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Jonquil Lowe

Senior Lecturer in Economics and Personal Finance, The Open University
Also a personal finance practitioner, working with a variety of independent, consumer-facing organisations and financial services providers, including the Money Advice Service and Which?, carrying out consultancy, commissioned research, authoring financial capability materials and creating interactive financial capability tools.

Past head of Money Research Group at Consumers' Association/Which? and past editor of research journal, Consumer Policy Review (Blackwell's/Consumers' Association).

Some pensioners are pretty well off. But how many can afford to lose the winter fuel payment?

Sep 16, 2024 07:17 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

The governments plan to restrict pensioners winter fuel payment to households getting pension credit has been easily if grudgingly passed by parliament. This was despite a strong case for delaying the move to explore...

The Conservatives are pledging a ‘triple lock plus’ for UK pensioners – here’s what it means

Jun 04, 2024 06:31 am UTC| Politics

If re-elected, the Conservatives have pledged to introduce a triple lock plus that the party says would pull millions of pensioners out of paying tax. Their plan would ensure that pensioners tax-free personal allowance...

Budget 2024: experts react to the UK government’s last roll of the economic dice ahead of a general election

Mar 07, 2024 09:24 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The spring budget of 2024 was widely seen as a chance for UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to inject some economic optimism into British politics ahead of a general election. Would he or wouldnt he cut income tax? (He wouldnt.)...

Six ways the upcoming autumn statement could affect your personal finances

Nov 19, 2023 05:55 am UTC| Politics

The UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt will have limited room for manoeuvre when he makes his autumn statement about the governments financial plans on November 22. The government is committed to supporting the Bank of Englands...

Pensions: how yours may have been affected by recent market turmoil

Oct 21, 2022 06:19 am UTC| Business

The early signs are that the financial markets have been appeased by the governments October 17 decision to reverse two-thirds of its September mini-budget tax cuts. Yields on gilts which represent long-term borrowing...

National insurance rise: what do upcoming tax changes mean for me? An expert explains

Mar 27, 2022 14:16 pm UTC| Economy

April 6 marks the start of the new 2022-23 tax year and the day most workers start to pay a new tax: the health and social care levy. For one year only, the levy will take the form of a 1.25 percentage point increase in...

Five top tips for managing your personal finances during coronavirus

Aug 01, 2020 14:58 pm UTC| Investing

When it comes to money, coronavirus has split the nation. Financial stress dominates for many of the 9.5 million employees on furlough, potentially facing unemployment as the scheme unwinds, and for those whose small...

Economy

Russian Stocks Flat as VTB, MOEX Lead Gains Amid Volatile Commodity Moves

Russian equities closed flat on Saturday, with the MOEX Russia Index ending unchanged at 0.00%. Market activity saw mixed performances among major stocks, as gains in financials and metals offset minor losses elsewhere....

S&P 500, Nasdaq Steady Amid Trump Tariff Talk and Mixed Earnings

U.S. stocks ended flat on Friday as markets shook off initial jitters from a Financial Times report suggesting former President Donald Trump is pushing for steep tariffsbetween 15% and 20%on European Union goods. While the...

Trump 2026 Budget Plan’s NIH Cuts Could Slow Drug Development, CBO Warns

The U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cautioned that President Trumps proposed 2026 federal budgetfeaturing deep cuts to scientific researchcould significantly hinder the introduction of new drugs. The plan suggests...

IMF Approves $1B Boost to Ecuador’s Loan Program, Unlocks $600M in Funds

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $1 billion increase to Ecuadors Extended Fund Facility, raising the total program access to $5 billion. The decision, announced Friday, allows Ecuador to immediately...

Lula Slams U.S. Tariff Threat as “Unacceptable Blackmail” Amid Trade Dispute

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva fiercely criticized the United States on Thursday over new tariffs set by President Donald Trump, calling the move unacceptable blackmail and vowing to defend Brazils...

Politics

ICE Expands Migrant Detention Plan with $45B Funding and Military Tent Camps

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is rapidly scaling up migrant detention operations nationwide after securing $45 billion in new federal funding, aiming to increase bed capacity from 40,000 to 100,000 by the...

Venezuela-U.S. Prisoner Exchange Frees 252 Deportees, 10 Americans

In a rare three-nation prisoner exchange, 252 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. and held in El Salvadors CECOT prison were returned to Caracas on Friday, while Venezuela released 10 detained Americans. The agreement,...

U.S. Threatens Retaliation Over Mexico Flight Slot Cuts and Cargo Relocation

The Trump administration is preparing retaliatory action against Mexico following decisions that disrupted U.S. airline operations in Mexico City. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that flight requests from...

Israel and Syria Agree to Ceasefire Amid Deadly Druze-Bedouin Clashes in Sweida

Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire following a week of deadly violence in Syrias Druze-majority Sweida province, which has left over 300 dead and hundreds wounded. The truce, brokered with support from the U.S.,...

Blackstone Exits TikTok U.S. Deal Amid Growing Uncertainty

Private equity giant Blackstone (NYSE:BX) has withdrawn from a consortium bidding for TikToks U.S. operations, according to a Reuters source. The exit comes as ongoing delays and rising uncertainty cloud the future of...

Science

FDA Lifts REMS Requirement for CAR-T Cell Cancer Therapies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) requirement for all currently approved CAR-T cell therapies, a move expected to improve patient access to these...

Neuren Pharmaceuticals Surges on U.S. Patent Win for Rare Disorder Drug

Shares of Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:NEU) jumped over 10% on Thursday after the company announced a key development in its rare disease pipeline. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has approved Neurens patent...

CDC Vaccine Review Sparks Controversy Over Thimerosal Study Citation

A presentation on thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative, set to be delivered to the CDCs advisory committee has come under scrutiny for referencing a non-existent study. The report, Thimerosal as a Vaccine...

SpaceX Starship Explodes in Texas During Test, Citing Nitrogen Tank Failure

SpaceXs Starship spacecraft exploded in a dramatic fireball during a late-night test at the companys Starbase facility in Brownsville, Texas, on June 18, 2025. The 400-foot Mars-bound rocket, a key part of Elon Musks...

NASA Astronauts Wilmore and Williams Recover After Boeing Starliner Delay

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are steadily recovering after spending nine unexpected months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to issues with Boeings Starliner capsule. Initially intended...

Technology

Microsoft Ends China-Based Engineer Support for U.S. Military After Security Concerns

Microsoft has announced it will no longer use engineers based in China to support U.S. military cloud services, following backlash over potential cybersecurity risks. The decision comes after an investigative report by...

Perplexity AI Eyes Mobile Expansion with Comet Browser to Challenge Google

Nvidia-backed Perplexity AI is ramping up its efforts to disrupt Googles dominance in search by pushing its AI-powered Comet browser onto mobile devices. CEO Aravind Srinivas told Reuters that the startup is in talks with...

Nvidia’s H20 Chip Sales to China Face Criticism Over AI Concerns

U.S. lawmakers are raising alarms over the Commerce Departments decision to allow Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) to resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China. Republican Representative John Moolenaar, chair of the House panel on...

Citigroup and Ant International Launch AI-Powered FX Risk Management Pilot

Citigroup and Ant International, a fintech affiliate of Chinas Ant Group, have launched a pilot program leveraging artificial intelligence to help global businesses manage foreign exchange (FX) risk more effectively. The...

Meta Taps Former Apple AI Experts for Superintelligence Labs Team

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) has hired two top artificial intelligence researchers from Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), according to a Bloomberg report citing sources familiar with the matter. The move highlights Metas continued push...