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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

J.P. Morgan Now Expects Two ECB Rate Hikes Amid Inflation Pressures

J.P. Morgan has dramatically reversed its outlook on European monetary policy, now forecasting two European Central Bank rate hikes in April and July a stark departure from its earlier prediction of unchanged rates...

Goldman Sachs Delays Bank of England Rate Cut Forecast Amid Middle East Inflation Risks

Goldman Sachs has revised its outlook for Bank of England interest rate cuts, now pushing expectations back to 2027 after the central bank held rates steady and flagged growing inflation concerns tied to the ongoing Middle...

Asian Currencies Slide as Oil Prices Surge Amid U.S.-Israel-Iran Conflict

Most Asian currencies declined Friday as rising oil prices triggered by the U.S.-Israel war on Iran rattled financial markets, while the U.S. dollar also edged lower despite briefly touching multi-month highs earlier in...

Israel Defies Trump's Warning, Launches New Strikes on Iran Amid Growing Global Energy Crisis

A new wave of Israeli military strikes hit Tehran on Friday, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump explicitly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against targeting Iranian energy infrastructure. The move...

Asian Markets Mixed as Oil Volatility and Inflation Fears Weigh on Sentiment

Asian stock markets traded in a choppy, directionless pattern on Friday as surging crude oil prices tied to escalating Middle East tensions rattled investor confidence across the region. The uncertainty followed a weak...

Politics

Trump Presses Japan to Support Iran War Effort, Cites Pearl Harbor in Surprise Defense

President Donald Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House Thursday, urging Japan to contribute military support amid the ongoing U.S. war with Iran and growing concerns over skyrocketing...

Australian PM Albanese Heckled at Sydney Mosque During Eid al-Fitr Prayers

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faced vocal protests during his visit to Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney on Friday, where he joined thousands of worshippers for Eid al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of...

Taiwan Strengthens Deterrence Amid Ongoing Chinese Military Threat

Taiwans Defence Minister Wellington Koo issued a stern warning on Friday, reaffirming that Chinas relentless military expansion continues to pose a serious and pressing threat to the island nation. His remarks came shortly...

U.S. Officials Express Optimism Over New CDC Director Selection Amid Vaccine Policy Turmoil

The United States is moving closer to naming a permanent leader for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a top health official. Chris Klomp, chief counselor at the Department of Health and Human...

S&P 500 Rebounds After Netanyahu's Statements on Iran's Military Setbacks

U.S. stock markets showed resilience Thursday as the SP 500 recovered from a 1% intraday decline to trade nearly flat, driven by remarks from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming significant damage to Irans...

Science

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...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Jeff Bezos Eyes $100 Billion Fund to Transform Manufacturing With AI

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is in early-stage discussions to raise a massive $100 billion investment fund focused on acquiring manufacturing companies and accelerating their automation through artificial intelligence. The...

OpenAI's Desktop Superapp: Unifying ChatGPT, Codex, and Browser Tools for Enterprise AI

OpenAI is moving forward with an ambitious plan to consolidate its flagship products ChatGPT, Codex, and its browser-based tools into a single, unified desktop application, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The...

Super Micro Computer Shares Plunge After Co-Founder Charged in AI Chip Smuggling Case

Super Micro Computer Inc (NASDAQ: SMCI) saw its stock drop as much as 14.6% in after-hours trading Thursday following a major legal development tied to illegal exports of artificial intelligence technology to China. The...

Xiaomi's AI Model "Hunter Alpha" Mistaken for DeepSeek's Next Release

A mysterious artificial intelligence model that appeared anonymously on the developer platform OpenRouter last week has been identified as a product of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, not the widely anticipated next release...

Apple Defies China's Smartphone Slump with Strong Early 2026 Sales

Apple has recorded a remarkable 23% jump in China smartphone sales during the first nine weeks of 2026, outperforming a broader market that contracted by 4% over the same period. The surge highlights Apples strengthening...