Economy news

• Americans’ July 4 celebrations come with highest-ever price tag

  02-07-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Tariffs and war in Iran have kept food and gasoline prices elevated as country marks 250th birthday
  
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• Top Fed official warns ‘hot’ inflation could trigger rate rise

  13-07-2026 19:23 via ft.com
  Christopher Waller says a further elevated reading may prompt central bank to tighten policy
  
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• HMRC’s capital gains tax investigations soared to new highs last year

  13-07-2026 17:48 via moneyweek.com
  
  The number of investigations into capital gains tax (CGT) rose by 26% last year, netting HMRC £266 million from Brits who had underpaid.The taxman closed 9,800 investigations in 2024/25, up from 7,800 the previous financial year, according to new Freedom of Information (FOI) figures – the highest number of investigations in a tax year since the Covid pandemic.Of those whose claims were probed, the average amount of underpaid tax rose from £23,333 to £27,142.The total tax
  
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• Investors dashed for AI bottlenecks during Q2

  13-07-2026 17:06 via moneyweek.com
  
  The second quarter (Q2) of 2026 saw increased enthusiasm from British investors, and they appear to be positioning their assets strategically in order to capitalise on looming challenges for the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.Data from investment platform eToro shows that their its investors predominantly bought semiconductor stocks, particularly the makers of memory chips, during Q2.Memory is a key bottleneck for the AI and technology trade. Ownership of memory hardware producer Sandisk (NAS
  
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• UK and Switzerland to loosen visa restrictions as part of services trade deal

  13-07-2026 16:00 via ft.com
  Agreement will also enable British travellers to use automated passport gates at Swiss airports
  
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• Can you get a government grant to install air conditioning?

  13-07-2026 15:28 via moneyweek.com
  
  Heatwave after heatwave have made for a brutal British summer so far. In June, the record for the hottest June day ever recorded was beaten three days in a row, and 26 June marked the sixth-hottest day in the UK since records began.Average temperatures in Britain are already around 1.2°C higher than pre-industrial levels, and heatwaves are set to become more frequent and longer because of climate change. As the UK has been a cooler country for much of its existence, we have very little infra
  
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• China-proofing European cleantech is a tricky business

  13-07-2026 13:31 via ft.com
  Crude tariffs won’t be enough to promote EU renewable energy
  
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• FirstFT: Stocks tumble on Iran and AI fears

  13-07-2026 11:29 via ft.com
  Also in today’s newsletter: Western companies turn to Chinese AI models and the ruthless remake of Citigroup
  
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• Fuller’s outperforms in a tough market – here's why it is worth buying

  13-07-2026 09:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  Since the last time I covered Fuller's – Fuller, Smith & Turner (LSE: FSTA) – in November 2022, the shares have returned around 51% excluding dividends, outperforming the FTSE All-Share index's 41% over the same period. The pub group has not been immune to the headwinds facing the wider hospitality sector, but its robust balance sheet, cash generation and focus on higher-earning consumers in the wealthy areas of London and the southeast have helped it outperform in a tough market
  
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• Hiscox is a safe bet in insurance – how to play its shares

  13-07-2026 08:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  Insurance company Hiscox is benefiting from a volatile global backdrop that means firms want to make sure that their assets – from their factories to the goods and services they sell – are properly insured. Meanwhile, the rise of the digital economy has created new types of insurance, such as protection against cyberattacks.It may not be glamorous, but some of the best investment opportunities are in industries that may seem dowdy, but are solid, profitable and crucial to the global
  
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• EU urged to follow its own rules and ban trade with Israeli settlements

  13-07-2026 07:00 via ft.com
  Also in this newsletter: No ‘single measure’ will protect kids online, says justice commissioner
  
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• FirstFT: US-Iran ceasefire teeters

  13-07-2026 06:33 via ft.com
  Also in today’s newsletter: Bumper investment banking gains and UK council homes
  
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• ‘Trump accounts’ and how to spread America’s wealth

  13-07-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Political stability in the US requires it — the question is, pre-distribution or redistribution?
  
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• The path to a ‘one-and-done’ rate rise at the ECB

  13-07-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Europe’s central bankers will want to see lower energy prices and few signs of indirect effects of ongoing conflict in the Gulf
  
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• Should the US redistribute or pre-distribute wealth?

  13-07-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Political stability in the US requires it — the question is, pre-distribution or redistribution?
  
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• Cutting China reliance would cost the west $23tn, research suggests

  13-07-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Study highlights challenge facing US and EU as they try to reduce Beijing’s dominance over strategic supply chains
  
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• Asia’s capital surplus favours the safest winners

  13-07-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Investors have favoured Japan and South Korea over larger domestic-focused economies
  
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• AI is not enough to arrest China’s decline

  13-07-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  There are other, more powerful forces weighing on the country’s economy
  
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• EU buys record amount of gas from Russia’s flagship plant

  13-07-2026 05:00 via ft.com
  Europe purchased almost all the LNG produced by the Yamal facility in the first half of 2026 ahead of import ban
  
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• A big week for US banks and Andy Burnham

  12-07-2026 19:15 via ft.com
  Britain’s next PM to be rubber-stamped while Wall Street lenders to roar ahead of the earnings season charge
  
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• Will Warsh offer any clues on Fed rates outlook?

  12-07-2026 13:00 via ft.com
  Market Questions is the FT’s guide to the week ahead
  
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• Why are China and India so bad at football?

  12-07-2026 13:00 via ft.com
  Despite large populations and economies, the countries consistently fail to qualify for the World Cup
  
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• Will AI really wipe out all our jobs?

  12-07-2026 10:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  In May 2025, Dario Amodei, the CEO of AI company Anthropic, said that the technology his company is helping push forward could drive unemployment up to 10%-20% in the next one to five years and wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs, as Josh Tyrangiel points out in The Atlantic. Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, has estimated that AI will eliminate half of all white-collar jobs in a decade. Sam Altman of OpenAI has opined that it is just a matter of time before we see a billion-dollar com
  
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• Three high-quality, profitable emerging market stocks

  12-07-2026 09:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  Our philosophy at the Guinness Emerging Markets Equity Income fund is based on identifying quality firms, defined as those that have consistently generated returns on capital above their cost of capital. Such companies tend to pay sustainable dividends because of the cash profits they generate. This sets our approach apart in emerging market stocks, which are often characterised by pronounced volatility. We avoid rollercoaster cyclical sectors and focus on businesses with stable, consistent fina
  
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• Stranded pollock prompt EU to delay fish import controls for US

  12-07-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  System introduced to crack down on illegal fishing has left cargoes stuck in docks for days
  
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• Donald Trump clears path for $4.5bn bridge between Canada and US

  11-07-2026 22:28 via ft.com
  President drops objection to much delayed project after claiming to have won ‘much better deal’
  
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• Trump ups the pressure on US companies in drive to lower prices

  11-07-2026 13:00 via ft.com
  Critics fear shift to ‘hyper-populist playbook’ as inflation lingers
  
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• UK inflation is not distributed equally

  11-07-2026 11:30 via ft.com
  The poorest pay the most in an energy shock
  
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• Can Andy Burnham’s Manchesterism work for Britain?

  11-07-2026 10:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  What is Manchesterism?Manchesterism is the new political buzzword that Andy Burnham uses to describe his political philosophy – essentially meaning social democracy with an emphasis on close relations with business, regional devolution, strong municipal government and public control (though not ownership) of essential services. It is the word the soon-to-be PM himself prefers to sum up his outlook and record as metro-mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. In Burnham's words, the concept m
  
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• The best properties for sale with swimming pools

  11-07-2026 09:30 via moneyweek.com
  
  HamptonsHamptonsHamptonsYeomans Drive, Aston, Stevenage, HertfordshireA Grade II-listed Georgian former coach house with a Flemish-brickwork façade, round-headed windows, and a wooden clock turret. The gardens include a swimming pool heated by an air-source heat pump. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception, garage with studio annexe above. Price: £1.5m Hamptons 01992-874223BedfordsBedfordsBedfordsRedcastle Farmhouse, Great Barton, SuffolkA Grade II-listed, 16th-century house set in land
  
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