Wednesday, 4 November 2026
Independent coverage of global markets, trade and finance
Andy Burnham must overhaul Shabana Mahmood’s migration reforms or risk overstretching social care and fuelling far-right sentiment, the TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, has warned.
Losses at the owner of John Lewis and Waitrose widened by more than 40% in the first half of the year as it struggled with higher costs and with shoppers feeling less confident about their money.
A credible signal that the Iran conflict could extend well beyond the midterms, rather than resolve quickly as Trump has publicly suggested, argues against pricing in a near term de-escalation for oil ($120 Brent risk).…
John Healey has been urged to fix the £100,000 childcare “cliff edge”, that means some higher-paid employees cut back on work to avoid losing their entitlement.
The US treasury moved to cut the cost of borrowing on Wednesday only to be swiftly rebuffed by the bond market.
More than two centuries ago, the poet Johann Paul Friedrich Richter described Berlin as “more a part of the world than a city”.[1] History would prove him right.
Birmingham-based Headlam said it had also closed 28 of its 76 trade counters, but that it would continue to trade while a restructuring takes place.
Government remains confident in under-pressure Martin Rolfe but transport secretary believes glitch was avoidable
European authorities will be encouraged to buy more domestic goods and services when they spend public money under the EU latest effort to counter China’s economic might.
The British supercar manufacturer McLaren is to create 1,000 jobs in a welcome boost to the UK’s struggling automotive industry.
The price of oil has risen above $100 a barrel for the first time since July as the escalating conflict in the Middle East threatens further disruption to global supplies.
All eyes are on Apple’s annual fall announcement of new products this afternoon, where the company is expected to unveil the most significant change to the iPhone since the smartphone’s introduction in 2007.
Andy Burnham should tackle inequality in the UK by introducing a wealth tax, universal free personal social care and bringing gas and electricity networks under public ownership, according to a report from more than a d…
Stocking up on cured sausages from the half-empty shelves in her local supermarket, Valentyna Sveshnikova is worried about money. The 68-year-old grandmother lives off her small pension and has already noticed the cost …
Datacentres in the UK will create just a quarter of the jobs predicted by the tech sector, while consuming vast amounts of energy, according to new research.
The measure comes as Canada imposes $20bn in retaliatory tariffs and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney vows to reduce his country’s economic dependence on the US
Hundreds of thousands of air passengers had flights delayed or cancelled after another UK air traffic control technical glitch kept planes grounded for hours on Tuesday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that Ukraine become a “buffer zone” once the conflict ends. This was his response to a question about guarantees that hostilities would not resume in 25 years.
United Utilities has been fined nearly £1m after illegally discharging raw sewage along the Lancashire coastline and polluting seaside holiday locations including Blackpool.
Ikea has won the right to take legal action against a Belgian far-right political party that parodied the Swedish flatpack furniture firm’s branding in its anti-immigration campaign.
An overwhelming victory by a far-right-wing party in a small state in eastern Germany will have major repercussions for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition.
Half of the Premier League’s 20 clubs have sponsorship or advertising deals with unlicensed gambling companies that could be illegal next year under plans being developed by the government.
European banks are doing much better than they used to. Their profitability has caught up with that of US banks since the pandemic, and cost-to-income ratios in the EU are now better than in the United States. Asset qua…
The UK government was forced to pay the highest interest rate for a 30-year bond since 1998 on Tuesday, underlining the fiscal challenges facing the chancellor, John Healey.