Economy news

• Nationwide boosts rates on fixed savings accounts and ISAs again – how do they compare?

  27-08-2026 11:52 via moneyweek.com
  
  Nationwide has boosted rates on some of its savings accounts, offering customers an interest rate of up to 4.55% on their cash.The building society’s one and two-year fixed rate cash ISAs are now paying respective rates of 4.5% and 4.55% AER, up from 4.4% and 4.5% earlier this month.Its one and two-year taxable fixed rate bonds now have interest rates of 4.5% and 4.55%, respectively, a rise from 4.25% and 4.3%.It’s the second time this month Nationwide has bumped up rates on its fixe
  
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• Gatwick airport water supplies hit by burst pipe

  28-08-2026 21:43 via ft.com
  UK hub suffers its second supply disruption this summer
  
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• Warsh the line

  28-08-2026 19:30 via ft.com
  The Fed chair delivered much of what the market was looking for in his Jackson Hole speech
  
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• US manufacturing is booming — but it’s no thanks to Trump’s tariffs

  28-08-2026 19:00 via ft.com
  This is not the nostalgic, protectionism-fuelled return that the president promised
  
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• Warsh settles some nerves at Jackson Hole

  28-08-2026 18:38 via ft.com
  Speech gave a crisper picture of how he reads the economy but leaves open questions over Fed ‘reaction function’
  
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• Warsh’s mildly hawkish speech helped fill in the blanks

  28-08-2026 17:52 via ft.com
  The Fed chair finally gave us his views on the economy at Jackson Hole, outlining his concern that inflation has not ‘meaningfully improved’
  
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• The commuter hotspots where asking prices are rising the fastest – and where they’re falling

  28-08-2026 17:46 via moneyweek.com
  
  Average asking prices for homes in Glasgow and Manchester’s commuter hubs have soared in the past year, new research shows.Property portal Rightmove analysed asking price growth in commuter towns linked to six of Britain's largest cities: London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow and Cardiff.Of the cities analysed, the strongest asking price growth is concentrated in commuter locations by Glasgow and Manchester, with 10 of the top 15 fastest-growing hotspots located here.Asking pric
  
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• Hawkish Warsh hints Fed will raise rates if inflation does not fall soon

  28-08-2026 16:38 via ft.com
  Wall Street cranks up bets on September increase in borrowing costs following central bank chair’s Jackson Hole address
  
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• Warsh says Fed will have ‘work to do’ if inflation does not fall soon

  28-08-2026 16:00 via ft.com
  Central bank chair signals rising concerns over persistently elevated price increases
  
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• Halfords is moving up a gear – here's how to play its shares

  28-08-2026 16:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  During Covid, Halfords (LSE:HFD), briefly benefited from the expectation that everyone would become a cyclist. Many people were making changes to their lives, such as adopting a pet, buying an exercise machine, or taking up a new hobby. Shares in the firms that served these sectors surged, but once the lockdowns ended, many of these interests dwindled, causing the shares to fall back. Even today, Halfords’ share price is still down 50% from its record peak in May 2021. But recently it has
  
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• Gatwick airport water supply hit by burst pipe

  28-08-2026 15:43 via ft.com
  Toilets and restaurants closed after incident, the second disruption this summer
  
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• Three Alpine escapes in Austria

  28-08-2026 15:17 via moneyweek.com
  
  Skiing made easyHotel Nesslerhof Hotel NesslerhofHotel NesslerhofHotel NesslerhofHotel NesslerhofWellness, luxury and indulgence come together at Hotel Nesslerhof. This five-star Austrian retreat is ideally located for hiking year-round. But its location within the Alpine valley of Großarl also makes it particularly well-situated for skiing. Guests can pre-order their ski equipment online before they arrive and find it waiting for them in their personal locker after check-in. They can then
  
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• How to prepare your portfolio for an AI crash

  28-08-2026 15:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  “What should I do if there's a AI crash?” a friend asked me recently. It is a very sensible question – we don't know there will be an AI crash, but having a clear plan to follow when you start to worry is better than waiting and panicking. However, it's also a very difficult question, because the AI theme is such a huge part of the market: tech is over 35% of the MSCI World index (once you allow for firms such as Amazon and Alphabet assigned to non-tech sectors), while the tril
  
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• How to choose an S&P 500 ETF

  28-08-2026 14:45 via moneyweek.com
  
  Putting money in the S&P 500 is popular among those who want to start investing as well asexperienced investors. The S&P 500 is an index that tracks the performance of 500 of the largest companies in the United States, and is therefore one of the most effective proxies for the US stock market. If you put your money in the index, you are effectively backing large US companies to continue to perform and grow in the future. Historically, this has brought about large returns. Between 1 Janua
  
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• Thousands more people dragged into dividend tax net – how to protect your investments

  28-08-2026 14:38 via moneyweek.com
  
  The number of individuals liable for dividend tax is estimated to have reached 3.2 million in 2025/26, up from 3.14 million in 2024/25, according to new Freedom of Information (FOI) figures.The number of people having to pay dividend tax has almost doubled in the six years since 2020, when 1.81 million were liable to pay it.The spike comes after successive cuts to the dividend tax allowance. The allowance was lowered from £2,000 to £1,000 in April 2023, then halved again to £50
  
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• Aberdeen takes £200mn hit on failure of UK broadband provider

  28-08-2026 12:28 via ft.com
  Sale of Airband to Macquarie-backed rival is latest sign of distress in indebted ‘altnet’ sector
  
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• Aberdeen fund takes £200mn hit on failure of UK broadband provider

  28-08-2026 12:28 via ft.com
  Sale of Airband to Macquarie-backed rival is latest sign of distress in indebted ‘altnet’ sector
  
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• The case for investing in small caps

  28-08-2026 11:49 via moneyweek.com
  
  Small cap stocks are often overlooked but, for that reason, they can reward patient investors over the long term.“Small caps offer a rare combination of attractive valuations, growth, and diversification,” said Abby Glennie, co-manager, Aberdeen UK Smaller Companies Growth Trust. “We’ve also gone through market periods globally where the dominant tech themes have driven handfuls of mega caps to lead markets, but perhaps now is the time for market strength to broaden out.
  
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• Healey to shelve his own defence spending target of 3% of GDP by 2030

  28-08-2026 08:54 via ft.com
  Chancellor resigned as defence secretary in June over what he saw as inadequate ambition for military spending by Sir Keir Starmer’s government
  
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• Bank of England likely to respond to high energy prices by end of the year

  28-08-2026 08:41 via ft.com
  Read the July forecast from the FT’s Monetary Policy Radar team
  
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• FirstFT: US corporate profits surge as wages lag

  28-08-2026 07:15 via ft.com
  Also in this newsletter: Europe’s defence rebuke and Saudi Arabia’s mega-project revamp
  
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• FirstFT: All eyes on Fed chair Kevin Warsh

  28-08-2026 07:15 via ft.com
  Also in this newsletter: China suspends rescue operation on Tibet-Nepal border, and Saudi Arabia’s mega-project revamp
  
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• Can you afford to rent in retirement?

  28-08-2026 07:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  When you’re planning your retirement, one of the key decisions you’ll need to make is what your residential status will be: especially, will you live in your own home throughout your golden years, or spend your retirement renting?The latter is not a cheap option. Renting in retirement will now cost an average of £419,000 as rents are expected to more than double in the next 20 years, according to new research from retirement specialist Standard Life.While data from the Office f
  
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• US corporate profits surge to record as worker payouts wilt

  28-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Pre-tax earnings hit highest level since after the second world war as employee remuneration slides
  
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• Is China’s ‘wise camel’ the winner from the US-Iran war?

  28-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Beijing has threatened to retaliate with ‘all necessary measures’ if the US hits it with sanctions
  
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• Hotel groups follow tourists off Europe’s beaten track

  28-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Appeal of Europe’s inland towns and rural destinations boosted by AI and social media
  
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• Hotel groups expand beyond Med’s swarming coastal strips

  28-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Appeal of Europe’s inland towns and rural destinations boosted by AI and social media
  
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• Healey could suffer £4bn headroom hit because of lower immigration forecasts

  28-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  New chancellor is seeking to reassure investors as he prepares for first Budget in October
  
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• EU policy could ice out closest trading partners

  28-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Switzerland and Norway warn that ‘Made in Europe’ policies leave them out in the cold
  
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• EU industrial push strains ties with Switzerland and Norway

  28-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  The bloc’s closest partners warn that ‘Made in Europe’ policies leave them out in the cold
  
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