Insights

Russia, China and various shadowy groups hostile to the West have pipelines, oil and gas platforms and subsea internet cables in their sights. Senior Chatham House Fellow Armida van Rij assesses the risks.

In the latest edition of our Research Journal we cover geopolitical risk from Europe to North Korea, the economics of the growing global debt burden, the mindboggling complexity of the semiconductor supply chain, and the implications of the rise and rise of anti-obesity drugs. Download this edition or listen to the audio version.

This summer Europe will play host to the Paris Olympics, Uefa’s European football championship and the phenomenon that has become Taylor Swift’s New Eras tour, bringing tourists from around the world. Europe’s global champions across luxury goods, consumer products and travel sectors too will be on show and in sporting terms, many of these companies are well placed for podium positions.

Robotic-assisted surgery has transformed the experience and outcome for millions of patients worldwide. Intuitive Surgical has been at the forefront of this technology for almost 30 years and, with the launch of its latest da Vinci 5 robot, looks set to maintain its leading-edge advantage.

With US equities enjoying a sustained period of dominance over their international peers, some investors have questioned the wisdom of looking beyond US shores, preferring instead to stick exclusively with the world’s dominant market. Whilst this approach is perhaps understandable, we think it risks leaving long-term opportunities on the table.

Universal Music Group (UMG) led the music industry in negotiating with streaming platforms to protect the value of its artists’ work and its own publishing catalogue. Now, in a stand-off with TikTok, it is again leading the industry in a fight against AI-generated noise. Paul Loudon considers these ongoing negotiations and the attributes that put UMG at the forefront of this exciting sector.