Financial news

We don’t do our best work just before lunch, and it’s not much better afterwards | Torsten Bell

13-04-2024 20:00

Stagnating productivity might be blamed either on distracting hunger pangs or post-prandial dozinessWe’re not very productive. Stagnant productivity is the reason wages have flatlined since 2008, leaving our pay packets £14,000 lighter than if they’d kept growing. British economists and policymakers worry about this a lot.We are always on alert for signs of low productivity. For me, warning signs start flashing immediately after lunch. My mind slows, creativity dims and the inb

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Crippling mortgages and £16 olive oil: how much have UK prices risen in the past two years?

13-04-2024 16:00

The government might be celebrating falling inflation, but higher prices for goods and services are here to stayTwo years ago, a two-litre bottle of supermarket olive oil cost about £7. Step into your local branch today and that same bottle will set you back more than £16. Grab a packet of pasta, or some broccoli, and you will pay 95% and 50% more, respectively, than in 2022. If your car insurance renewal is due, that will be an extra 35%-50%.The Russian invasion of Ukraine almost 26

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‘It’ll be a massive saving’: why more people in the UK are downsizing home

13-04-2024 12:00

Some Britons are aiming to cut their mortgage costs and lower stress levels by moving to a smaller propertyWhen Richard Wise* moved from London to Margate in Kent three years ago, he did not expect to move again any time soon. But the music industry manager and his partner are planning to downsize from a four- to a three-bedroom property after their mortgage rate quadrupled.“After Liz Truss’s bombshell [the September 2022 mini-budget that led to rising mortgage rates], our mortgage r

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‘Completely destroyed’: how a Halfords service left a car owner £2,000 out of pocket

13-04-2024 08:00

A man was left in despair when his beloved Alfa Romeo was wrecked on a test drive by a staff memberA Birmingham man who took his beloved Alfa Romeo to Halfords Autocentre for a routine service has described his despair after it was written off on a test drive by a staff member, leaving him more than £2,000 out of pocket.Ian Tubbs contacted Guardian Money when, rather than helping a customer whose car was “completely destroyed” in its care, Halfords refused to accept liability f

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