Since March 2020, Airmic has been issuing Friday Reading, a curated series of readings and knowledge resources sent by email to Airmic members. The objective of Airmic Friday Reading was initially to keep members informed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, Airmic Friday Reading has evolved in scope to include content on a wide range of subjects with each email edition following a theme. This page is a searchable archive of all the readings and knowledge resources that have been shared.
Friday Reading Edition 278 (30th January 2026)
Governments are increasingly using policy tools, such as sanctions, to gain economic and strategic advantages. While sanctions have been deployed for decades, their use has more than tripled in the last five years, underscoring the rapid rise of geoeconomic tools.
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Friday Reading Edition 278 (30th January 2026)
Widespread fear of an AI bubble means investors are increasingly interrogating companies’ returns on investment (ROI) in relation to AI. This will intensify in the months ahead, bringing volatility and divergence. Both offer opportunities.
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Friday Reading Edition 277 (23rd January 2026)
While some of Trump’s plans could still be contained by a deal on Greenland or domestic opposition, the wider risks of economic coercion mean the UK should put tools and plans in place to prepare for worst-case scenarios.
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Friday Reading Edition 277 (23rd January 2026)
Donald Trump announced that he had reached a “framework of a future deal” on the issue. The breakthrough came after Trump met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and led to the US president dropping his tariff threats against European nations that had opposed the US acquisition of Greenland.
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Friday Reading Edition 277 (23rd January 2026)
A period of relative calm has given way to a new age of geopolitical instability, marked by a rise in violent conflicts involving governments. And this return to intergovernmental warfare has ignited a significant increase in defence spending worldwide.
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Friday Reading Edition 277 (23rd January 2026)
Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, called for middle powers, such as his own, to work together to counter the rise of hard power and the great power rivalry, in order to build a more cooperative, resilient world.
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Friday Reading Edition 277 (23rd January 2026)
The January 2026 Chief Economists’ Outlook opens on a cautiously brighter note than last year. Drawing on consultations and survey responses from the World Economic Forum’s Community of Chief Economists, the report examines near-term economic prospects alongside deeper structural shifts shaping growth, policy and investment.
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Friday Reading Edition 276 (16th January 2026)
The Global Risks Report 2026, the 21st edition of this annual report, marks the second half of a turbulent decade. Multilateralism is in retreat. Economic risks are intensifying. Technological risks are growing, largely unchecked, while societies are on the edge.
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Friday Reading Edition 276 (16th January 2026)
The UK economy is expected to slow to 1.0% in 2026, down from 1.4% in 2025, as a combination of a softening labour market and subdued consumer confidence constrain household spending, according to KPMG UK’s latest Economic Outlook.
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Friday Reading Edition 274 (12th December 2025)
Just out – the United States and Russia are taking a business-first approach to negotiations, which is unlikely to lead to a long-term solution to the conflict that prevents Russia from continuing its aggression.
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