20 h. ago ‘Luck running out’ for Swiss economy as growth slows ahead of US tariff hit

GDP only expanded by 0.1% in second quarter, adding to pressure on central bank to return to negative interest rates

Economics

29 h. ago Rachel Reeves is accused of 'living under a rock' as economic growth slows to just 0.3%

Output grew only 0.3 per cent between April and June - a sharp slowdown on the previous three-month period when the economy expanded by 0.7 per cent.

Economics

44 h. ago Business news live: UK economy growth slows as leaders demand ‘no more business taxes in Autumn budget’

Stock market news and latest business and finance updates from Wednesday

Economics

44 h. ago Britain braces for another tax bomb amid warnings UK economy is 'flashing red' as growth slows to 0.3 per cent while Rachel Reeves faces a £50bn black hole

The Office for National Statistics said gross domestic product grew by 0.3 per cent for the quarter after 0.7 per cent growth in the first three months of the year.

Events

45 h. ago Britain braces for another Reeves tax bomb as economic growth slows AGAIN to just 0.3% between April and June

The Office for National Statistics ( ONS ) said gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.3 per cent between April and June this year.

Economics

45 h. ago UK economy posts surprise 0.3% growth in three months to June

GDP figure slower than previous quarter but beats expectations thanks to 0.4% expansion last monthThe UK economy grew at a faster rate than expected in the second quarter, official figures show, despite pressure on households and businesses from tax increased and Donald Trump’s global trade war.Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed growth in gross domestic product (GDP) slowed to 0.3% in the three months to the end of June, down from a rate of 0.7% in the first quarter. Continue reading...

Politics

45 h. ago UK economic growth slows amid pressure on business and Trump trade war

UK economic growth slowed to 0.3% between April and June, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Economics

66 h. ago Surge in global oil production will meet slowing demand growth, warns IEA

Paris-based energy advisory body makes fifth consecutive monthly cut to demand outlook

Events

4 d. ago Trump is losing his foolish trade war. This will cost ordinary Americans greatly | Steven Greenhouse

Trump’s trade war has pushed up inflation, slashed US job gains, slowed economic growth and caused the manufacturing sector to sputterThe ever-bombastic Donald Trump has boasted repeatedly of his trade victories, while White House news releases trumpet his “historic trade wins”. The Wall Street Journal echoed Trump’s triumphalism with a headline saying, “Trump is Winning His Trade War”, and last week the New York Times used the exact same words in a headline. That must have been music to the president’s ears.Forgive me for being a spoilsport, but I don’t see where the victory is or how Trump is winning. I keep reading how Trump’s trade war and tariff machinations have pushed up inflation, slashed US job gains, slowed economic growth and caused the manufacturing sector to sputter.Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author, focusing on labour and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Jobs market cools further over economic concerns and rising costs

Figures showed growth in starting salaries also slowed to its lowest level for more than four years as firms tightened their recruitment budgets.

Economics

8 d. ago Rheinmetall order growth slows amid change of government in Berlin

German arms maker remains bullish on demand as European countries boost defence spending

Politics

9 d. ago ‘Worrying’ levels of screen time means young people losing confidence to socialise in person, minister warns – UK politics live

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy says ‘majority of young people spend all, or almost all, of their free time alone in their bedrooms, online’Rachel Reeves will need to raise taxes to close a government spending gap that is on course to reach more than £40bn after a slowdown in economic growth and higher-than-expected inflation, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), a thinktank. Phillip Inman has the story.Good morning. Keir Starmer is out on a visit today and he will be doing broadcast interviews. It may be the only time we hear from him this week, and there is no shortage of topics that journalists will want to ask him about. By the end of the day we may get new, or newish, lines on Gaza, the “one in, one out” returns deal with France, tax rises and the black hole in the government’s finances (priced at more than £40bn, according to a report from a well-respected thinktank today), Ukraine, the case for and against disclosing suspects’ immigration ...

Politics

1 week ago Rachel Reeves needs to put up taxes to cover £40bn deficit, thinktank says

NIESR suggests a rise of 5p in the pound on basic and higher rate of income tax would fill the budget gap Rachel Reeves will need to raise taxes to close a government spending gap that is on course to reach more than £40bn after a slowdown in economic growth and higher-than-expected inflation, according to a leading thinktank.In a blow to Labour’s hopes of balancing the books without breaking manifesto commitments ruling out personal tax rises, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said a number of factors would knock off course the chancellor’s plans to stay within Whitehall spending limits. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago Tesla’s UK sales fall almost 60% in July as BYD surges; Neil Woodford fined and banned over fund collapse – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsBritain’s service sector companies were hit by a drop in orders last month, as demand at home and abroad remained sluggish.Service sector growth slowed last month amid a decline in new work, according to the latest survey of purchasing managers from data firm S&P Global.“UK service providers recorded a third consecutive monthly rise in business activity, but they were unable to maintain the growth rate achieved in June.Moreover, new business intakes swung back into contraction during July, with the downturn in order books the fastest for just over two-and-a-half years. Risk aversion and low confidence among clients were the main reasons provided for sluggish sales pipelines, alongside an unfavourable global economic backdrop. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago Tesla’s UK sales fall almost 60% in July; Neil Woodford fined and banned over fund collapse – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsBritain’s service sector companies were hit by a drop in orders last month, as demand at home and abroad remained sluggish.Service sector growth slowed last month amid a decline in new work, according to the latest survey of purchasing managers from data firm S&P Global.“UK service providers recorded a third consecutive monthly rise in business activity, but they were unable to maintain the growth rate achieved in June.Moreover, new business intakes swung back into contraction during July, with the downturn in order books the fastest for just over two-and-a-half years. Risk aversion and low confidence among clients were the main reasons provided for sluggish sales pipelines, alongside an unfavourable global economic backdrop. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago Service industry growth slows as firms hit by ‘sluggish’ demand

However, new figures were stronger than expected by economists, who had predicted a reading of 51.2 for the latest month.

Events

1 week ago Wall St and Silicon Valley ride high as tariffs hit Main Street

Banks and Big Tech are booming but slowing US growth is hurting other companies across the board

Events

4 w. ago UK payrolls down by 178,000 over last year; Bundesbank chief defends central bank independence after Trump’s attacks on Powell – business live

UK company payrolls have fallen by 178,000 in last year, pushing unemployment rate to four-year highAnalysis: The rise in unemployment shows the UK jobs market is cooling, but it is not collapsingDeutsche Bank’s chief UK economist Sanjay Raja agrees that the UK’s labour market is continuing to cool, with both payrolls and vacancies down.Raja explains:Redundancies remain elevated with the May data showing a 114k increase in the three months to May – its highest level in three months. Jobs demand remains weak as hiring plans are near a standstill.This will continue to see unemployment rise – but we think this will be a slow grind higher as opposed to a whipsaw higher. For the MPC, despite the bump higher in inflation, the loosening in labour market should give the BoE reason to proceed with a gradual dial down of restrictive policy.The fallout in the labour market from the hikes in National Insurance Contributions and the minimum wage is not as big as previously thought. Even so, as p...

Economics

4 w. ago The rise in unemployment shows the UK jobs market is cooling, but it is not collapsing

Despite the latest poor data, wage growth remains resilient and there are ‘signs of confidence returning’UK unemployment rises as jobs market ‘weakens’Business live – latest updatesAnaemic economic growth, rising inflation, and a worsening outlook in the jobs market. If the inheritance from the Conservatives had been bad, the situation a year in to the new Labour government do not look much better.The latest figures show unemployment nudged up to 4.7% in May, hitting the highest level in four years, while wage growth slowed for a third consecutive month, and employers cut back on hiring. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Rise in unemployment shows UK jobs market is cooling, but it is not collapsing

Despite latest poor data wage growth remains resilient, and there are ‘signs of confidence returning’UK unemployment rises as jobs market ‘weakens’Business live – latest updatesAnaemic economic growth, rising inflation, and a worsening outlook in the jobs market. If the inheritance from the Conservatives had been bad, the situation a year in to the new Labour government does not look much better.The latest figures show unemployment nudged up to 4.7% in May, hitting the highest level in four years, while wage growth slowed for a third consecutive month, and employers cut back on hiring. Continue reading...

Politics