24 h. ago IMF warns that trade tensions could test stability of world economy; Reeves ‘confident’ about US trade deal – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsDonald Trump’s tariffs will make it harder for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s car division, Ineos Automotive, to reach its first profit.Ineos Automotive’s CEO, Lynn Calder, told Bloomberg that the US president’s 25% tariff on foreign cars will make it harder to hit the earnings target.“For sure, this last week has put a dent in that and, for sure, delayed it,”“We’re stubborn as mules. We’re not easy to knock down.”“With fieldwork completed just days after Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, it is unsurprising that consumer expectations for the economy plummeted to a record low. The original tariff schedule, since reduced for most countries, was expected to reduce growth in the UK and elsewhere. Yet despite this economic pessimism, expectations of retail spending rose slightly as the prospect of Easter shopping drew closer.The state of the economy dropped significantly to -48 in April, down from -35 in March.Their personal financial...

Events

28 h. ago US trade war fears drive UK consumer confidence down to record low; Tesla’s European sales fall again – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsDonald Trump’s tariffs will make it harder for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s car division, Ineos Automotive, to reach its first profit.Ineos Automotive’s CEO, Lynn Calder, told Bloomberg that the US president’s 25% tariff on foreign cars will make it harder to hit the earnings target.“For sure, this last week has put a dent in that and, for sure, delayed it,”“We’re stubborn as mules. We’re not easy to knock down.”“With fieldwork completed just days after Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, it is unsurprising that consumer expectations for the economy plummeted to a record low. The original tariff schedule, since reduced for most countries, was expected to reduce growth in the UK and elsewhere. Yet despite this economic pessimism, expectations of retail spending rose slightly as the prospect of Easter shopping drew closer.The state of the economy dropped significantly to -48 in April, down from -35 in March.Their personal financial...

Economics

6 d. ago Show goes on for Ralph Lauren as fashion reels from Trump tariffs

With the sector bracing itself for a global trade war, investors may find comfort in a trusted pair of handsTwo weeks after Donald Trump announced his “liberation day” tariffs, the fashion industry finds itself in turmoil as it tries to navigate the chaos unleashed.Some are calling it the “tariffpocalypse”, with the sector bracing itself for a global trade war, snarling up supplies and hiking costs, alongside plummeting consumer confidence. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago AP PHOTOS: Trump's tariffs could be tough to crack for a German nutcracker maker focused on the US

U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs threaten to become a tough nut to crack in an unlikely place — a small Germany company producing painstakingly hand-crafted nutcrackers that are snapped up by American collectors.

Politics

8 d. ago ‘Who is going to face Mr Trump’: Canada leaders’ debate dominated by US crisis

Mark Carney’s Liberals have surged in the polls since Donald Trump’s attacks on Canada, scuppering Conservative calls for change after Trudeau eraPrime Minister Mark Carney said the key question in Canada’s upcoming election is who is best to deal with Donald Trump as he faced his Conservative rival in a French-language leaders’ debate on Wednesday.Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said during the debate Canada needs change after a decade of Liberal party rule and Carney is just like his predecessor, Justin Trudeau. Carney responded: “Mr Poilievre is not Justin Trudeau. I’m not Justin Trudeau either. In this election the question is who is going to face Mr Trump.” Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump's tariffs could be tough to crack for a German nutcracker maker focused on the US

U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs threaten to become a tough nut to crack in an unlikely place — a small company whose factory nestled deep in the hills of eastern Germany produces painstakingly hand-crafted nutcrackers that are snapped up by American collectors

Politics

9 d. ago Judge in Colorado puts temporary hold on removals sought by Trump under 18th century wartime law

A federal judge has put a temporary hold on deportations of immigrants in Colorado who face possible removal under President Donald Trump's invocation of an 18th century law known as the Alien Enemies Act

Events

1 week ago Liberal staffers plant ‘stop the steal’ pins at Canadian conservative conference

Operatives placed buttons at CSFN trying to link Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre with Donald TrumpCampaigners with Canada’s Liberal party had some very American-esque politicking over the weekend, when Liberal operatives were found to have planted “stop the steal” buttons at a conservative conference to link the Conservative party to Donald Trump.Two Liberal party staffers infiltrated last week’s Canada Strong and Free Network Conference (CSFN) in Ottawa at which they strategically placed provocative buttons designed to create the false impression that Conservative supporters of party leader Pierre Poilievre were embracing Trump-style rhetoric, highlighting internal party divisions. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago BP dropped its green pledges and turned back to oil. Now the price of crude has collapsed

At its AGM this week, the company will face not only the activist investor at its heels, but a global economy being changed from the White HouseAfter Donald Trump’s “liberation day” on Wednesday last week, BP lost almost a quarter of its market value in a share price rout even deeper than the oil giant endured in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The collapse in global oil prices in the wake of the US president’s ­tariff blitz may have wiped billions from its ­market value – but Trump isn’t BP’s only problem.The oil company will face shareholders this week for the first time since it bowed to investor pressure to abandon its green energy ambitions in favour of a return to fossil fuels, and its chair, Helge Lund, agreed to step down from the board. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Price hike on Shein? How Trump tariffs could shift the US’s love of fast fashion

Trump ended the ‘de-minimis’ rule while launching a trade war with China – which will make retail giants such as Temu more expensive, experts sayAfter a chaotic week of flip-flopping tariff policies, cheap clothes from China are nearly certain to face a steep price hike soon – prompting concern among fast fashion retailers and potentially pushing consumers to look for other alternatives.As part of a package of global tariff policies announced on “liberation day” last week, Donald Trump signed an executive order that ended a duty-free exemption for low-priced goods to enter the US from China and Hong Kong. Known as the “de-minimis” rule, packages under $800 do not qualify for any taxes or tariffs on the goods and are inspected minimally at the border. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago London shares soar after Trump puts most threatened tariffs on pause

However tariffs on China were raised again to an unprecedented 125%

Politics

2 w. ago Asian markets rocket after Trump puts most threatened tariffs on pause

However tariffs on China were raised again to an unprecedented 125%

Events

2 w. ago Donald Trump’s billionaire buds have lost fortunes since ‘Liberation Day’ tariff madness

Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos have all seen billions lost from their net worths after shares in their global companies have plummeted since the tariff news

Politics

2 w. ago Judges to bar US from using Alien Enemies Act to deport some Venezuelans held in Texas and New York

Judges in Texas and New York said they would temporarily bar the U.S. government from deporting Venezuelans jailed in parts of those two states while their lawyers challenge the Trump administration’s use of a rarely-invoked law letting presidents imprison and deport noncitizens in times of war

Events

2 w. ago I’ve seen many phoney trade wars come and go. This is the real thing | Larry Elliott

This battle between the US and China goes far beyond market turmoil – it has killed off the liberal dream of a borderless world Donald Trump’s decision to impose a 104% tariff on Chinese imports into the US – and China blasting back with 84% – has spooked the financial markets. The response is entirely rational. Over the past few decades, phoney trade wars have been commonplace. Rival nations have squared off against each other, indulged in a bit of sabre-rattling, but eventually agreed on a deal. Headlines that screamed “trade war looms” were quickly replaced by those that read “trade war averted”. This time it’s different. The battle between the US and China prompted by Trump’s tariffs is no pretend trade war. It is the real deal – and it will have real consequences. Tariffs operate as a tax, adding to the costs of doing business and raising prices for consumers. Growth will slow and inflation rates will rise. The global economy was already growing only slowly. As things stand, it...

Events

2 w. ago FTSE 100 Live 09 April: Oil and pharma stocks retreat as heavy selling resumes

Fear returned to the world’s stock markets today after Donald Trump’s swingeing new “Liberation Day” tariffs came into force.

Politics

2 w. ago FTSE 100 Live 09 April: Heavy selling resumes, GSK and Astra slump on tariffs warning

Fear and panic returned to the world’s stock markets today after Donald Trump’s swingeing new “Liberation Day” tariffs came into force.

Events

2 w. ago FTSE 100 Live 09 April: Heavy selling resumes as US tariffs kick in, Brent Crude nears $60

Fear and panic returned to the world’s stock markets today after Donald Trump’s swingeing new “Liberation Day” tariffs came into force.

Society

2 w. ago FTSE 100 Live 09 April: Heavy selling resumes as US tariffs kick in, Brent Crude near $60

Fear and panic returned to the world’s stock markets today after Donald Trump’s swingeing new “Liberation Day” tariffs came into force.

Society

2 w. ago Trump's tariffs could TRIPLE the price of an iPhone as Apple loses 10% of its value in one day and faces a customer boycott

The cost of a 256GB iPhone 16 Pro could soar from $1,100 (£850) to as much as $3,500 (£2,715), experts warned after the President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' crackdown last week.

Economics