4 d. ago Trump’s tariff mess raises the danger of a US default | Lloyd Green

The US could breach the debt ceiling even sooner than predicted without action from Republicans“Trump backs down on tariffs, again. And it doesn’t look strategic,” a headline blared on Wednesday afternoon.At the end of trading, equities had recovered a portion of their losses. But plenty of damage had been done. Markets were thrown into turmoil, interest rates jumped and business activity took a hit. Beyond that, the possibility of a recession grew – and the possibility of a default by the US inched up to 6%, according to prediction markets. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago ‘Space junk’: huge astronaut statue coming to Perth park is one giant leap too far for many

Council criticised over plan to replace beloved public artwork with 7-metre tall effigy of spaceman created by a former Wall Street traderGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastThe City of Perth is under increasing pressure to drop its plans to replace one of the city’s most beloved public artworks with a 7-metre tall effigy of an astronaut, which as been derided as a piece of “factory-produced space junk”.Until four years ago, Ore Obelisk, affectionately known as The Kebab by the people of Perth, stood in the heritage-listed Stirling Gardens in the heart of the city. The 15-metre work made from local geological minerals, created by the architect, artist and Perth’s first city planner, Paul Ritter, was erected in 1971 to celebrate Western Australia’s population reaching one million, and was one of the city’s first public artworks.Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Continue reading...

Technology

4 d. ago Trump insists tariff war is ‘doing really well’ as recession fears mount

S&P 500 and Dow Jones rise sharply after extraordinarily volatile week as experts warn of continued turbulenceDonald Trump insisted his trade war with much of the world was “doing really well” despite mounting fears of recession and as Beijing hit back and again hiked tariffs on US exports to China.As the US president said his aggressive tariffs strategy was “moving along quickly”, a closely watched economic survey revealed that US consumer expectations for price growth had soared to a four-decade high. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Another economist cited by Trump to justify tariffs hits out: ‘It’s outrageous. They’re causing a recession’

The associate professor is one of many experts cited by the White House who is now criticizing Trump’s sweeping tariff hikes

Economics

7 d. ago Wall Street slumps as hopes wane for tariff delays; US says it will implement 104% tariff on China – business live

US stock market swings wildly as investor hopes for concessions and delays on tariffs waxed then waned How ‘liberation day’ rout compares with other notorious stock market crisesWall Street traders on Trump tariffs: ‘Without doubt, we’re hitting a recession’Trump threatens additional 50% tariffs on China over retaliatory leviesSouth Korea’s government has approved Tuesday 3 June as the date for a snap presidential election, following the removal from office of Yoon Suk Yeol last week over his declaration of martial law.The move comes after Yoon’s removal after the country’s constitutional court voted unanimously on Friday to uphold parliament’s decision to impeach him over his ill-fated declaration of martial law in December. Continue reading...

Economics

8 d. ago Wall Street surges 3% as European markets rebound on trade deal hopes – business live

Rallies come as US Treasury secretary says he believes country can reach ‘some good deals’ with trading partnersHow ‘liberation day’ rout compares with other notorious stock market crisesWall Street traders on Trump tariffs: ‘Without doubt, we’re hitting a recession’Trump threatens additional 50% tariffs on China over retaliatory leviesSouth Korea’s government has approved Tuesday 3 June as the date for a snap presidential election, following the removal from office of Yoon Suk Yeol last week over his declaration of martial law.The move comes after Yoon’s removal after the country’s constitutional court voted unanimously on Friday to uphold parliament’s decision to impeach him over his ill-fated declaration of martial law in December. Continue reading...

Economics

8 d. ago Wall St set to rally as European markets rebound despite Trump and China trade threats – business live

Beijing says US threat to escalate tariffs against China is a ‘mistake on top of a mistake’ and amounts to blackmailHow ‘liberation day’ rout compares with other notorious stock market crisesWall Street traders on Trump tariffs: ‘Without doubt, we’re hitting a recession’Trump threatens additional 50% tariffs on China over retaliatory leviesSouth Korea’s government has approved Tuesday 3 June as the date for a snap presidential election, following the removal from office of Yoon Suk Yeol last week over his declaration of martial law.The move comes after Yoon’s removal after the country’s constitutional court voted unanimously on Friday to uphold parliament’s decision to impeach him over his ill-fated declaration of martial law in December. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Wall Street traders on Trump tariffs: ‘Without doubt, we’re hitting a recession’

Traders leaving the New York stock exchange were trying to make sense of another day of volatility – what comes next?Traders leaving the New York stock exchange after the bell closed on Monday were sanguine about what had been, by an measure, a day of mood swings on Wall Street, as waves of volatility shook the stock markets, each one created by another deluge of headlines around Donald Trump’s trade war and global economic uncertainty.“The markets opened down a lot, then there was a rumor that the tariffs were off, and they went back up, then all bets were off again and it went down,” said Steve Kos of Option Circle, who offered a series of trading day comparisons as he walked out on to Broad Street in lower Manhattan. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago ALEX BRUMMER: This really is a global catastrophe, but the PM hasn't grasped just how vulnerable we are

Wall Street trader Bill Ackman is one of Donald Trump's most faithful backers in the financial world.

Politics

1 week ago China hits back hard at ‘bullying’ Trump tariffs as global recession fears grow

Beijing imposes punitive 34% extra tariffs on all goods imported from US, exacerbating stock market sell-offBusiness live – latest updatesUS politics live – latest updatesChina has hit back hard against Donald Trump’s “bullying” tariffs, raising fears that the escalating trade war could trigger a global recession and prompting fresh turmoil in financial markets.Beijing retaliated on Friday with punitive 34% additional tariffs on all goods imported from the US – mirroring the US decision and exacerbating a sell-off on global stock markets. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago 'There will be blood': Trump's trade war 'means 60% chance of global recession' as China hits back at the US and shares keep plunging

The FTSE 100 fell another 140 points this morning after the US president's extraordinary assault on allies and foes alike wiped £2trillion off company values internationally.

Events

2 w. ago Benefits cuts to fuel ‘recession level’ hit to UK’s poor, warns think

Chancellor has chosen to ‘concentrate the pain’ on sick and disabled, Resolution Foundation says

Events