Economy news

• Who pays for emerging art and the artists who make it?

  08-08-2026 09:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  The writer Bret Easton Ellis once said that his advice to young artists was simple – marry someone rich. The line holds true because, well, it's true. Ellis may be biased towards seeing the uglier logic of money – the way it quietly shapes outcomes while pretending not to – but in this case, the bleak diagnosis is backed up by the numbers.The art market does not reliably sort by talent. It sorts by who can keep going, stay visible, absorb unpaid years, access the right rooms, a
  
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• Average stamp duty by region: How much are you likely to pay?

  14-08-2026 14:03 via moneyweek.com
  
  Stamp duty land tax is another cost to factor into the equation when buying property in England or Northern Ireland.It is applied at different rates depending on the value of the property, if the home you’re buying costs more than £125,000. That threshold rises to £300,000 for first-time buyers purchasing a home worth £500,000 or less.The average house price in England was £292,095 as of May 2026, according to the latest data from HM Land Registry, meaning the typic
  
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• Bond markets are too relaxed about inflation

  14-08-2026 14:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  Even if you do not invest much in bonds, the bond markets are hugely important. Jim Leaviss, the former M&G bond guru, who sadly passed away last month, was fond of saying that “there is nothing more fascinating than a fixed-income instrument”. There is a lot of truth in this. The bond markets directly reflect consensus about inflation, growth, government finances and more, while influencing the price of many other assets.So while investors who are willing to take greater risk in
  
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• Claim your exclusive offer

  14-08-2026 13:53 via moneyweek.com
  
  In partnership with the Investor Summit, we're offering you a free 6 issue trial with MoneyWeek magazine. Plus, if you continue after your trial you'll get an extra 10% off a Print + Digital or Digital only subscription. Our team of experts connect market intelligence and economic analysis to give you clear, actionable insight. Keep informed and capitalise on the most lucrative opportunities with MoneyWeek. PRINT + DIGITAL6 free issues then £44.09 every 13 issues (quarter)Save £53.88
  
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• Are ‘boring’ sectors back?

  14-08-2026 13:45 via moneyweek.com
  
  The market has had an up and down year, driven largely by volatility in tech and artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. The CBOE Volatility Index (often referred to as the VIX), an index which measures the stock market’s expected volatility based on S&P 500 options, reached 35 in March (following the outbreak of the war in Iran), levels only surpassed in the last five years by 2025’s tariff turmoil and the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.The S&P 500 has ranged from 6,317 to 7,79
  
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• Swiss economy grows at fastest rate since 2021

  14-08-2026 12:39 via ft.com
  Chemicals and pharma sectors help GDP expand 1.5% in the second quarter
  
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• FirstFT: Iran war pushes up mortgage costs for borrowers

  14-08-2026 12:01 via ft.com
  Also in today’s newsletter: Anthropic and ChatGPT launch cheap models, and Venezuela requests return of 31 tonnes of gold
  
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• A farewell to Matthew Jukes, Britain’s top wine expert

  14-08-2026 11:31 via moneyweek.com
  
  Matthew Jukes, MoneyWeek’s wine columnist for 20 years, has died at the age of 58. Readers of the magazine and indeed its staff will sorely miss his amusing and ebullient reviews and unique voice, not to mention his expertise in seeking out delicious and affordable wines. He was always exceptionally busy elsewhere, too – he was, as The Telegraph says, “one of Britain’s busiest and most respected wine experts”, writing columns for the Daily Mail and becoming a star o
  
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• Swiss economy grows at fastest rate since 2021 despite trade turmoil

  14-08-2026 10:31 via ft.com
  Chemicals and pharma sectors help boost GDP by 1.5% in the second quarter
  
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• Is CEO Dave Lewis Diageo’s hangover cure?

  14-08-2026 10:14 via moneyweek.com
  
  Dave Lewis, new CEO of alcoholic-drinks giant Diageo, laid out plans to revamp thecompany after several years of falling profits, says Madeleine Speed in the Financial Times.The maker of Guinness and Johnnie Walker posted a 2% decline in organic revenue for the year to 30 June 2026, while operating profits dropped 27% to $3.2 billion. Savings will be made by “redesigning Diageo's operating model and overhauling its supply chain”, with the elimination of what Lewis calls “massiv
  
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• Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus is where the city’s golden age still lingers

  14-08-2026 09:30 via moneyweek.com
  
  Istanbul has existed in its various guises for millennia, straddling Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus. It is a cosmopolitan city. Here, you will find former Byzantine churches, many today serving as mosques, standing beside bazaars and rooftop restaurants frequented by tourists from all over the world. That centuries-old charm is still evident in the ruby-red çay (tea) that arrives without asking, baklava glistening behind bakery windows, the aroma of kebabs, and cats lounging beneath
  
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• Karthik Sankaran on the case for yen intervention

  14-08-2026 07:30 via ft.com
  ‘I’ve been calling for an intervention at least since dollar-yen was at 150’
  
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• FirstFT: Cheaper Chinese models push OpenAI and Anthropic into price war

  14-08-2026 06:30 via ft.com
  Also in today’s newsletter: UK aid cuts and effective altruism revival
  
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• The Treasury market’s toxic codependency

  14-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  The US government bond market has become a hedge fund playground
  
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• Pakistan and the new great game of Risk

  14-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Islamabad has bold ambitions to play a more proactive role in the world
  
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• Mortgage costs pushed higher by US stand-off with Iran

  14-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Interest rates on home loans have jumped in America and several big European economies in recent weeks
  
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• Trump launches tariffs targeting Chinese drone technology

  14-08-2026 02:40 via ft.com
  US to impose up to 100% levies on unmanned aircraft and their components
  
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• FirstFT: The battle for control of India’s biggest conglomerate

  13-08-2026 23:39 via ft.com
  Also in today’s newsletter: Anthropic investors bet on $2tn valuation and Sanae Takaichi slams Vladimir Putin’s visit to disputed Pacific islands
  
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• US sells 30-year bonds at highest borrowing costs since 2001

  13-08-2026 21:51 via ft.com
  Yields have jumped amid concerns over mounting public debt and persistently high inflation
  
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• US accuses more than 40 countries of helping China avoid Trump’s tariffs

  13-08-2026 17:55 via ft.com
  White House says Canada, Japan, EU and others enabling the evasion of levies for $60bn in trade via ‘transshipment scam’
  
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• Should you withdraw your pension before inheritance tax rule changes? What you must consider first

  13-08-2026 13:37 via moneyweek.com
  
  After years of being told to spend our pensions last because they could be handed down free of inheritance tax, a new rule coming in from next April flips that guidance on its head. From 6 April, 2027, most unspent pensions passed on will be included in the estate for inheritance tax (IHT) purposes and could be taxed at 40%.The move has triggered a big change in behaviour, with many over-55s (the earliest you can currently take your pension) withdrawing more of their money sooner rather than lat
  
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• Price of niche rare earth jumps on fears of renewed Chinese export controls

  13-08-2026 13:00 via ft.com
  Erbium, used widely in infrastructure, is among the broad range of metals that China dominates production of
  
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• UK growth resilient in second quarter

  13-08-2026 10:01 via ft.com
  Real GDP held up better than expected during the worst months of the energy price shock
  
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• Maersk chief calls for investment push to ease trade strains

  13-08-2026 09:59 via ft.com
  Container shipping group hiked guidance after port bottlenecks boosted freight rates and profits
  
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• ‘The most difficult dilemma’

  13-08-2026 07:30 via ft.com
  Monetary policy and supply shocks
  
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• FirstFT: Anthropic investors bet on $2tn valuation

  13-08-2026 06:31 via ft.com
  Also in today’s newsletter: Lab-grown diamonds and Wall Street’s wager on Nvidia’s AI chips
  
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• Trump is taxing the dark matter that pays America’s way

  13-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  The administration’s tariff regime undermines the income the US receives from deploying knowledge abroad
  
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• China is winning the race for the Ice Silk Road

  12-08-2026 18:40 via ft.com
  Melting in the Arctic is unleashing a geopolitical tussle over new trade routes
  
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• July inflation decline does not mean Fed’s September rise is off the table

  12-08-2026 16:02 via ft.com
  Headline and core inflation rates were both lower, with energy prices registering another decline over the month
  
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• Thousands of households near pylons to get £250 a year off energy bills – could you be eligible?

  12-08-2026 15:00 via moneyweek.com
  
  Thousands of households living near new or upgraded electricity pylons and power lines are set to start receiving an energy bills discount worth £250 a year.The government has revealed the first locations where outdated electricity infrastructure will be upgraded, with households living close to these projects eligible for money off their bills.The scheme is due to start in the first half of 2027, with most eligible households getting an automatic discount on their electricity bill every s
  
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