Financial news

• Martin Lewis 'timebomb' warning to anyone who bought car or van between these dates

  18-07-2024 21:27 via express.co.uk
  
  Martin Lewis has issued a 'timebomb' warning to anyone who bought a car with one of these two types of finance deals between these dates.
  
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• Money can buy you happiness, says study suggesting more is more

  18-07-2024 20:54
  
  Data shows happiness gap between wealthy and middle-income people wider than between middle- and low-income onesThis just in: money apparently does buy happiness.A new study conducted by a senior fellow at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania found an increasingly positive association between money and happiness. Continue reading...
  
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• UK house purchases delayed by problems with Chaps payments system

  18-07-2024 19:00
  
  Bank of England said issue affected some payments on Thursday but that service had been restored by 4.30pmHouse purchases were delayed on Thursday because of problems with a crucial payments system, the Bank of England has said.There were claims that the issue could have affected a number of homebuyers and movers, with some “stuck waiting for the green light” and loaded-up removal vans parked in driveways, though at 4.30pm on Thursday the Bank said service had been restored. Continue
  
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• Canary Wharf Group to carve chunks out of HSBC tower after bank leaves

  18-07-2024 18:57
  
  Revamp of 42-storey block when bank moves out in 2027 will include new terraces and leisure facilitiesBusiness live – latest updatesCanary Wharf Group has unveiled plans to remove large chunks from the HSBC tower as part of a revamp of the 42-storey office block when the bank moves out in 2027, in a reflection of the changing face of the east London financial district after the pandemic.The property company said it would carve out sections of the tower’s facade to create terraces as
  
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• Ed Davey says Post Office lied to him and apologises to Alan Bates

  18-07-2024 18:34
  
  Ex-minister and current Lib Dem leader tells inquiry he rejected campaigner when he first asked for meetingThe Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, has accused the Post Office of lying to him, as he apologised to Sir Alan Bates for turning down a meeting as the former post office operator tried to expose the scandal over the Horizon computer system.Davey, who served as postal affairs minister between 2010 and 2012, was giving evidence at the inquiry into the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of pos
  
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• When making money doesn’t generate wealth | Letters

  18-07-2024 18:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Alan Wenban-Smith on the intersection between wealth creation and making money and Jennifer Highwood on politicians buying seatsTwo excellent articles this week – by Nesrine Malik (Hidden behind the celebration of Labour’s ‘landslide’ win is a depressing disfranchisement, 15 July) and by George Monbiot (Labour can end austerity at a stroke – by taxing the rich and taxing them hard, 14 July). But while they tease out the dire societal consequences of the economic ass
  
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• David Cameron failed to foist new houses on rural areas. Why does Keir Starmer think he’ll succeed? | Simon Jenkins

  18-07-2024 18:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Labour’s bonfire of planning regulations will stir up the shires and let down those most in need – but the construction lobby will be happyOutside Glastonbury last month, festivalgoers might have caught sight of David Cameron’s policy of planning de-regulation in action, sprawling across Somerset. Acres of identikit houses, mini-Tudor and mini-Georgian, seemingly flown in and dumped from somewhere off London’s North Circular Road. Hundreds of other similar estates appeare
  
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• Martin Lewis says get £1,128 from your water supplier with one phone call

  18-07-2024 18:08 via express.co.uk
  
  Money expert Martin Lewis says you could get as much as £1,128 from your water supplier - and it's as easy as getting in touch.
  
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• Royal Mail revenues boosted by election and rise in stamp prices

  18-07-2024 17:51
  
  Parent firm’s CEO defends postal service after reported delays to ballot papers, saying: ‘What we got, we delivered’Business live – latest updatesThe chief executive of Royal Mail’s parent company has said it was “too easy to point a finger” at the delivery company over delays to postal votes, as it reported a rise in revenue helped by the general election.The postal company’s owner, International Distribution Services (IDS), which is the subject o
  
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• True cost of a knotweed and bamboo invasion as natural forces wreck house values

  18-07-2024 17:33 via express.co.uk
  
  Household sale experts at My Home Move Conveyancing have put a value of the risks posed by the eight factors.
  
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• New scheme offers bigger mortgages with family help but some experts say be wary

  18-07-2024 17:24 via express.co.uk
  
  In the past, parents might have acted as guarantors for the mortgages of adult children - however, these new schemes go much further.
  
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• Tell us: if you’ve booked a last minute summer holiday, share why and where you are going

  18-07-2024 17:18 via theguardian.com
  
  We’re keen to hear from people why they have waited to book their summer holiday this year, and what destinations they will be travelling toAs extreme weather may have contributed to the rise in late bookings reported by the holiday firm Jet2 this summer, with many Britons making arrangements for last minute getways, we’d like to know where people are going.If you have booked a last minute holiday this summer or are about to, tell us where you’re headed and why you’ve wai
  
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• Bank of England plunged into chaos as it warns of house-buying 'delays'

  18-07-2024 16:48 via express.co.uk
  
  A global payments system is having issues, with the Bank of England warning of ‘delays' on big payments such as buying houses.
  
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• UK graduates: tell us how your job hunt has been going

  18-07-2024 15:57 via theguardian.com
  
  We’d like to hear from recent UK graduates how it has been to find their first graduate roles after universityWe’re interested to hear from people who have recently graduated and have been trying to secure their first graduate job in the UK.Whether you have just left university or have graduated in the past few years, tell us how your graduate job hunt has been going, how many applications you have sent out, how many interviews and job offers you’ve had, what pay offers you hav
  
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• DWP: The 12 common health conditions that can see you get extra £798 a month

  18-07-2024 15:41 via express.co.uk
  
  Up to 3.4 million Britons are currently claiming the DWP's PIP benefit.
  
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• Pret a Manger customers left fuming over end of ‘free drinks’

  18-07-2024 15:39
  
  Chain calls time on five-a-day coffee subscription it launched in UK after Covid pandemicUK politics live – latest updatesPret a Manger is axing its subscription offering members “free drinks”, almost four years after the deal launched in the UK to attract customers back after the Covid pandemic.In a move that has upset some customers, the coffee chain said it was “time to rethink” the Club Pret offer, and that instead of providing five drinks a day and a 20% discou
  
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• I am well off, but have never been able to enjoy it. This summer, I’ll change my relationship with money | Lola Mendez

  18-07-2024 15:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Wage dysmorphia is common among those who, like me, have developed a scarcity mindset – but it stops us from thrivingRecently, for the first time in my life, I paid to upgrade myself to business class on a flight. It felt exhilarating to spend money frivolously and treat myself to a more comfortable flight. It was decadent, and worth every penny.The upgrade was $180 (£139) and I could have afforded it even if it had been $1,000, but I struggle to justify that kind of expense. As a fr
  
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• UK jobs market cools again as wage growth slows

  18-07-2024 14:55
  
  Interest rate cut hangs in balance after ONS figures show annual pay growth eased to 5.7% in three months to MayBusiness live – latest updatesUK wage growth slowed in May to the lowest level in two years amid a cooling jobs market, underscoring the challenge for the Bank of England as policymakers decide whether to cut interest rates.Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show annual pay growth eased from 5.9% in the three months to April to 5.7% in the three months to May,
  
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• Meta pulls plug on release of advanced AI model in EU

  18-07-2024 14:51
  ‘Unpredictable’ privacy regulations prompt Facebook owner to scrap regional plans for multimodal LlamaBusiness live – latest updatesMark Zuckerberg’s Meta will not release an advanced version of its artificial intelligence model in the EU, blaming the decision on the “unpredictable” behaviour of regulators.The owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp is preparing to issue its Llama model in multimodal form, meaning it is able to work across text, video, image
  
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• Starmer promises to repair ties with European countries

  18-07-2024 14:40
  UK ministers hoping to use EPC summit to explore possibility of future talks with EU on migration and tradeKeir Starmer has promised European leaders he will reset Britain’s ties with their countries as the prime minister uses his first international summit on domestic soil to draw a line under years of fractious relations with continental Europe.The prime minister used his opening speech at the European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace on Thursday to reassure the leaders of m
  
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• UK banks told to treat politicians more fairly after Farage debanking row

  18-07-2024 13:50
  
  The FCA says financial firms should not disadvantage people running for office and their familiesThe UK’s biggest banks have been told by the City watchdog to do more to ensure parliamentarians, senior public servants and their families are treated fairly in the wake of the Nigel Farage debanking row.In a warning to financial firms – including banks, payment firms and lenders – the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said they should not disadvantage people running for office or
  
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• EU biometric checks for foreign travellers delayed again

  18-07-2024 12:42
  
  Digital border system that will require fingerprint and facial scans postponed until NovemberThe date for the introduction of the EU’s new entry-exit system has been pushed back again until November, allaying fears of long queues at the border during the October half-term holidays.The launch of the new biometric checks for foreign travellers, including Britons, entering the EU, has been delayed from 6 October until at least 10 November, with many smaller airports yet to have facilities in
  
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• Chip stocks fall further after Trump’s remarks on Taiwan defence

  18-07-2024 11:50
  
  Semiconductor and related tech shares hit hard by former US president’s calls for Taipei to pay for US protectionBusiness live – latest updatesThe stocks of some of the world’s largest chipmakers have fallen further after comments by Donald Trump that Taiwan, which is central to the global industry, should pay for its own defences against China.Shares in semiconductor and related tech companies had already plunged on Wednesday after the former president’s comments, as wel
  
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• IMF reform is tricky: the US and China will need to work together | Barry Eichengreen

  18-07-2024 07:00
  
  Europe is overrepresented while China is underrepresented, and the US will need to give up its vetoIn July 1944, exactly 80 years ago, representatives of 44 countries met in an obscure New Hampshire village to negotiate the Bretton Woods Agreement establishing the International Monetary Fund. For many, reaching the ripe old age of 80 would be cause for celebration. For the IMF, the anniversary only highlights the urgency of reform.Some necessary reforms are straightforward and widely agreed, rai
  
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• Food, water, wifi: is this the future of humanitarian aid?

  18-07-2024 06:00
  
  Working in food aid delivery, I have seen the benefits of embracing new technologies. But some problems need to be solved between humansThe Pouncer was designed to be the world’s first edible drone. The drone would fly one-way into dangerous, conflict-affected communities, where starving civilians would take it apart, and then cook and eat its components. The snub-nosed, delta-shaped aircraft with a wingspan of nine feet was designed to deliver a payload of 50kg of food – enough to f
  
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