Financial news

• A burst of good news can’t hide the economic hazards ahead in 2019

  19-01-2019 18:00 via theguardian.com
  Doomsayers warn of a slump as early as next year – and it might be too late to prove them wrongAlmost as soon as the world’s most eminent economic doomsayers began to warn about an impending slump, possibly as soon as 2020, policymakers were out of the blocks, racing to avert the worst effects.The new year message from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a string of similarly gloomy commentators struck a chord, apparently within weeks of sounding the alarm that a global recessi
  
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• All stations to regeneration? Work on HS2 begins in earnest

  19-01-2019 17:00 via theguardian.com
  At Euston, the controversial rail route’s southern terminus, the diggers are at work. Can the project deliver what it promises?The wealthy inhabitants of 18th-century Piccadilly dug deep when choosing a resting place in the new, overflow St James burial ground in Camden: the less likely to be disturbed by later arrivals to London’s packed cemeteries. But even a stone casket eight metres down only buys you so much peace when a £56bn train line comes knocking.The first big dig on
  
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• Davos 2019: do the global elite have the will to fix the world's problems?

  19-01-2019 16:59 via theguardian.com
  Globalisation, populism and Brexit are among the issues at the World Economic ForumPolitical and economic problems loom heavily over the global elite as they gather at Davos for the World Economic Forum. But is there any political will to fix them? Continue reading...
  
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• Can Britain’s butchers survive the vegan boom?

  19-01-2019 16:06 via theguardian.com
  Beleaguered by the rise of meat-free lifestyles and the decline of the high street, some in the trade are fighting backWhat a time to be a butcher. With Veganuary in full swing and scientists delivering an onslaught of post-Christmas advice about the perils of meat eating, butchers are under pressure from all sides, caught in the cleft of consumer demands for better quality food at ever cheaper prices.Take Robert Byford. A year ago, his shop in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, was one of four serving a popu
  
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• RAC accused of hiding 37% rise in cost of breakdown cover

  19-01-2019 11:16 via theguardian.com
  Policy renewal letter did not mention annual premium increase, says one customer, despite it being mandatoryThe RAC has been accused of sending out breakdown cover renewal letters with an undisclosed 37% increase in premiums, despite new rules that force insurers to display annual price rises.Since 2017, insurers have been required to tell consumers in renewal letters how much they paid the previous year to encourage them to shop around. At the time the measure was introduced, the Financial Cond
  
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• State pensions: how you can top up to beat the April price rise

  19-01-2019 09:48 via theguardian.com
  Paying £600 in contributions could lead to a boost of about £4,000 over your retirement
  •Should I volunteer to become a pensions trustee?Thousands of people are being urged to consider topping up their state pension before the price goes up in April. Someone who pays in £600-£700 now could potentially end up receiving £4,000-£5,000 of extra state pension over their retirement.Many people are unaware they can potentially cash in by paying subsidised volunt
  
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• Viagogo releases data showing huge scale of ticket touting

  19-01-2019 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Website publishes details of small firms and sole traders who are vastly inflating pricesThe scale of ticket touts’ grip on access to live music and sports has been revealed, after the Viagogo website published details of its most prolific sellers, under the terms of a court order secured against the company by regulators.Information released by Viagogo showed that touts have grabbed thousands of pounds worth of tickets to see artists such as Ariana Grande and Fleetwood Mac, which they the
  
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• Lightbulb moment: ‘I pay just £14 a year – and you can too’

  19-01-2019 08:45 via theguardian.com
  A retired engineer has slashed his lighting bill by using LED bulbs – why isn’t everyone doing it?There is an electrical puzzle that retired engineer Rodney Birks just can’t solve. After a lifetime spent designing instruments for cars, Birks, 72, can’t quite work out why the government and millions of households are ignoring the single, simple way we can all cut the electricity bill for lighting our homes by 90%.It will shave nearly £2bn off the energy bills for Bri
  
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• Should I volunteer to be a pension trustee?

  19-01-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  My colleagues are encouraging me, but I’m worried it will mean loads of pointless workEvery week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.My company lets employees choose trustees to help oversee its pension scheme. My colleagues are pushing me to sign up, but I’m worried it will mean loads of work without achieving anything. Can any other trustees out
  
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• ‘We have always had a Marks & Spencer here. It's very sad’

  19-01-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Shoppers across the UK react to the news that their towns are losing an old favourite A branch of Marks & Spencer is still a badge of pride for high streets around the country – often one of the biggest and best-sited stores in town.. But the rise of online shopping and cheaper rivals like Primark that appeal to younger shoppers means M&S is facing an existential threat with at least 100 stores closing as part of a reinvention plan.On Tuesday M&S revealed the locations of anoth
  
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• 'I’m a freegan – I get food from bins, foraging or my garden'

  19-01-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Green activist John Cossham, 52, on how he earns very little so he can live a low-carbon lifestyleName: John Cossham
  Age: 52
  Income: £10,000
  Occupation: Entertainer and ecology educatorI’m an enthusiastic green activist and I earn very little so I can live a low-carbon lifestyle. That’s the way I like it; I don’t want much money, because people who earn a lot have a high carbon footprint. This green lifestyle saves my family about £10,000 a year on utilities, food a
  
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• Could renting without huge deposits become the norm?

  19-01-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Tenants are being offered schemes that do away with the need for large amounts upfrontScraping together a deposit on a new flat is always tough for tenants, with the average amount demanded now more than £1,400 in England and Wales. Would you rather pay an insurance fee of about £300 – which you won’t get back – or find the money for the deposit? That’s the deal being dangled in front of tenants by some of Britain’s biggest letting agents.Rental deposits
  
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