Economy

Swedish inflation
The Riksbank is asking the state for 44 billion in additions

The Riksbank is asking the Riksdag for a capital injection of SEK 43.7 billion, according to a press release.

The background is the heavy losses that the central bank made in its securities portfolio during 2022. The rising interest rates meant that the market value of the bonds fell below the purchase price, and the equity then became negative.

- The Riksbank is now proposing a restoration of equity [...] but in the longer term the Riksbank needs to strengthen its self-financing, in order to preserve financial independence, says Riksbank Governor Erik Thedéen.

The requested sum is significantly lower than the SEK 80 billion that Thedéen flagged for in October. The reason is a favorable securities development since then.

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Swedish growth
The industry continues up – back in the growth zone

Swedish manufacturing PMI rose to 50.0 in March, from 49.2 in February. This is shown by Silf/Swedbank's purchasing manager index. It is the highest level since July 2022 and means that the industry is back in the growth zone.

It is pleasing that the order intake continues to improve at the same time as the production plans have become more expansive, says Jörgen Kennemar, who is responsible for the analysis.

- It strengthens the image of a brighter Swedish industrial economy, even if things continue to be sluggish in several of Sweden's most important export markets, with Germany at the forefront.

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43 dollar billionaires in Sweden - Persson is the richest

There are now 43 Swedish dollar billionaires, according to Affärsvärlden's annual compilation. That's an increase from last year's 39 - despite the Swedish krona's weakness against the dollar raising the threshold.

The list is once again topped by H&M's Stefan Persson with SEK 179 billion. In second place comes Antonia Ax:son Johnson and her family, and new to the top three is Carl Bennet. Last year, Melker Schörling, who died in December and left the inheritance to his two daughters, was found in second place.

Among the new ones on the list are several partners in EQT, for example Harry Klagsbrun, who is back on the list this year.

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Tech
The City of New York's chatbot is wrong about a lot

The city of New York has launched a chatbot that should be able to provide entrepreneurs in the city with various information. But a test conducted by the site The Markup shows that the chatbot generates wrong answers, and sometimes even makes suggestions that break the law. It is about incorrect answers in a number of categories, including when it comes to housing issues and employee rights.

The chatbot was launched in October 2023, and it is still a pilot test. There is also a text on the web page for the chatbot, which states that there is a risk that it can sometimes generate incorrect, harmful or prejudicial content.

One of the many incorrect answers that The Markup has received concerns cashless stores, something that has been banned in New York since 2020. But whoever asks the chatbot if it's okay to make a store cashless in New York, the answer is that it's okay.
Tech

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Microsoft is working on an AI chatbot for Xbox

Microsoft is working on developing an AI-based chatbot that will be able to take care of various support issues and other things on the game console Xbox. This is reported by British PC Mag, which writes that internal tests with the chatbot are already in full swing at Microsoft.

The chatbot goes by the name Xbox Virtual Support Agent, and has been trained on support data. The chatbot must be able to answer questions that are asked both in writing and by voice.