49 h. ago Trump floats cutting Chinese tariffs from 145% to 80% before weekend talks

Meeting aimed at de-escalating trade war after Chinese exports beat expectations despite slump in tradeDonald Trump has floated cutting tariffs on China from 145% to 80% before a weekend meeting as he looks to de-escalate the trade war.Top US officials are set to meet a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland in the first significant talks between the two nations since Trump sparked a trade war with stiff tariffs on imports. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Tech giants beat quarterly expectations as Trump’s tariffs hit the sector

What’s new in AI – from effects on job market to Meta’s new app and ChatGPT changes – and a look at Musk’s first termHello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, and this week in tech news: Trump’s tariffs hit tech companies that move physical goods more than their digital-only counterparts. Two stories about AI’s effect on the labor market paint a murky picture. Meta released a standalone AI app, a product it claims already has a billion users through enforced omnipresence. OpenAI dialed back an obsequious version of ChatGPT. And we look back at Elon Musk’s first term. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago BMW boss predicts Trump’s 25% tariffs on foreign cars will be lowered by July

The German carmaker has reported that its first-quarter profits for 2025 have fallen by 25%The boss of BMW has predicted that Donald Trump’s import tariffs on foreign cars will be lowered this summer, as the German carmaker reportedprofits for the first quarter had tumbled by a quarter.Oliver Zipse, BMW’s chief executive, said he expects that Trump’s 25% tariffs on the import of foreign cars will be dropped by July. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Ford expects to take a $1.5bn profit hit from Trump tariffs this year

Ford became the latest automotive giant to pull profit guidance as the chaos unleashed by Trump made financial forecasting impossible.

Economics

9 d. ago Jobs report defies expectations and hiring remains steady despite concerns over Trump’s tariffs

The report gives the first glimpse of how the economy has fared after Trump’s so-called ‘Liberation Day’ when he introduced sweeping tariffs that plunged the stock market into chaos

Politics

9 d. ago Apple quarterly earnings beat Wall Street expectations amid Trump trade policy chaos

Trump said consumer electronics will be exempted from his soaring tariffs on China, though it is unclear for how longApple’s second-quarter financials came in slightly higher than Wall Street’s expectations on Thursday.The tech giant reported revenue of $95.4bn, up more than 4% over last year, and earnings-per-share of $1.65 per share, up more than 7%. Analysts had predicted revenue of $94.5bn and earnings of $1.62. The company, worth $3.2tn, has beaten Wall Street’s expectations for the previous four quarters. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Apple to report quarterly earnings amid Trump trade policy chaos

Trump said consumer electronics will be exempted from his soaring tariffs on China but it is unclear for how longInvestors have their eyes on Apple as it prepares to report financial results of the second quarter of the fiscal year on Thursday. The tech giant has been working to calm nervous analysts after Donald Trump levied sweeping tariffs on countries around the world that are likely to complicate supply chains for consumer electronics. Since the beginning of the year, Apple’s stock has slumped 16%.In anticipation of its earnings report, the company’s stock notched up slightly on Wednesday. Analysts are predicting a positive quarter for Apple with an average revenue estimate of $94.56bn, up 4.2% over last year, and earnings of $1.62 per share, up 5.8%. The company, worth $3.2tn, has beaten Wall Street’s expectations for the previous four quarters. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Microsoft beats Wall Street expectations for fourth quarter in a row amid AI boom

Tech giant has committed to investing $80bn in artificial intelligence this fiscal year as it reveals revenue of $70.07bnMicrosoft released its quarterly earnings report on Wednesday after the New York stock market closed, beating Wall Street’s expectations for the fourth quarter in a row amid a financial boom for artificial intelligence businesses.The company revealed revenue of $70.07bn and earnings of $3.46 per share. The result exceeded analyst predictions that revenue would grow to $68.42bn, or 10.6% year-over-year, and that earnings-per-share would come in at $3.22. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Microsoft to report earnings as AI financial boom shows no sign of slowing

Company has beaten Wall Street expectations in each of its previous three quarterly earnings reportsMicrosoft will report its earnings for the third quarter of the fiscal year after the stock market closes on Wednesday. Analysts have predicted that revenue would grow by 10.6% year-over-year to $68.4bn, even as the company plows tens of billions into artificial intelligence as well as earnings-per-share of $3.22. The company has beaten Wall Street’s expectations on each of its previous three quarterly earnings reports.Analysts said they view the earnings report as a temperature check on Microsoft’s artificial intelligence business, which has announced it will invest around $80bn in this fiscal year alone, though it has also terminated some data center leases in recent months. The company has invested billions in OpenAI in recent years, giving it a large stake in the ChatGPT developer. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago UPS cites Trump tariffs as it announces expected layoffs of 20,000 workers

Company cites ‘current macro-economic uncertainty’ as sweeping tariffs discourage customers from shippingBusiness live – latest updatesThe United Parcel Service (UPS) is expected to cut about 20,000 jobs in 2025 as a part of a larger plan to reduce costs and increase profit, citing “changes in the global trade policy and new or increased tariffs”.UPS announced the layoffs on Tuesday in its first quarter earnings report. The parcel delivery service said it made consolidated revenues of $21.5bn, compared with $21.7bn about the same time a year ago. Additionally, the company said it would be shuttering 73 leased and owned buildings by the end of June of this year. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. 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

2 w. 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

3 w. ago Netflix quarterly result beats Wall Street expectations despite Trump tariff’s pall

Streaming firm reported a $10.54bn revenue in first quarter, though analysts say consumers could reconsider spendingNetflix exceeded Wall Street expectations for quarterly results and offered a bullish revenue outlook on Thursday, signaling confidence amid the economic uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump’s erratic tariff plans.Netflix reported revenue of $10.54bn for the first quarter, edging past analysts’ estimates of $10.52bn, according to data compiled by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). Shares of the company were roughly flat in after-hours trading at $970.10. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump tariffs will send global trade into reverse this year, warns WTO

World Trade Organization says trade between US and China is expected to plunge by 81% in ‘decoupling’Donald Trump’s tariffs will send international trade into reverse this year, depressing global economic growth, the World Trade Organization has warned.In its latest snapshot of the global trading system, the Geneva-based institution says it had previously expected goods trade to expand by a healthy 2.7% this year. As a result of Washington’s trade policy, it is now forecasting a 0.2% decline. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago China says economy beat expectations to grow 5.4% ahead of Trump tariff war

Beijing expects Trump tariffs to put ‘certain pressures’ on its trade and economy

Politics

3 w. ago US stock markets expected to recover after Trump drops tariffs on mobiles

Exemption, seen as a climbdown, includes laptops and chips, and is likely to help firms such as Apple and NvidiaUS stock markets were expected to stage a recovery on Monday after Donald Trump excluded imports of smartphones and laptops from his tariff regime late on Friday night.Shares in Apple and chip maker Nvidia were on course to soar after tariffs on their products imported into the US were lifted for 90 days. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Trump’s auto tariffs expected to cost industry over $100 billion, with millions fewer cars sold

Vehicle sales are predicted to plummet from auto tariffs and tightened spending by Americans due to import taxes on other goods

Economics

last month UK economy grows faster than expected in February as Trump tariff threat looms

The figures are a positive for Labour, but economists said growth will likely be hampered by the US trade war in the coming months.

Politics

last month UK economy far exceeds forecasts to grow 0.5% in boost to Rachel Reeves

February GDP rise bigger than forecast but impact from Donald Trump’s tariff war yet to comeBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK economy unexpectedly expanded by 0.5% in February, figures show, in a boost for Rachel Reeves before an expected downturn triggered by Donald Trump’s tariff war.Reversing a modest fall in January of 0.1%, the increase in gross domestic product in February was five times larger than the 0.1% growth that a poll of City economists had forecast. Continue reading...

Politics