Economy news

• The common ‘misconception’ about the inheritance tax seven-year rule

  06-10-2026 06:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  Lifetime gifting can be an effective way to reduce the value of your estate and lower an inheritance tax (IHT) bill.Larger gifts that fall outside other allowances, such as the £3,000 per year annual exemption and the £250 small gift allowance, are known as potentially exempt transfers (PETs).How much inheritance tax is owed will depend on when the PETs were made. Under the seven-year rule, if gifts were given at least seven years before death, they won’t be subject to inherita
  
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• Tory plan to rip up UK-EU food deal risks ‘huge uncertainty’, producers warn

  06-10-2026 18:00 via ft.com
  Food and drink industry fears it may be forced to comply with different regulatory regimes every few years
  
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• Tory plan to rip up UK-EU food deal risks ‘huge uncertainty’

  06-10-2026 18:00 via ft.com
  Food and drink industry fears it may be forced to comply with different regulatory regimes every few years
  
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• Badenoch pledges to halve employers’ NI contributions for younger workers

  06-10-2026 18:00 via ft.com
  Tories say policy for 21 to 24-year-olds would cost £2.3bn once extra tax receipts and lower welfare spending were taken into account
  
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• Ireland offers tax cuts in budget to help with cost of living

  06-10-2026 16:59 via ft.com
  Dublin will record another budget surplus this year but faces warnings it is too reliant on volatile tax revenues from US multinationals
  
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• Why are bond yields so high?

  06-10-2026 13:30 via ft.com
  An attempt to shed some light on the big question of 2026
  
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• NS&I boosts rates on eight savings accounts – are they best buys?

  06-10-2026 13:19 via moneyweek.com
  
  NS&I has hiked rates on eight of its fixed-rate savings accounts for the second time in two months.The Treasury-backed bank has improved the rate on its one, two, three and five-year fixed rate accounts, with several now paying more than 5%.It comes as NS&I strives to meet its net financing target of £15 billion for the 2026/27 tax year, up from £13 billion in 2025/26.Andrew Westhead, retail director at NS&I, said the move to increase interest rates comes in response to c
  
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• Healey warns banks that UK faces ‘challenging’ fiscal picture but stays tight-lipped on tax

  06-10-2026 12:36 via ft.com
  Chancellor refuses to give executives from banks including Barclays, HSBC and NatWest any guidance on whether they will face Budget tax increases
  
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• UK risks ‘uninvestable’ reputation if North Sea projects are blocked, says energy boss

  06-10-2026 12:07 via ft.com
  Equinor chief says refusal to approve Rosebank and Jackdaw projects would be ‘major setback’
  
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• FirstFT: Le Pen lays out economic plan for France

  06-10-2026 11:55 via ft.com
  Also in today’s newsletter: Brazil’s stock market surges and Trump eases limits on use of red diesel
  
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• Germany’s pivot on China trade is a long time coming for other EU capitals

  06-10-2026 07:00 via ft.com
  Also in this newsletter: Moldova’s PM urges Brussels to keep enlargement window ‘open’
  
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• FirstFT: French central bank chief warns on rising rates

  06-10-2026 06:32 via ft.com
  Also in today’s newsletter: ‘rogue’ AI liability and London gold futures
  
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• The bond market turns on France

  06-10-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  The country is being hit by a pre-election debt sell-off. Many fear it could shake the Eurozone
  
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• Labour mayor of West Midlands urges chancellor to relax electric car targets

  06-10-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Richard Parker says mandate for 80% of all new vehicles sold by end of decade to be all-electric will damage carmakers and suppliers
  
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• France, the bond vigilantes and the streets

  06-10-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  The country is being hit by a pre-election debt sell-off. Many fear it could shake the Eurozone
  
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• France: between the bond market and the barricades

  06-10-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  The country is being hit by a pre-election debt sell-off. Many fear it could shake the Eurozone
  
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• BT’s swoop on TalkTalk has regulators over a barrel

  06-10-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  UK watchdog typically takes a robust view of reduced competition in telecoms market but is taking a back seat this time
  
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• Reflection AI boosts US ambition to compete with Chinese ‘open’ models

  05-10-2026 21:00 via ft.com
  Start-up claims new model Beam is on par with leading Chinese competitor as battle with Beijing intensifies
  
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• Tories pledge big tax cuts in push to win over wealthy voters

  05-10-2026 20:28 via ft.com
  Kemi Badenoch heralds ‘morally right’ plan to cut inheritance tax while shadow chancellor vows to cut mansion tax
  
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• Conservatives promise big tax cuts in push to win over wealthy voters

  05-10-2026 20:28 via ft.com
  Kemi Badenoch heralds ‘morally right’ plan to cut inheritance tax while shadow chancellor vows to cut mansion tax
  
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• French central bank head warns country at risk of being ‘strangled by interest rates’

  05-10-2026 18:56 via ft.com
  Emmanuel Moulin says France can still reassure bond investors despite ‘serious and worrying’ market moves in recent days
  
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• ‘Very sensible’: Business warms to Badenoch’s pitch

  05-10-2026 18:16 via ft.com
  Executives left unconvinced by Andy Burnham’s plans are signalling that they are prepared to give the Tories a second chance
  
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• Burnham’s Budget must not be overshadowed by the OBR

  05-10-2026 17:00 via ft.com
  Rather than being buffeted by the official forecasts, Number 10 should seek to turn them to their advantage
  
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• Germany and France agree on last-resort tool against trade threats

  05-10-2026 15:32 via ft.com
  Berlin on board with ‘second-strike weapon’ to deter threats over key supplies such as exports of Chinese rare earths and magnets
  
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• Trump’s diesel export coercion will not strengthen the US

  05-10-2026 13:35 via ft.com
  The demand-destroying response to the 1973 Arab oil embargo shows the risk of stopping exports
  
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• FirstFT: Flávio Bolsonaro secures early lead in Brazil’s election

  05-10-2026 12:33 via ft.com
  Also in today’s newsletter: Spain’s Pedro Sánchez calls snap election and the euro falls to 17-month low against the dollar
  
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• Bond turbulence means it’s time for the ECB to put QT on hold

  05-10-2026 12:22 via ft.com
  Prudence suggests a halt by the central bank until more stable conditions are restored
  
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• UK business secretary weighs up tariffs on Chinese EVs

  05-10-2026 12:03 via ft.com
  Jonathan Reynolds authorises officials to draw up package of potential levies that could be imposed
  
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• A Chinese billionaire reckons with the limits of building AI across borders

  05-10-2026 12:00 via ft.com
  One-time gaming tycoon Chen Tianqiao bet billions on a second act in agentic research but ran headlong into US-China trade tensions
  
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• Saudi Aramco chief warns world’s oil stockpiles are ‘scarily thin’

  05-10-2026 10:21 via ft.com
  Amin Nasser says inventories depleted by Middle East conflict could take up to two years to rebuild
  
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