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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

China Export Growth Surges in April as Global Buyers Rush to Secure Supplies

Chinas export growth likely accelerated sharply in April as overseas companies increased orders to secure manufacturing supplies amid concerns that the ongoing Iran conflict could drive global production and shipping costs...

Japan’s Yen Intervention and BOJ Rate Hike Bets Support Currency Recovery

Japan reportedly intervened in the foreign exchange market during the Golden Week holidays in early May to stabilize the yen and curb speculative trading, according to Reuters. The move came after the USD/JPY exchange rate...

Lula and Trump Talks Signal New Phase in Brazil-US Relations

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said his lengthy White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump helped stabilize Brazil-US relations after months of tension linked to trade tariffs and political...

U.S.-China Beef Trade Deal Hopes Rise Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

U.S. beef producers are pushing for renewed access to the Chinese market ahead of the May 14-15 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. American exporters hope the meeting will lead to...

Asian Currencies Slip as US Dollar Gains on Rising Iran Tensions and Awaited Jobs Data

Asian currencies mostly weakened on Friday while the U.S. dollar moved higher as investors reacted to renewed tensions between the United States and Iran, alongside expectations surrounding the upcoming U.S. nonfarm...

Politics

Trump Inspects Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Renovation in Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump made a surprise visit Thursday to review renovations at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, highlighting one of several major projects aimed at reshaping Washington, D.C. The restoration...

Judge Rules DOGE Humanities Grant Cuts Unconstitutional

A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administrations termination of hundreds of humanities grants through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was unconstitutional and discriminatory. The decision marks a...

Australia’s Wealthy Donors Shift Support to One Nation Amid Conservative Party Decline

Australias political landscape is undergoing a dramatic transformation as wealthy donors increasingly abandon the conservative Liberal Party in favor of Pauline Hansons populist One Nation party. The shift comes after the...

Trump Invites Top CEOs Including Nvidia, Apple, Boeing to China Summit With Xi Jinping

The Trump administration has reportedly invited executives from some of Americas largest corporations to join President Donald Trump on his upcoming trip to China next week, according to a Semafor report. The visit is...

Vietnam Plans AI-Driven Propaganda Push With Influencers and Podcasts

Vietnams Communist Party is preparing a major overhaul of its propaganda strategy by recruiting social media influencers and artificial intelligence experts to strengthen control over online narratives and public opinion....

Science

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...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

CoreWeave Q1 2026 Revenue Surges as AI Infrastructure Demand Grows

CoreWeave reported mixed first-quarter 2026 earnings on Thursday, posting massive revenue growth driven by rising demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure, while widening losses reflected aggressive expansion...

AWS Data Center Overheating Disrupts Cloud Services in Northern Virginia

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing division of Amazon, announced Thursday that it is actively working to restore normal operations after overheating issues at one of its Northern Virginia data centers caused...

Japan Tech Stocks Surge as AI Optimism Lifts SoftBank, Chipmakers

Japanese technology and semiconductor stocks rallied sharply on Thursday, driven by growing global optimism surrounding artificial intelligence and strong momentum in the AI chip sector. The surge followed impressive...

U.S.-China AI Talks May Take Center Stage at Trump-Xi Summit

The United States and China are reportedly exploring the possibility of launching formal discussions on artificial intelligence, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Wednesday. The talks could become a major...

Arm Stock Drops Despite Strong AI Chip Demand and Earnings Beat

Arm Holdings delivered stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue, driven by rising demand for artificial intelligence data center chips. However, despite the positive results, Arm stock reversed early gains in...