3 h. ago Brussels takes action against Google and Apple under Digital Markets Act – as it happened

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsIstanbul mayor arrested days before likely presidential nominationIs Trump driving the US into a recession? – in chartsSuperdrug is to open 25 new stores this year in a move that will create around 600 jobs, as the health and beauty retailer said it intends to invest more in beauty treatments and luxury fragrances.The company, which said that investing in larger stores drives its bricks and mortar strategy, currently has 780 shops in the UK and Ireland.“We want everyone who enters Superdrug to feel an elevated customer experience.”Bexhill-on-Sea (East Sussex)Billericay (Essex)Dover (Kent)Droitwich (Worcestershire)Dunstable (Beds)East Grinstead (West Sussex)Holyhead (Isle of Anglesey)Ilkley (West Yorkshire)Larne (Antrim, NI)Maldon (Essex)Morley (West Yorkshire)North Walsham (Norfolk)Redcar (North Yorkshire)Saffron Walden (Essex)St Annes on Sea (Lancashire)Turriff (Aberdeenshire)Uckfield (East Sussex)Urmston (Great Manchester) ...

Politics

3 h. ago EU accuses Google and Apple of breaking its rules, risking Trump clash

Tech companies could be fined billions if EU finds they have breached the Digital Markets ActBusiness live – latest updatesThe European Commission has accused the US tech companies Google and Apple of breaking its digital rules, in a landmark action that could escalate transatlantic tension with Donald Trump.The US president has sought to exert pressure on the EU to back away from tougher regulation of American technology groups, warning that he could retaliate by imposing tariffs on foreign companies. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Brussels takes action against Google and Apple under Digital Markets Act – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsIstanbul mayor arrested days before likely presidential nominationIs Trump driving the US into a recession? – in chartsSuperdrug is to open 25 new stores this year in a move that will create around 600 jobs, as the health and beauty retailer said it intends to invest more in beauty treatments and luxury fragrances.The company, which said that investing in larger stores drives its bricks and mortar strategy, currently has 780 shops in the UK and Ireland.“We want everyone who enters Superdrug to feel an elevated customer experience.”Bexhill-on-Sea (East Sussex)Billericay (Essex)Dover (Kent)Droitwich (Worcestershire)Dunstable (Beds)East Grinstead (West Sussex)Holyhead (Isle of Anglesey)Ilkley (West Yorkshire)Larne (Antrim, NI)Maldon (Essex)Morley (West Yorkshire)North Walsham (Norfolk)Redcar (North Yorkshire)Saffron Walden (Essex)St Annes on Sea (Lancashire)Turriff (Aberdeenshire)Uckfield (East Sussex)Urmston (Great Manchester) ...

Economics

10 h. ago Trump tariffs creating ‘high uncertainty’, Bank of Japan warns; list of 95 Santander branches to close – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news Continue reading...

Events

11 h. ago Trump tariffs creating ‘high uncertainty’, Bank of Japan warns; Musk’s X ‘valued at $44bn again’ – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsSavings and investment firm M&G has warned this morning that it faces uncertain times.In its full year results for 2024, M&G points out that:Increased geopolitical uncertainty and market volatility continue to weigh on client sentiment and pose a significant challenge to financial institutions across the globe.The Company has traded well in the first half and delivered strong profit growth. Like other operators in the sector, we face many cost headwinds that will impact us in the second half, following the recent Budget, notably the increase in national living wage and national insurance from April. We estimate that the annualised impact of these two items is £2.6m, with the incremental costs commencing in April and impacting the final quarter of the 2025 financial year.We plan to mitigate the majority of these costs over the next 18 months through price increases and cost efficiencies. Continue reading...

Economics

30 h. ago Gold hits record high over $3,000 amid rising geopolitical tensions; Thames Water receives six takeover offers – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as gold hits $3,027 per ounceGold is continuing to hit new heights this morning – it’s now trading at $3,027 per ounce.“In the current environment, every day seems to offer a new catalyst for the gold price,” comments Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.In uncertain times, central banks and individuals demand gold, while inflation concerns emanating from President Trump’s tariffs and trade war are also boosting the price of gold.Life above $3,000 per ounce could be the norm for the gold price in 2025, it is already higher by 15% YTD, easily outpacing gains for global equities. Continue reading...

Events

34 h. ago Gold hits record high over $3,000 amid rising geopolitical tensions; Pound at $1.30 against weakening US dollar – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as gold hits $3,027 per ounceGold is continuing to hit new heights this morning – it’s now trading at $3,027 per ounce.“In the current environment, every day seems to offer a new catalyst for the gold price,” comments Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.In uncertain times, central banks and individuals demand gold, while inflation concerns emanating from President Trump’s tariffs and trade war are also boosting the price of gold.Life above $3,000 per ounce could be the norm for the gold price in 2025, it is already higher by 15% YTD, easily outpacing gains for global equities. Continue reading...

Economics

35 h. ago Gold hits record high over $3,000 amid rising geopolitical tensions and weakening US dollar – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as gold hits $3,017 per ounceIn the City, shares in banking group Close Brothers have tumbled after it reported that the UK’s motor finance scandal dragged it into a loss.Close Brothers reported an operating pre-tax loss of £103m for the six months to 31 January 2025, and a loss after tax ofo £111.8m. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago UK economy shrinks in January; stocks and euro jump on German debt deal – as it happened

UK economy unexpectedly contracts by 0.1% in January in blow to the chancellor ahead of spring statement; Friedrich Merz declares: ‘Germany is back’Let’s look at the GDP figures in more detail.The 0.9% drop in production output in January, which came after 0.5% growth in December, was mainly caused by a 1.1% slump in manufacturing while mining and quarrying also declined. Basic metals and metal products were down along with pharmaceutical products. Continue reading...

Economics

5 d. ago UK economy shrinks in January; stocks and euro jump on German debt deal – business live

UK economy unexpectedly contracts by 0.1% in January in blow to the chancellor ahead of spring statement; Friedrich Merz declares: ‘Germany is back’Let’s look at the GDP figures in more detail.The 0.9% drop in production output in January, which came after 0.5% growth in December, was mainly caused by a 1.1% slump in manufacturing while mining and quarrying also declined. Basic metals and metal products were down along with pharmaceutical products. Continue reading...

Economics

5 d. ago UK economy shrinks in January; stocks and euro jump on reported German debt deal – business live

UK economy unexpectedly contracts by 0.1% in January in blow to the chancellor ahead of spring statementLet’s look at the GDP figures in more detail.The 0.9% drop in production output in January, which came after 0.5% growth in December, was mainly caused by a 1.1% slump in manufacturing while mining and quarrying also declined. Basic metals and metal products were down along with pharmaceutical products. Continue reading...

Economics

9 d. ago Wall Street falls again amid economic slowdown fears, as Musk’s Tesla falls 50% from all–time high – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as US markets slide after Beijing imposes tariffs on imports of agricultural goods from AmericaAnalysts at investment bank Jefferies remain optimistic about the prospects for the US economy in the second half of 2025 – while also fearing that it may slow more than expected in the first half of the year.In an updated US Economic Outlook, Jefferies tell clients:Broadly, these changes are modest relative to what we were looking for at the beginning of the year. We started out 2025 expecting growth to slow in the first half due to exactly the sort of tensions and uncertainty about policy that we are currently seeing. It now appears that the slowdown will be a bit more pronounced than we expected, but we remain optimistic about the second half of the year and beyond.We expect that the labor market will continue to cool gradually in the months ahead, with downside risks due to government spending uncertainty. We continue to expec...

Economics

9 d. ago Wall Street falls again as tariff fears grip markets – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as US markets slide after Beijing imposes tariffs on imports of agricultural goods from AmericaAnalysts at investment bank Jefferies remain optimistic about the prospects for the US economy in the second half of 2025 – while also fearing that it may slow more than expected in the first half of the year.In an updated US Economic Outlook, Jefferies tell clients:Broadly, these changes are modest relative to what we were looking for at the beginning of the year. We started out 2025 expecting growth to slow in the first half due to exactly the sort of tensions and uncertainty about policy that we are currently seeing. It now appears that the slowdown will be a bit more pronounced than we expected, but we remain optimistic about the second half of the year and beyond.We expect that the labor market will continue to cool gradually in the months ahead, with downside risks due to government spending uncertainty. We continue to expec...

Economics

9 d. ago China’s retaliatory tariffs on US farm goods kick in, as trade war escalates – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsChina’s stock markets have dropped today, as the double-whammy of trade war fears and deflation weighed on investors.The CSI 300 index dropped by 0.4%, while in Hong Kong the Hang Seng index slid by 1.8%.The week starts on a sharp negative note for the Chinese stocks, as the latest inflation update showed that consumer prices in China fell the most in more than a year .Overall, the week is expected to bring more tariffs the Chinese tariffs on US agricultural and some Canadian products will start today, while the US steel and aluminium tariffs will be live from Wednesday.Monday kicks off with the same old deflationary drumbeat as China’s consumer inflation took a deeper dive than expected, slipping below zero for the first time in over a year. The data only reinforces what’s been clear for months—deflationary pressures remain firmly entrenched in the world’s second-largest economy.The property sector remains stuck in the mud, ...

Economics

1 week ago US unemployment rate rises to 4.1% as economy added 151,000 new jobs in February – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, including February’s US jobs reportUS job market grows amid threats of mass federal layoffs and Trump tariffsThis has also been a rough week for the oil price.Brent crude, the international benchmark, has dropped by 4% so far this week to just over $70 per barrel.Trump paused tariffs and the market sold off. The old adage that the market hates uncertainty rings true. How the heck are you supposed to make investments or plan?The Nasdaq ended the session down 2.6%, while the S&P 500 finished 1.78% lower. Both are headed for weekly losses of around the 4% mark. Continue reading...

Society

1 week ago Euro on track for best week in 16 years as trade war fears hurt US dollar – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsChina’s foreign minister condemns US imposition of tariffs as ‘two-faced’This has also been a rough week for the oil price.Brent crude, the international benchmark, has dropped by 4% so far this week to just over $70 per barrel.Trump paused tariffs and the market sold off. The old adage that the market hates uncertainty rings true. How the heck are you supposed to make investments or plan?The Nasdaq ended the session down 2.6%, while the S&P 500 finished 1.78% lower. Both are headed for weekly losses of around the 4% mark. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago FTSE 100 Live 04 March: Tariffs halt index record run, Greggs slides despite £2bn sales

The launch of Donald Trump's long-threatened tariffs against Canada and Mexico today put global markets on edge.

Economics

2 w. ago FTSE 100 Live 04 March: Tariffs halt index record run, Greggs tops £2bn annual sales

The launch of Donald Trump's long-threatened tariffs against Canada and Mexico today put global markets on edge.

Economics

2 w. ago FTSE 100 Live 03 March: BAE Systems shares rocket as index sets new record, Severfield slides

A big jump for the shares of BAE Systems today pushed the FTSE 100 index to a fresh record.

Events

3 w. ago Apple cheers Trump with $500bn US investment plan; UK defence firm Chemring ‘targeted’ by private equity firm – business live

One of the world’s largest private equity investors has made an approach to buy Chemring, the FTSE 250 defence group, Sky News reportsGerman election live: Merz says priority is to make Europe independent from US on defence as coalition talks to beginShares in some European weapons makers are rising in early trading too.German tank maker Rheinmetall jumped 3% at the start of trading, while in London BAE Systems are up 1.7%.‘’A dose of more certainty has been injected into European politics, with the Germany’s Conservatives winning the elections. It comes at a crucial time for the continent. Three years on from the invasion of Ukraine, high stakes deal making between the US and Russia continues, Ukraine is out in the cold and the outcome will have huge implications for security in Europe.There is a dawning realisation that European nations will have to pull together and present a more united deterrent force, and Friedrich Merz, the CDU leader, is reading from that script. He has pled...

Economics