FOXNews Digital: After Maduro, Venezuela faces hard choices to rebuild its shattered economy

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

Over the weekend, U.S. special forces executed a daring raid on Caracas, capturing the now-former dictator of the country, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, subsequently taking them to New York, where both were indicted on multiple charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.

What next? After Maduro was captured, President Donald Trump said the U.S. would initially take over the administration of Venezuela. "We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," he told reporters at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. "We can't take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who doesn't have the interests of Venezuelans in mind." READ MORE HERE.

FOXNews Digital: Maduro’s fall puts Iran’s deep energy and defense cooperation with Venezuela at risk

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Last week’s capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro opened the world to see the mess that the country with the largest proven oil deposit in the world was still starving and abusing its people. But there’s more to it than the alleged crimes of the previous leader.

Notably, one of Venezuela’s closest allies over the past few years has been the Islamic Republic of Iran. Broadly speaking, that regime is a staunch enemy of the West, and specifically, it hates the U.S. and the freedoms it stands for. 

"Despite being the country with the largest reserves, Venezuela’s oil industry is no longer able to refine its own gasoline to fulfill its own needs," Emanuele Ottolenghi, a senior research fellow at The Center for Research of Terror Financing, told FOX Business. READ MORE HERE.

FOX News Digital: How Venezuela went from South America's richest to poorest economy despite massive oil reserves

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

In the early part of the last century, Venezuela was considered the leading economy in South America. At least part of the story is that the country discovered massive oil reserves in 1922. Currently, the country has the largest reserves of any country, 303 billion barrels. While that sounds good on paper, it doesn’t change the fact that the economy is the poorest in South America. The puzzle is, how did it get so bad with all that oil wealth waiting to be monetized?

The first big move in the wrong direction was in 1976, when Venezuela’s government decided to nationalize all foreign oil companies in the country. In turn, the acquired new oil businesses were broadly placed under the already state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA). 

Yet perhaps surprisingly, the economy didn’t initially crash. "What kept it up was they were still producing oil," Robert Wright, a visiting professor of history at the University of Austin, told FOX Business. "It takes a while even for a socialist to screw it up." READ MORE HERE.

FOX Business Digital: How Italy’s PM Meloni sparked an economic turnaround

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

When Italy’s Giorgia Meloni took the job of prime minister in 2022, the country wasn’t in good shape. But since then, the economy has bounced back in ways that few outsiders would have expected. Now the country looks healthier than either Germany or France, the two largest economies in the European Union.

In 2022, Italy’s deficit was 8.1% of GDP, according to Trading Economics. Unemployment in December 2022 was 7.9%, and inflation exceeded 12%. READ MORE HERE.

WSJ: How Much Do You Know About Rare Earths? Test Yourself With This Quiz

You may know they are crucial to power many technologies, including AI. But there’s much more to understand.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

1 OF 10

The periodic table identifies 118 elements. How many of those elements are rare earths?

READ MORE HERE where you will get the answers after each question.

 

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FOX News Digital: Churchill, Shakespeare and the UK flag all under siege in modern Britain, commentators say

‘Decades of woke education policy have taught people to deny and decry the history of this country,’ political analyst says.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Over a century ago, Britain was seen as the place to be. It pioneered science, including medicine. It built industries such as railroads, major bridges and created a strong middle class. And despite what some would say, it was the only major empire that abolished slavery and policed the oceans, at its own considerable expense, to make sure other countries didn’t enslave people. And it had the largest Navy in the World. Now, many say that all seems like a distant memory.

The latest controversy involves images or statues of some of the United Kingdom’s most lauded people. The face of Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during WWII, is being removed from the five-pound note by the Bank of England. The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called the decision “absolutely crackers,” noting the proposal was to replace Churchill and others with a picture of a beaver. READ MORE HERE. 

View of Union flags flying on the roof of Costa and Prezzo on Trafalgar Square by Robert Lamb, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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View of Union flags flying on the roof of Costa and Prezzo on Trafalgar Square by Robert Lamb, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kiplinger's Retirement Report: Stocks That Could Take Off in the New Year

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

American stocks have performed well over the past three years, with annualized returns greatly exceeding the long-term average of 10.5%. That is true of both the S&P 500 index and the tech-heavy Nasdaq. The big question now is: What are the best bets in 2026?

"At the end of every year, I get the question of whether investors should buy stocks that have dropped or should I stick with my winners," says Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at research company CFRA. "It depends on what happened the prior year."

Broadly speaking, if the market was loss-making in the previous year, then buy low. If the market is up, then keep those stocks that performed well, Stovall says. He bases this on deep analysis of how stocks have performed for decades. READ MORE HERE.

Julian Herzog (Website), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kiplinger's Retirement Report: Yes, artificial intelligence stocks are booming

By SIMON CONSTABLEch in 

Using new tech in the workplace and at home is nothing new. But the November 2022 introduction of ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence service, made the use of AI the norm, and at breakneck speed.

Since the end of 2022, anyone who purchased the so-called Magnificent Seven (Mag 7) stocks, all of which are embracing AI, should have profited handsomely. The stocks are Nvidia (NVDA), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT) and Tesla (TSLA). Collectively, these stocks were worth about $20 trillion recently, up threefold from $7 trillion less than three years ago. But stock market professionals are divided on their prospects. 

Some are bullish, others see a bubble. Brian Glenn, chief investment officer at private wealth adviser Premier Path Wealth Partners, says the surge in AI-related stocks is not yet in a bubble. "If everyone is talking about a bubble, it probably isn’t," he says. He has a point. "No one rings a bell at the top of the market," says Wall Street veteran Art Cashin. READ MORE HERE.

Kurt Kaiser, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kiplinger's Retirement Report: What Made Warren Buffett's Career So Remarkable

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Warren Buffett, 95, the so-called Oracle of Omaha, is set to step down by year-end as CEO of investment company Berkshire Hathaway. Over 60 years, he and his deputy, Charlie Munger, who died in 2023 at the age of 99, produced outstanding investment returns that made other investors’ returns pale in comparison.

Look at the numbers: From 1965, the year Buffett took over a struggling textile company, through the end of 2024, Berkshire’s shares rose 5,502,284%. That’s an annual compounded return of 19.9%. Over the same six decades, the S&P 500 index rose just 39,054% or 10.4% annually.

“Buffett is the most legendary investor in the history of investing,” says Adam Patti, CEO of exchange-traded fund company VistaShares. “And he has changed the way people invest.” READ MORE HERE.

Briefings Magazine: UK’s Magical Ride to AI Superpower

As if by magic, the UK now ranks third globally in artificial intelligence.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

When people think about mega-sized tech companies, they are likely to think of corporations that were created and grew huge in the US or China. Those have dominated the sector in ways that no other country has achieved. That is, until recently.

As if by magic, the UK now ranks third globally in artificial intelligence. Private investments in British AI totaled $28 billion from 2013 through 2024, trailing only China at $119 billion and the US at $471 billion, according to Visual Capitalist data. On the face of it, there’s no reason for the UK to be a magnet for artificial intelligence. But like it or not, much of it comes down to the government understanding that AI is the future. “It understands where things are going and is being proactive,” says Ted Mortonson, managing director and technology desk sector strategist at Baird, the investment firm. READ MORE HERE.

 

KORN FERRY: Are UK CEOs ‘Job Hugging’ Now Too?

The number of CEOs quitting FTSE 100 companies dropped to its lowest level in four years.

 

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s been all the rage across the pond: CEOs are exiting at record levels. A similar exodus in the UK appears to be over. 

For CEOs of companies in the FTSE 100 index of the UK’s largest stocks, turnover hit a four-year low of just 7% over the first nine months of 2025. It was the continuation of a slowdown that started last year, with the country’s firms focused increasingly on leadership stability. “There is just more reluctance to rapid change in the UK versus the US,” says Dominic Schofield, Korn Ferry’s chair of board and CEO services for the UK.

At public companies, some level of CEO turnover is normal. Over the five years through September, more than half of FTSE 100 companies (53) have seen their CEOs leave. Slow growth and post-pandemic burnout have led to a wave of voluntary and involuntary departures. “It’s probably a good thing they were moved on,” says Olivier Boulard, Korn Ferry senior client partner for board and CEO services. “When the board needs to replace the CEO, they do.” READ MORE HERE.

CBS Eye On The World: @REALConstable discusses the political troubles of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the suspension of a US-UK tech deal due to clashes over AI regulation.

He explains that Britain’s “Online Safety Act” aims to tax and regulate tech giants.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

 

LISTEN HERE.

The Blitz, Australian armed forces, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Simon Constable discusses the political troubles of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the suspension of a US-UKtech deal due to clashes over AI regulation. He explains that Britain’s “Online Safety Act” aims to tax and regulate tech giants, which threatens to stifle American AI companies operating there.

CBS EYE ON THE WORLD: @REALConstable reports from France on high copper prices and slowing European energy demand.

Protests by French farmers burning hay to oppose government orders to cull cattle exposed to disease and notes a significant rise in electric vehicle sales.

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

LISTEN HERE.

Bibliothèque nationale de France , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Simon Constable reports from France on high copper prices and slowing European energy demand. He describes protests by French farmers burning hay to oppose government orders to cull cattle exposed to disease and notes a significant rise in electric vehicle sales across the European Union.

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WSJ: President Johnson takes on the Fed, Six decades Ago

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Inflation is elevated. Tax cuts have energized the economy. And the president and Federal Reserve chief are locked in battle over interest rates. 

Sound familiar?

While the challenge to the Fed’s independence isn’t an exact analog of today, where President Trump has repeatedly called on Fed Chief Jerome Powell and others to cut interest rates, it's what happened in 1965 as President Lyndon Johnson made an “unusual public expression of disapproval of the board’s action to increase interest rates by 0.5% point to 4.5%.

LBJ called the Fed Chairman and other top economic officials and laid into them. “You’ve got me in a position where you can run a rapier into me,” charged Johnson. 

Many business leaders of the time seemed worried about inflation. “I approve of the increase” because “all signs indicate we are in a spiral of inflation,” one business leader said.  

Others saw the president’s comments as simply political. “This [criticism] is just what you’d expect him to say,” said another business leader. “If the economy turns down, he can blame it on the Fed. If the economy continues doing well, everyone will forget.”

Ultimately, neither the Fed nor inflation backed down. READ MORE HERE.

Arnold Newman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

WSJ: How Much Do You Know About Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Take Our Quiz.

 

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Black Friday is almost here. But how much do you know about it?

For decades, the day after Thanksgiving has marked the start of the shopping rush for the holiday season. What was once a single-day event has now grown to include Thanksgiving Day, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.

Over the years, Black Friday has been surrounded by little-known details—and common misperceptions. Take our quiz and find out how much you really know.

1 OF 10

When was the term “Black Friday” first coined in reference to the retail industry?

2 OF 10

What company popularized the day after Thanksgiving as the start of the holiday shopping season?

3 OF 10

Shopping on the day after Thanksgiving has become a global event. How much money did people spend globally from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday last year?

Read more here.

Korn Ferry: Where Did This Bounce Back Come From?

Figures suggest there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for Britain’s manufacturing sector, which has faced years of struggles.

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

It’s a sector that has been blindsided again and again. First, manufacturing firms were hit with COVID-19 lockdowns. Then came a surge in energy prices after Russia invaded Ukraine. Supply chain-issues followed, along with higher interest rates and ultimately inflation. What else could go wrong?

Perhaps the sector has found a way to bounce back. One measure of its health, the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), has steadily improved over the last 12 months, according to new data. As of October, the PMI was at 49.7, up from around 45 in March. While manufacturing slumped, executives were less willing to invest in new projects, says Ben Frost, a Korn Ferry senior client partner, EMEA. “There hasn’t been a positive outlook for a while,” he says. “But many executives are currently saying we need to activate these plans, and the time is now.”

Part of the turnaround has come from an increase in passenger-vehicle production following an interruption at one UK automaker. Still, experts forecast that the PMI is ripe to surpass 50 before year’s end. A PMI reading of 50+ indicates economic growth in the sector. The UK’s defense and aerospace subsector is also a bright spot, says Rory Singleton, a Korn Ferry senior client partner for the global industrial market. “We have world-leading companies in the subsector that should be seeing investment,” he observes. READ MORE HERE.