Financial news

• Is AI a bubble? - podcast

  08-08-2024 04:00
  
  Alex Hern reports on recent problems artificial intelligence companies have faced and asks whether the billions invested are paying off“Even if the AI boom turns out to be an AI bubble, the LLMs aren’t going anywhere,” the Guardian’s UK technology editor, Alex Hern, tells Michael Safi.“Whether or not OpenAI goes bust, whether or not Google and Microsoft’s valuations plummet back to the ground, there is this technology that was created. They may go bust, but th
  
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• The best LED face masks in the UK, tested: 11 light therapy devices that are worth the hype

  05-03-2026 11:00
  They claim to fix fine lines, blemishes and redness – but which stand up to scrutiny? We asked dermatologists and put them to the test to find out• The best anti-ageing creams, serums and treatmentsLED face masks are booming in popularity – despite being one of the most expensive at-home beauty products to hit the market. Many masks are available, each claiming to either reduce the appearance of fine lines, stop spots or calm redness. Some even combine different types of light t
  
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• Energy bills could rise by £160 after Iran conflict pushes gas prices higher

  04-03-2026 18:46
  Household costs could reach £1,800 a year from July as UK market hits three-year highMiddle East crisis – live updatesHousehold energy bills could climb by £160 a year from this summer after the war in Iran pushed the UK’s gas market to a three-year high.A typical combined household gas and electricity bill could reach £1,800 a year in Great Britain under the government’s quarterly price cap from July, according to analysis by Cornwall Insight, an energy consu
  
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• Blooming brilliant: 63 ways to spring into spring

  04-03-2026 16:00
  Whether it’s sowing sweet peas, servicing your bike or giving your trainers some TLC, here’s how to get your mind, body and home ready for the new season• Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereAnd just like that, spring has arrived. After an exceptionally wet and dreary start to the year, tulips and crocuses are poking through the ground, blossom is everywhere and winter layers are being shed, all giving us reason to celebrate.Spring officially begins o
  
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• £25 for a cookie? What the baffling luxury bakery boom tells us about Britain

  04-03-2026 11:00
  Amid a cost of living crisis, pricey patisserie is all the rage – and not just in London. Our reporter goes on a crawl to find out if a tart can really be worth £45There was a time when you could get a stuffed vanilla cream slice or a neon-pink Tottenham cake for about £1 on the leafy, residential corner of Hackney, east London, where I stand today. But the branch of Percy Ingle bakery that was here for nearly 50 years is gone. In its place sits Fika, a cafe where a cinnamon bu
  
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• What will Rachel Reeves’s spring forecast mean for household finances?

  03-03-2026 20:00
  The chancellor promises more money in people’s pockets, but the Iran crisis makes steeper inflation a pressing worryRachel Reeves used her spring statement to insist her economic policies are working and things are looking up for household finances after the cost of living crisis.The chancellor said that by the next general election “people will be over £1,000 a year better off”. But against the backdrop of war in the Middle East, financial experts warned that the new eco
  
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• ‘I’m concerned the Iran war might drive up living costs’: Britons respond to Reeves’s spring forecast

  03-03-2026 16:05
  The chancellor’s statement offered little new on tax or spending, but readers voiced concerns about rising costsBusiness live – latest updatesAction to tackle student loan debt, clarity about what the Middle East crisis will mean for the UK economy, cheaper borrowing, more scrutiny of supermarket prices … Readers who took part in a Guardian callout before the spring forecast had plenty of things on their wishlists.In the event there were no major tax or spending measures annou
  
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• Airlines in Middle East rule out services resuming before Thursday

  03-03-2026 15:14
  Some repatriation flights depart as governments around the world work to extract their citizens from the conflict-hit region US-Israel war on Iran – live updatesThe biggest Middle East carriers have ruled out resuming scheduled flights until at least Thursday as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues, denting hopes of a swift return to normal air travel after the first repatriation flights left the United Arab Emirates.Etihad, based in Abu Dhabi, said its commercial services were suspended u
  
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• Overdrawn, underpaid and over it: how four people conquered their debt mountains

  03-03-2026 11:00
  It’s easy to let your credit card balance mount up – and hard to admit you have a problem. But help is at hand. We talk to four people who worked their way back into the blackAbbie Marton Bell, a National Debtline adviser, is often the first person her clients will speak to about their debt, after years of carrying the weight of their financial worries alone. Most of the time, they haven’t even told their partner or family, she says, and “you can literally hear the relief
  
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• Rachel Reeves thought she'd got lucky – but today she’ll be blown to bits by Donald Trump

  03-03-2026 08:51 via express.co.uk
  Everybody knows Rachel Reeves isn't a very good chancellor. Now it turns out she isn't lucky either.
  
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• Want a better job and a pay rise? Eleven ways to progress at work – and avoid a ‘dry promotion’

  03-03-2026 08:00
  Keep your boss happy, develop your ‘personal boardroom’, ask for honest feedback, don’t take the notes in every meeting and remember: no one gets promoted for inbox zeroThere is nothing worse than feeling stuck in a job. What are the best ways to progress without having to resort to shameless self-promotion? Here, career coaches explain how to make sure you are first in line for a promotion – and a pay rise. Continue reading...
  
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• I paid off my mortgage – so why did my credit score plummet?

  03-03-2026 08:00
  Paying off a loan can sometimes spook the algorithms that people’s calculate creditworthinessMy credit score dropped from well above average to well below average after I paid off my mortgage. As well as bizarre, it’s yet another example of how our lives are affected by arbitrary decisions made by faceless corporate giants.PB London Continue reading...
  
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• A gas shock – not an oil shock – from the Iran war looks more threatening | Nils Pratley

  02-03-2026 21:15
  Europe and Asia will take an economic hit if the supply of Qatari LNG is halted by the closure of the strait of HormuzGas prices soar and oil jumps as Iran war pushes down global stock marketsThe price of oil grabs most of the energy-related attention during conflicts in the Middle East for understandable reasons: oil is the commodity on which the world runs (still) and analysts have roughly reliable models for what every $10 per barrel increase in cost does to global growth and inflation.So, on
  
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• Nationwide set to axe £175 bonus in days - how to qualify

  02-03-2026 20:48 via express.co.uk
  Customers have just days to claim the £175.
  
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• Paramount+ and HBO Max to become one streaming service, Ellison says

  02-03-2026 20:31
  Billionaire Paramount Skydance chief announces plan days after winning takeover battle for Warner Bros DiscoverySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxParamount Skydance plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into one streaming service, chief executive David Ellison announced during a call with investors, days after the company said it would acquire HBO parent company Warner Bros Discovery.The deal would allow major HBO Max titles, such as The Sopranos, Sex
  
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• How escalating Iran conflict is driving up oil and gas prices – a visual guide

  02-03-2026 20:13
  A near-halt to shipping in strait of Hormuz and attacks on Middle East refineries are threatening supplies and stoking inflationNils Pratley: A gas shock – not an oil shock – looks more threateningUS-Israel war on Iran – live updatesIran has responded to US and Israeli attacks by launching a series of counterstrikes against states across the Middle East, with serious consequences for the oil and gas industry and the global economy.Tehran has attacked oil facilities in neighbour
  
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• Gas prices soar and oil jumps as Iran war pushes down global stock markets

  02-03-2026 19:09
  QatarEnergy says it has halted production of liquefied natural gas after attacks on Ras Laffan and Mesaieed sitesNils Pratley: A gas shock – not an oil shock – looks more threateningUS-Israel war on Iran – live updatesGas prices surged on Monday and oil rose sharply as an escalation in the US-Israel war on Iran caused major disruption to production and supplies.QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy company, said it had halted production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) after attack
  
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• BrewDog bought by US cannabis and drinks firm for £33m, costing nearly 500 jobs

  02-03-2026 18:34
  Many early-stage crowdfunders left empty-handed as Tilray acquires beer company’s UK and Irish assetsBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK and Irish assets of BrewDog, the Scottish self-styled “punk” brewer, have been sold to the US cannabis and drinks firm Tilray for £33m, in a deal that will cost nearly 500 jobs and leave legions of the company’s early-stage crowdfunders empty-handed.Tilray agreed a deal to buy BrewDog’s brand, intellectual property, UK
  
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• UK natural gas price soars as Iran strikes spark WW3 fears - what it means for you

  02-03-2026 18:10 via express.co.uk
  Gas future prices have leapt more than 40% to £1.15 per therm.
  
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• HMRC hits households with new £3,000 tax alert

  02-03-2026 17:54 via express.co.uk
  The UK tax authority called on Britons to check the rules and make sure they haven't forgotten to declare returns on cryptocurrency assets.
  
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• Five money updates you could hear in Rachel Reeves’s Spring Statement tomorrow

  02-03-2026 17:30 via express.co.uk
  Although the government has insisted the statement will not include major announcements, the Chancellor could offer updates on a number of schemes.
  
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• High street fashion chain with 35 UK stores opening in iconic British shopping centre

  02-03-2026 17:08 via express.co.uk
  A popular high street chain is opening in one of the UK's largest shopping centres. It is one of several new stores coming to the famous shopping destination.
  
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• High street fashion brand launches closing down sale - full list of locations

  02-03-2026 17:03 via express.co.uk
  A popular fashion brand on the UK high street has launched its closing down sale after plunging into administration
  
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• State pensioners get tax-free Personal Allowance boosted to £16,320 with HMRC rule

  02-03-2026 16:38 via express.co.uk
  State pensioners can take advantage of a fully legal HMRC scheme to boost their tax-free Personal Allowance all the way up to over £16,000 each.
  
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• UK competition watchdog investigates hotel groups over alleged data sharing

  02-03-2026 16:33
  Regulator looks into claim Hilton, InterContinental Hotels and Marriott could be sharing ‘competitively sensitive’ information via analytics tool Business live – latest updatesThe UK competition watchdog has opened an investigation into three of the world’s biggest hotel chains – Hilton, InterContinental Hotels (IHG) and Marriott – amid suspicions they could be sharing “competitively sensitive” information with each other.The Competition and Market
  
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• UK house prices rise in February as chancellor avoids ‘negative speculation’

  02-03-2026 16:17
  Rachel Reeves’s upcoming spring forecast has not led to slowdown, as property tax rumours did in NovemberBusiness live – latest updatesUK politics live – latest updatesHouse prices in the UK increased in February, avoiding a repeat of the “negative speculation” that depressed the market before last November’s budget, as Rachel Reeves prepares to present the spring forecast on Tuesday.The average price of a home rose to £273,176 last month, up by 0.3% fro
  
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• Iconic UK high street chain issues heartbreaking update – 80 stores at risk of closure

  02-03-2026 15:47 via express.co.uk
  The high street chain rebranded in 2025 following a £76million sale.
  
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• State Pension age to rise in UK based on 2 key factors

  02-03-2026 14:47 via express.co.uk
  An early review of the UK retirement age has been launched by the DWP.
  
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• Middle East crisis pushes up oil prices – and could drive inflation rises too

  02-03-2026 14:02
  Effects of extended conflict between US and Iran could also lead to higher interest rates and hit economic growthBusiness live – latest updatesUS-Israel war on Iran – live updatesThe impact of the deadly and unpredictable conflict in the Middle East on the global economy will be felt most immediately, and keenly, through the rising cost of oil.Prices jumped on Monday, as markets had their first opportunity to digest the weekend’s tit-for-tat attacks. A barrel of Brent crude oil
  
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• I’m on the Meta Oversight Board. We need AI protections now | Suzanne Nossel

  02-03-2026 12:00
  AI is transforming our world. Accepting independent oversight is the least companies can do to protect our rightsThe speed with which AI is transforming our lives is head-spinning. Unlike previous technological revolutions – radio, nuclear fission or the internet – governments are not leading the way. We know that AI can be dangerous; chatbots advise teens on suicide and may soon be capable of instructing on how to create biological weapons. Yet there is no equivalent to the Federal
  
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