Financial news

• Labour shifts poll tactics to target fearful Tory over-65s

  20-04-2024 19:30
  
  Alarm grows over possible pension cuts as research suggests Jeremy Hunt tax cut announcement was ‘blunder’Labour is to wage a new campaign to win over Tory-supporting pensioners in an attempt to neutralise one of the government’s last remaining electoral strengths, amid evidence the Conservatives are now performing as badly among the age group as they did under Liz Truss’s leadership.With less than a fortnight to go until local elections in England, which some Tories fear
  
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• A heedless dash for net zero will waste cash and, later, votes | Phillip Inman

  20-04-2024 18:00
  
  Keir Starmer must learn from the Tories’ failures and ensure green projects are well planned and resourcedIn the energetic pursuit of net zero, billions of pounds could be squandered needlessly. That’s the lesson from countries as diverse as Italy, the US and UK, where the rush to subsidise green projects suggests vast sums are at risk. Worse, they could be lining the pockets of multinational businesses and City financiers.In the UK, 14 years of austerity has left the public sector s
  
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• Even a ‘rate shock’ for British mortgage borrowers may not help the banks

  20-04-2024 13:00
  
  The prospect ofhome loan rates staying high for longer is not the tonic for lenders’ financial results it once wasMortgage borrowers who had been holding out for more affordable rates had their hopes dashed last week, as disappointing economic data raised the likelihood of borrowing costs staying higher for longer.A drop in the annual rate of inflation to 3.2% in March fell only just short of City expectations for a drop to 3.1%, but that was enough to prompt investors to trim their bets o
  
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• ‘Every penny has a purpose’: the rise of zero-based budgeting

  20-04-2024 11:00
  
  Growing social media interest in method of tracking spending and saving prompts banks to get in on the actEach month 20,000 people tune in to watch 27-year-old Beth Fuller work out how to spend her salary.For a year and a half she has, on payday, opened a spreadsheet and written out in granular detail what she will owe in bills, exactly what she wants to do in the weeks ahead, how much it will cost and how much she intends to save. Continue reading...
  
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• The wheelie bag rides again as ‘nanna glamour’ takes hold

  20-04-2024 08:00
  
  Younger women and men are discovering the former fashion faux pas is a great alternative to lugging heavy bagsYou might associate shopping trolleys with older people toiling to get home with their groceries.But now they are being embraced by shoppers of all ages thanks to a fashion makeover that chimes with the current vogue for “nanna glamour”. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘I was flabbergasted’: refunds for unused subscriptions may be easier than you think

  20-04-2024 08:00
  
  Whether the deal auto-renewed without your knowledge or you forgot a free trial had ended, try asking for your money backHow many subscription services are you signed up to? It may be more than you think.According to recent research from Citizens Advice, the amount consumers are spending on “accidental subscriptions” has risen sharply: it estimates unused subscriptions cost us £688m in the past year. The charity found that many of those affected said the subscription “aut
  
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