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Global stocks broadly rose in August on the back of stronger corporate earnings across regions. Notably, technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) related stocks rallied after experiencing a sharp sell-off in July. Surging cloud revenues helped Microsoft and Amazon report better-than-expected growth, and chip giant Nivida posted record- breaking quarterly revenues of $96bn, more than double what they generated in the same period last year.

The tech sector experienced some meaningful swings as investors grapple over whether the large capital expenditure that has been poured into these businesses will ultimately pay off in terms of the revenue it is expected to generate…

This is the last blog in my tips series on outsourcing, based on our latest research with the lang cat, CIPs in 2026: Tuning the Engine for Growth.

The first two blogs covered formal governance and holding providers to account to get the best out of an outsourced CIP. This final article looks at why firms should consider the future direction of their CIP, and how their operations may need to adapt as their business, and the market around it, changes.

Markets across the globe fell as the price of crude oil rose above the $100 mark for the first time since May. On Thursday, Saudi Arabia had to suspend operations through its East-West pipeline after a Houthi drone strike. Saudi oil traders have said they will run out of oil exports if the pipeline doesn’t reopen within days, hampering around 4% of the global oil supply. Yesterday, the Houthis also captured the island of Perim expanding their control of the Bab al-Mandab strait.

Supply pressures forced US retailer Costco to start limiting how much motor oil consumers can buy to 40 gallons per week…

In our first blog on CIPs in 2026: Tuning the Engine for Growth, our latest research with the lang cat, we looked at the case for formal governance when outsourcing a CIP, including robust documentation and monitoring processes. Now we’re turning our attention to how firms interact with their providers to make sure they are getting the best value from outsourcing…

Higher oil prices put fresh pressure on bond markets sending yields across the globe higher. 30-year UK gilt yields hit 5.80% their highest level since 1998 and their equivalent US government bond yields also reached their highest level since 2008. Japan’s 10-year yield hit 3% for the first time in thirty years, doubling the rate it was at when Sanae Takaichi became Prime Minister.

Yields did pull back later in the week as the rise in oil prices slowed. All the turmoil in bond markets doesn’t show much sign of slowing down…

Oil climbed above $90 a barrel over the bank holiday weekend, after the US targeted rocket launchers on Larek Island to stop the Iranians from deploying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Economic sanctions had been the preferred approach of the US over the last month but there’s been little success at getting Iran back to the negotiating table. Iranian leaders appear prepared to drag talks out until at least after the US midterm elections in November.

Prior to the latest strikes, traffic through Hormuz had increased 30% week-on-week. Expect it to fall back again this week if tensions can’t be de-escalated…