Economy news

• How much does it cost to be middle class?

  21-10-2026 06:00 via UK economy
  I’ve mapped the trappings of middle-class life at three levels — and they’re all getting more expensive
  
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• Rapid UK pay growth adds to pressure on Healey over minimum wage

  22-10-2026 13:33 via UK economy
  Latest earnings data shows strong wage increases, especially for managers and workers in London
  
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• FirstFT: Global equities hit by rise in oil prices

  22-10-2026 12:14 via Global Economy
  Also in today’s newsletter: Barclays axes 5,000 jobs and companies race to protect their websites
  
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• Europe’s bracing reality on US bond yields

  22-10-2026 12:07 via Global Economy
  The region cannot just hope for a fall in borrowing costs across the Atlantic - it must tackle its own problems
  
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• Fixing Britain’s welfare state and the limits of AI policymaking

  22-10-2026 10:35 via UK economy
  Dependence on the technology risks worsening what Starmer dubbed ‘the warm bath of managed decline’ in Whitehall
  
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• UK dividends reach £28 billion in Q3 as banks and miners lead profit distribution

  22-10-2026 09:00 via Latest from MoneyWeek
  
  UK firms delivered over £28 billion in dividends in the third quarter of 2026, marking the highest payout since2019. The dividend total in Q3 2026 was up 14.1%, compared to the same time last year, providing larger payments for income investors, according to new data from financial administration firm Computershare.Its dividend monitor report shows profit distributions were led by banks and mining firms – the sectors returned more than £8.3 billion to investors.Underlying dividend growth in
  
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• FirstFT: Axel Springer boss pitched deal to buy TikTok’s European arm

  22-10-2026 06:30 via Global Economy
  Also in today’s newsletter: UK tuition fees and EQT-Qiagen deal
  
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• Which G7 economy is the profligacy poster child?

  22-10-2026 06:00 via Global Economy
  Among the group, France and the US are heading into a wall
  
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• The rise of Africa’s Chinese factories

  22-10-2026 06:00 via Global Economy
  After years of state-led infrastructure projects, private companies are leading the charge with investing in manufacturing
  
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• The Chinese factory owners seeking fortunes in Africa

  22-10-2026 06:00 via Global Economy
  After years of state-led infrastructure projects, private companies are leading the charge with investing in manufacturing
  
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• The career costs of non-competes: ‘Your striker is sat on the bench’

  22-10-2026 06:00 via UK economy
  Clauses that prevent workers moving to a competitor for many months can restrict job opportunities and lead to costly legal disputes
  
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• No wars and no inflation: Has Trump delivered on his big promises?

  22-10-2026 06:00 via Global Economy
  The US president swept to victory two years ago pledging to fix the economy and close the border. Here is the FT’s scorecard.
  
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• Chocoholics and meat lovers feel brunt of rising UK food prices

  22-10-2026 06:00 via Global Economy
  Poor cocoa harvests and smaller cattle herds push up costs as trade experts call for energy relief for food and drink sector
  
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• AI’s true effect on inflation

  22-10-2026 06:00 via Global Economy
  Relative price shifts can affect the overall price level
  
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• AI and inflation: how worried should central bankers be?

  22-10-2026 06:00 via Global Economy
  Relative price shifts can affect the overall price level
  
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• The 'trillion pound' oil fund the government believes Britain could have built

  22-10-2026 01:27 via BBC News
  
  For the first time, the Treasury calculates how much the UK could have raised by investing North Sea proceeds.
  
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• UK students who graduated in 2024 more likely to be unemployed

  22-10-2026 01:01 via UK economy
  Problems facing small businesses a bigger factor than AI in tough jobs market, analysis shows
  
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• China’s drugmakers move into the big league

  22-10-2026 01:01 via Global Economy
  Foreign pharma groups are now paying to access innovation developed locally
  
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• FirstFT: Scott Bessent shrugs off ‘systemic’ AI risks at private event with investors

  21-10-2026 23:42 via Global Economy
  Also in today’s newsletter: Elon Musk’s $3.6tn gamble and China’s battery makers race to invest abroad
  
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• EU set to delay push for cheaper UK university fees for bloc’s students

  21-10-2026 20:58 via Global Economy
  Concession could help the two sides finalise a ‘reset’ deal at a summit next month
  
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• Ghana in talks with European nations for reparations, president says

  21-10-2026 19:43 via Global Economy
  John Mahama says efforts are focused on securing the return of artefacts stolen during the centuries of the slave trade and colonialism
  
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• Italy’s buffalo mozzarella production grinds to a halt in truckers’ strike

  21-10-2026 19:37 via Global Economy
  Highway blockades lead to major disruptions in country’s south
  
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• Andy Burnham plans to cut standing charges from household gas bills

  21-10-2026 15:34 via Global Economy
  Experts say providers would probably recover loss of daily fixed fee via the unit rate
  
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• Middle East oil exports climb back to prewar levels

  21-10-2026 14:01 via Global Economy
  Daily shipments from Gulf producers average 24.6mn, above 23.3mn before conflict, as ships use alternative routes
  
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• Faisal Islam: Inflation and borrowing figures illustrate chancellor's Budget challenge

  21-10-2026 12:20 via BBC News
  
  The economic figures released on Wednesday show the constraints for John Healey as he puts the finishing touches to his Budget.
  
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• Inflation and government borrowing highest for a year ahead of next week's Budget

  21-10-2026 12:16 via BBC News
  
  Inflation accelerated to 3.5% from 3.1% in the year to September, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
  
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• UK’s biggest port operator valued at over £10bn in Australian fund purchase

  21-10-2026 10:19 via UK economy
  Infrastructure giant IFM Investors buys majority stake in Associated British Ports from Canadian pension funds
  
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• UK inflation and borrowing top forecasts in blow to Healey ahead of Budget

  21-10-2026 09:18 via Global Economy
  Inflation figure will also cement expectations of Bank of England rate rise in November 
  
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• UK inflation and borrowing top forecasts in blow to Healey

  21-10-2026 09:18 via UK economy
  Inflation figure will also cement expectations of Bank of England rate rise in November 
  
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• UK September inflation fuels expectations of imminent BoE rate rise

  21-10-2026 09:03 via Global Economy
  Headline and core inflation accelerates ahead of November meeting
  
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