Financial news

• US jobs report delayed again amid government shutdown

  02-02-2026 20:46 via theguardian.com
  January 2026 report to be rescheduled after BLS has already been faced with major delays from last year’s shutdownThe US’s closely watched jobs report will once again be delayed, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced on Monday, amid a government shutdown.The January 2026 jobs report, originally scheduled to be released on Friday, will be rescheduled when federal funding resumes. Data collection for the report has been completed, but the shutdown has forced a delay to releasi
  
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• Gold and silver prices seesaw as FTSE 100 hits record high

  02-02-2026 18:24 via theguardian.com
  Trump’s pick of ‘respected central banker’ Kevin Warsh as Fed chair prompts investors to sell safe haven assetsGold and silver prices seesawed on Monday, after a “meltdown” in the metals market deepened and rattled investors around the world.Gold prices tumbled by as much as 8% to $4,465 an ounce on Monday, ending a run of record highs that took it to nearly $5,600 last week. It later recovered some ground, but was still down by 3.5% at $4,700 in afternoon trading.
  
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• UK manufacturing growth accelerates as export orders rise

  02-02-2026 15:01 via theguardian.com
  Greater optimism in PMI survey, adding to signs Bank of England will keep interest rates on hold this weekBritish manufacturers enjoyed one of their best months since Labour came to power in January, according to a closely watched survey, adding to signs that the Bank of England will decide to keep interest rates on hold this week.The purchasing managers’ index (PMI), which measures activity in the private manufacturing sector, rose to 51.8 in January from 50.6 in December, the best readin
  
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• Graduates in England and Wales: share your views on student loan repayments

  02-02-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  We’d like to hear from graduates about how they’re faring with paying back student loans. Have you experienced large increases in outstanding debt? In last year’s budget Rachel Reeves froze the salary threshold for plan 2 loan repayments for three years from April 2027 – which means borrowers will have to pay even more towards their student loans as they benefit from pay rises.Student finance is made up of a tuition fee loan, which covers course fees and is paid directly
  
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• ‘A mixed blessing’: crowdfunding has changed the way we give, but is it fair and effective?

  02-02-2026 15:00
  Millions of dollars have been raised for Bondi hero Ahmed al-Ahmed, while campaigns are backing families hit by Victoria’s bushfires. What does this way of giving mean for the charity sector?Within hours of the Bondi beach terror attack, the money had already begun to pour in. As images of the tragedy flooded social media, people from around the world donated tens of thousands of dollars to the victims, their families and first responders.Passing the hat around the neighbourhood or the loc
  
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• UK investor Michael Flacks ‘very interested in British Steel takeover’

  02-02-2026 14:34 via theguardian.com
  Businessman, who says he is a ‘big, bullish believer’, would combine Scunthorpe steelworks with Italian plantBusiness news – latest updatesThe British investor Michael Flacks is reportedly “very” interested in buying British Steel and combining it with another plant in Italy, in a deal that would create one of Europe’s largest metals groups.The businessman’s Miami-based investment group, Flacks Group, which specialises in buying distressed companies, is
  
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• Is Trump winning or losing his war on offshore wind power?

  02-02-2026 13:30 via theguardian.com
  The US president tried to kill offshore wind projects – now four are back under constructionConstruction has resumed on four offshore wind mega-projects after they survived a near-fatal attack by Donald Trump’s administration thanks to rulings by federal judges. These are being seen as victories for clean energy amid a wider war being waged on it by the Trump administration.The windfarms are considered critical by grid planners as America faces an energy affordability crisis. Togethe
  
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• Most of Great Britain’s major rail operators are back in public hands – is it working?

  02-02-2026 11:18 via theguardian.com
  Explore the Guardian’s tracker to see which operators are nationalised and if services are improving under public ownershipThe majority of Great Britain’s major rail operators are now in public ownership, as the Labour government continues its efforts to make the railways “more reliable, affordable and accessible”.The nationalisation of West Midlands Trains on 1 February represents the tenth major passenger service to be brought back into public ownership, leaving six to
  
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• UK house prices bounce back in January as analysts predict 2%-4% rise in 2026

  02-02-2026 10:18
  Nationwide says average price of UK home rose by 0.3% last month after surprise fall in late 2025UK house prices bounced back in January after a surprise fall at the end of last year, and are predicted to improve during 2026, according to the UK’s top mortgage lender.The price of the average UK home rose by 0.3% in January, according to the lender Nationwide. That marked an improvement compared with December, when prices unexpectedly slipped by 0.4% in the weeks after Rachel Reeves’s
  
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• UK house prices rise in January 2026 as mortgage affordability woes ease

  02-02-2026 09:27 via express.co.uk
  UK house prices rose 0.3% in January 2026 to an average of £270,873, with Nationwide Building Society reporting improved affordability as mortgage rates decline.
  
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• Rachel Reeves stealth tax raid hits middle-earning strivers for £600

  02-02-2026 09:04 via express.co.uk
  New data shows that the tax threshold freeze will hit those on middle incomes the hardest.
  
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• Self-driving taxis are coming to London – should we be worried? | Jack Stilgoe

  02-02-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Waymo’s cars were first rolled out in San Francisco, but the English capital’s old roads, pelican crossings and jaywalkers may pose issues for AIAt the end of the 19th century, the world’s major cities had a problem. The streets were flooded with manure, the unintended consequence of dependence on horses as the major form of transport. In this sea of filth, the infant car industry smelled an opportunity. The Horseless Age, a US car magazine, claimed in 1896 that, with the sprea
  
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• Insurer won’t pay out after medical emergency forced us to cancel wedding

  02-02-2026 08:00
  We have now lost £22,000 and now can’t afford to book a new date for the ceremonyTwo days before my wedding last May, my 23-year-old brother was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and underwent emergency surgery.I had bought cancellation cover 18 months previously from The Insurance Emporium (TIE) and immediately submitted a claim as we cancelled the wedding. Continue reading...
  
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