Novartis AG, listens during a panel session on the opening day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. Vas Narasimhan, CEO of pharmaceutical firm Novartis, told CNBC Tuesday that he didn't believe there had been much improvement in preparedness for pandemics in the wake of the Covid crisis. "I'm sad to say, I don't think we've improved unfortunately," said Narasimhan, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He explained that there did not appear to be the continued level of investment as hoped for, during this "inter-pandemic" period. "Now that we're past the pandemic — and really because of the feats of our industry, companies coming up with incredible mRNA vaccines and diagnostic tools — we're back to almost no investment from governments," Narasimhan said.

Persons: Vas, Narasimhan Organizations: Novartis AG, Economic, Novartis, CNBC Locations: Davos, Switzerland

☆ China needs reforms to halt 'significant' growth declines, IMF chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, at a press conference at the IMF Headquarters on April 14, 2023. The head of the International Monetary Fund warned Monday that China needs structural reforms in order to avoid "a fairly significant decline in growth rates." Speaking to CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Kristalina Georgieva said China was facing both short-term and long-term challenges. In the short-term, she said China's property sector still needed "fixing," along with a high level of local government debt. "Ultimately, what China needs are structural reforms to continue to open up the economy, to balance the growth model more towards domestic consumption, meaning create more confidence in people, so [they] don't save, they spend more," Georgieva said.

Persons: Kristalina Georgieva, Georgieva Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, CNBC, Economic Locations: China, Davos, Switzerland

☆ Are you overparenting? A child psychologist says these are the tell-tale signs
▼ + stars: | 2022-04-28 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

But, one expert explains why this should be avoided and how you can spot the tell-tale signs that you're doing it. Overparenting can be defined in two ways, according to clinical psychologist Judith Locke. The first being where parents can, with good intentions, end up over-assisting their child with tasks, such as homework. However, this can result in the child struggling to develop essential skills, Locke explained to CNBC on a video call. "Overparenting looks like the most loving, caring parenting ever," Locke said, arguing that in reality it's actually quite "performative."

☆ Next two weeks will be critical for China in coronavirus outbreak, IMF chief says
▼ + stars: | 2020-02-14 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

China's National Health Commission on Friday reported an additional 121 deaths nationwide, with 5,090 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus. She explained that not only was this strain of the new virus, COVID-19, different than SARS but China and the world economy had also changed. China only represented 8% of the world economy in the early 2000s and now makes up a 19% share, she pointed out. She added that the world economy at that time was "actually in quite good shape," but was now more "sluggish." Physicians have likened it to the outbreak of SARS, which had a short incubation period of two to seven days.

☆ UK lawmaker raises $26,000 for charity by selling dress that sparked social media outrage
▼ + stars: | 2020-02-14 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Tracy Brabin, a British lawmaker, raised £20,200 ($26,336) for charity by selling an off-the-shoulder dress on eBay that sparked controversy when she wore it in U.K. Parliament last week. Brabin, the shadow secretary for the department of digital, culture, media and sport for Britain's leading opposition party, raised the money for Girlguiding U.K. — the British equivalent of Girl Scouts. The "shouldergate" dress, which sold out on online outlet Asos in the aftermath of the social media furor, received 180 bids on eBay. Brabin, a former actress, received an onslaught of insults on Twitter last week after appearing in the House of Commons wearing the black dress. The politician said she chose to raise money for Girlguiding because of their "phenomenal" work when it came to helping develop young girls' self-confidence and self-esteem — something that could be particularly affected by social media, she noted.

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