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Rhys ap Gwilym

Senior Lecturer in Economics, Bangor University
Dr Rhys ap Gwilym is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Bangor University’s Business School. He trained as a macroeconomist at Cardiff University, gaining his PhD on the “Macroeconomic Implications of Behavioural Finance Models” in 2009. His academic research has involved developing models which introduce behavioural factors into macroeconomic analysis (including DSGE models) and the analysis of financial instruments in a general equilibrium setting. He has published in journals including the Journal of Banking and Finance, Economics Letters and the Southern Economic Journal.

More recently, his research interests have evolved to cover spatial economics and public finance. He is currently working on a project examining how geographical differences in access to finance influence regional economic disparities; in particular the links between the financialization of land and regional economic development.

Rhys has a strong interest in regional development policy and its role in Wales in particular. He has been a principal investigator on two grant-funded research projects for the Welsh Government relating to land value tax and tourism taxes. He is a member of the Institute of Welsh Affairs’ Economic Policy Group, where he has been involved in the development of discussion papers on the Welsh economy. He recently contributed to the “expert roundtable on the Welsh tax base & implications for public policy”.

Why you should expect to pay more tourist taxes – even though the evidence for them is unclear

May 09, 2024 07:09 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

In April 2024, Venice began its controversial experiment to charge day trippers 5 (4.30) to visit the city on some of the busiest days of the year. But its not just the lagoon city, with its 30 million visitors a year...

Economy

Dollar Gains as Fed Rate Hike Bets Rise Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

The U.S. dollar strengthened on Thursday as rising Treasury yields fueled expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates later this year. Investors also closely monitored the high-profile summit between...

Havana Protests Erupt as Cuba Faces Severe Blackouts and Fuel Crisis

Protests spread across Havana on Wednesday night as Cuba struggled through its worst electricity crisis in decades, with residents enduring rolling blackouts linked to an ongoing fuel shortage and tightened U.S. sanctions....

Asian Currencies Steady as Trump-Xi Summit, Inflation Concerns Boost Dollar

Asian currencies traded cautiously on Thursday as global investors closely monitored the high-profile meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. At the same time, persistent inflation...

Trump, Xi Begin High-Stakes China Summit Focused on Trade, Taiwan and Global Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping as a great leader and close friend as the two leaders opened a major summit in Beijing aimed at stabilizing U.S.-China relations amid rising geopolitical and...

Asian Stocks Edge Higher as Tech Shares Rise Ahead of Trump-Xi Beijing Summit

Asian stock markets posted modest gains on Thursday, supported by strength in technology and semiconductor stocks, while Chinese equities retreated as investors closely monitored the high-profile meeting between U.S....

Politics

Taiwan Independence Debate: China, U.S., and Taipei Tensions Explained

Chinas President Xi Jinping recently warned that disagreements over Taiwan could seriously damage U.S.-China relations, once again placing the Taiwan independence issue at the center of global politics. Taiwan, officially...

Japan Considers Extra Budget Aid Amid Rising Fuel and Utility Costs

Japans government is considering compiling a supplementary budget to help households struggling with rising gasoline and utility prices as the ongoing Middle East crisis continues to fuel uncertainty in global energy...

Russia Launches Massive Drone and Missile Attack on Kyiv

Ukraines capital Kyiv faced a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack early Thursday, according to Ukrainian officials. The overnight assault triggered explosions across several districts of the city, causing damage...

RFK Jr. Spokesman Resigns Over Trump Administration’s Flavored E-Cigarette Policy

Rich Danker, the chief spokesman for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., resigned on Wednesday in protest against the Trump administrations decision to permit major tobacco companies to sell flavored e-cigarettes. His...

Russia Launches Massive Drone Attack on Ukraine, NATO Allies Respond

Russia carried out one of its largest daytime drone attacks on Ukraine on Wednesday, targeting critical infrastructure across western regions and killing at least six people. Ukrainian officials said Moscow launched around...

Science

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

Alibaba Stock Surges After Strong Q4 Earnings Boosted by AI and Cloud Growth

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (HK:9988) saw its Hong Kong-listed shares jump sharply on Thursday after the Chinese e-commerce and technology giant reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings driven by strong momentum in...

SoftBank Shares Slide Despite Record Q4 Profit Fueled by OpenAI Investment

SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984) shares dropped sharply on Thursday despite the company reporting blockbuster fourth-quarter earnings, as investors grew increasingly concerned about the Japanese tech giants expanding...

OpenAI Finds No Evidence of User Data Breach in TanStack npm Supply-Chain Attack

OpenAI confirmed on Wednesday that it found no evidence suggesting user data was compromised following a security incident linked to the TanStack npm package, a widely used open-source JavaScript library. The issue stemmed...

SK Hynix Nears $1 Trillion Market Value Amid South Korea’s AI-Driven Stock Market Surge

SK Hynix is rapidly approaching a historic $1 trillion market capitalization, only weeks after Samsung Electronics achieved the same milestone. The remarkable rise highlights South Koreas growing dominance in the global...

Cisco Restructures for AI Growth After Record Q3 Revenue

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) announced a major business restructuring focused on artificial intelligence and high-growth technology sectors after reporting record third-quarter revenue that exceeded Wall Street...