EDITION 953
23 JANUARY 2023

There is no escaping it: too much news is bad for you. It should come with a government health warning: “This intellectual diet is fine taken in small doses, and preferably in weekly instalments, via a well-balanced newsletter, such as 10 things from William Montgomery."

So, as another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. Please feel free to share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can also subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to beat the winter blues. The first two months are the darkest and coldest of the year and this can impact your mood. Many of us are familiar with the saying “winter blues”, also known as winter depression or seasonal affective disorder [SAD] which is thought to affect one-in-15 people in the UK. Changes to your environment can help you feel upbeat during what can be a dark and depressing time of year. These small tweaks will help you feel better in body and mind. READ MORE >>

2. Top 1% amass two-thirds of new wealth. The richest 1% has amassed £21tn, or almost two-thirds of wealth accumulated since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Oxfam. This rise in extreme wealth has been coupled with an increase in extreme poverty for the first time in 25 years. For every $1 of new wealth amassed by someone in the bottom 90% of the global population, billionaires gained around $1.7m. Taxing multi-millionaires and billionaires by 5% would generate $1.7tn a year, enough to lift two billion people out of poverty, Oxfam found. The figures show that the success of the super wealthy does not trickle down, said Oxfam, adding "a rising tide doesn’t lift all ships – just the superyachts". Business Insider

3. Will flexible work entice older workers? Prejudice towards older workers still persists among UK employers, suggests the Financial Times. Just four in 10 managers polled said they were open to employing people aged between 50 and 64 to a “large or moderate” extent. That’s despite the fact that an exodus of older employees from the workforce is playing a major role in labour shortages in certain sectors. However, a shift in attitudes is emerging among some companies, as they try to lure over-50s back with the promise of more flexible working. What do you think is the best way for companies to attract older workers to return to the workforce? Please share your thoughts in our latest poll. VOTE HERE >>

4. CEOs veer into negativity. Global business leaders' outlooks have taken a dramatically darker turn over the past year, based on PwC’s 26th Annual Global CEO Survey, released this week at Davos. Among the most striking findings: Roughly 40% of CEOs from 105 countries and territories predict their organisations won't be economically viable in a decade if they continue on their current trajectories. Negativity over the global economy has also skyrocketed over the past year, with about three-quarters of CEOs citing shocks such as labour cost increases, inflation and higher interest rates, as well as Russia's war on Ukraine as contributing factors. Wall Street Journal

5. One-in-five people disabled? Census data shows that one-in-five people in England and Wales now class themselves as disabled. For the first time in census history the category included people suffering with mental health issues, after the Office for National Statistics changed the questions to align more closely with the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010). The charity Scope welcomed the development. “The lack of understanding about less visible conditions means people face a lot of stigma, discrimination and difficulty getting the right support,” a spokesman said. The Telegraph

6. Sickness costing UK economy. Rising ill health among working-age people is costing the economy about £150bn a year, according to an analysis. The cost, the equivalent of 7% of GDP, has increased by about 60% in the past six years. “For perhaps the first time since the industrial revolution, health factors are acting as a serious headwind to UK economic growth,” said Andy Haldane, former chief economist at the Bank of England and head of the government’s levelling-up task force. The Times

7. Davos discuss ChatGPT. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, everyone seemingly wants to talk about ChatGPT. The topic of how the artificial intelligence tools could benefit businesses has been raised by numerous panels and side discussions - and people want to know whether the risks are worth it. Attendees have also raised concerns about the changing global economy, days after the IMF highlighted a geoeconomic fragmentation cost of up to 7% to GDP. Davos cited conflict in Europe and tech issues between the U.S. and China among the growing threats to global business. CNBC

8. Food prices still rising. Inflation continued to ease last month, but food prices are still rising, according to official figures. The rate of consumer price inflation fell to 10.5% in December from 10.7% in November, largely owing to falling fuel prices. But for cash-strapped households, the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, with food and drink inflation hitting 16.8% in December, up from 16.4% in November – its highest level since 1977. Prices are also rising in cafés and restaurants. BBC

9. Keep it green. We’ve long known the benefits of following a Mediterranean diet. However, making a slight adjustment can help you burn visceral fat at four-times the rate of other diets. The Green Mediterranean Diet includes the usual pulses, wholegrains, nuts, fish, and olive oils but puts an extra emphasis on leafy greens, as well as drinking three-to-four cups of green tea per day. Participants in the study followed the diet for 18 months and dropped an impressive 14 per cent of visceral fat [which wraps around your organs and triggers inflammation] on average, compared to 4.5 per cent for those following aa standard healthy diet. BMC Medicine

10. The bottom line. Britons are more dependent on the State than ever before, a bombshell report reveals. For the first time, more than half of all households 34 million people – get more from the Government than they pay in tax, according to a study by Civitas. Daily Mail