Financial news

• Is Bitcoin shaping up for a collapse?

  15-02-2019 13:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  As any amateur astronomer will tell you, something can come from nothing – it’s why the big bang theory exists. Many investors have a similar view of bitcoin. Buy one, then just forget about it until you hear about an almighty explosion. However, the remarkably stagnant nature of BTC over its recent cycle means it really is getting overlooked for lengthy periods.
  
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• Friends with benefits: how referral schemes can really pay off

  31-01-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Earn money and other rewards by linking friends and family up to companies you use, from banks to energy firmsHow much do you love your energy company – enough to recommend it to a friend? How about if £50 was up for grabs?Richard from Suffolk is a customer of Octopus Energy, and now eight of his family and friends are, too, after he recommended the provider to them all through its referral scheme. “I really think [referral schemes] are a good idea. It’s an incentive to s
  
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• UK new car buyers drive a bargain as average discount nears £6,000

  31-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Motorists benefit as industry offers deals of up to 18% off to attract buyers for petrol, diesel and electric modelsIf you are considering buying a new car, now might be the time to act as new data shows manufacturers and dealers slashing prices by more than 10%, with the average discount close to £6,000.The typical discount available across all petrol, diesel and electric cars sold in the UK is 11.4% of the on-the-road price – the equivalent of £5,911 – according to Insi
  
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• FSA confirms presence of toxin in some Nestlé SMA baby formula products

  30-01-2026 18:00 via theguardian.com
  Nestlé has already recalled several batches due to concerns they may trigger nausea and vomitingThe Food Standards Agency (FSA) has confirmed the presence of a toxin that can cause food poisoning in some Nestlé baby formula products.At the start of this month, the Swiss food and drink company recalled several batches of its SMA infant formula and follow-on formula due to concerns they contained cereulide, which can trigger nausea and vomiting when consumed. Continue reading...
  
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• Nationwide says average £560 cash boost after filling in simple form

  30-01-2026 13:21 via express.co.uk
  High street chain's free calculator gave 11,000 UK households an average of £560 per month in unclaimed benefits they're entitled to
  
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• Exactly how much TV Licence fee could rise by in just two months

  30-01-2026 13:14 via express.co.uk
  Anyone who watches live television or uses BBC iPlayer is legally obliged to have a TV licence
  
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• British Gas 'full' rule to lower your energy bills

  30-01-2026 12:57 via express.co.uk
  British Gas has shared how households could reduce their energy usage
  
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• One day warning to anyone with a private pension

  30-01-2026 12:39 via express.co.uk
  Government figures show the number of higher-rate income taxpayers has risen sharply
  
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• Martin Lewis explains £4,000 rule for retirees ahead of major Rachel Reeves change

  30-01-2026 12:28 via express.co.uk
  Martin Lewis issued the advice following a major announcement in the Budget last year
  
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• Vinted seller rages at HMRC for shock bill - ‘we’ve already paid tax!’

  30-01-2026 12:25 via express.co.uk
  "What is the country coming to? It's gone to the dogs."
  
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• Mobile customer's £200 boost in 10 minutes after texting Martin Lewis' 5-digit number

  30-01-2026 12:22 via express.co.uk
  One mobile customer was handed an instant boost worth £200 after texting a five-digit number shared by Martin Lewis.
  
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• Martin Lewis gives Nationwide £100 'do this' warning to anyone with account

  30-01-2026 12:22 via express.co.uk
  The personal finance expert said people need to take action now to ensure they get the cash payment.
  
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• Smart meter rule change means thousands eligible for £40 compensation

  30-01-2026 12:21 via express.co.uk
  The rule change will come into effect in February.
  
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• Customers 'will get £40 automatically' under new smart meter rule

  30-01-2026 12:14 via express.co.uk
  Energy regulator Ofgem has announced the confirmation
  
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• Homes with air source heat pumps or solar panels for sale in England – in pictures

  30-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  From a renovated Victorian village house in Hampshire to a new-build apartment in south London Continue reading...
  
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• What is behind the extraordinary rise in investment into silver and gold?

  29-01-2026 18:53 via theguardian.com
  Experts say factors including Trump’s aggressive policies and pressure on the dollar are pushing investors toward ‘safe haven’ of precious metalsLast year’s extraordinary run in precious metals has only intensified in 2026, as Donald Trump has continued to rip up the rules of the global economy.Gold has been on a tear since last summer, repeatedly breaking records. It has risen by more than a quarter this month and hit a new high of just under $5,595 (£4,060) an oun
  
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• ‘My kids buy me food’: civil service pensioners offered emergency loans as nearly 90,000 face delays

  29-01-2026 14:40 via theguardian.com
  Government to lend up to £10,000 to worst-affected new retirees as minister admits there is ‘unacceptable’ backlogNewly retired civil servants say they are struggling to pay bills and buy food because delays at their pension scheme have left them without an income for months.Pensioners have reported being forced to borrow money from family to pay for food and heating, with some saying they feared losing their homes because they could not afford their rent or mortgage. Continue
  
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• Hopes dashed as ‘Waspi women’ again denied state pension compensation

  29-01-2026 14:14 via theguardian.com
  Latest ruling affects up to 3.6m women born in 1950s who say they have lost out in way UK pension age changedMillions of “Waspi women” will not receive any compensation, the government has again decided in its latest ruling on the case – but campaigners say they will fight on to secure the justice they say they have been “shamefully denied”.As many as 3.6 million women born in the 1950s are said to have lost out because of government failings in the way changes to t
  
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• Households in England and Wales must splash out more as water bills to rise by 5.4%

  29-01-2026 12:50 via theguardian.com
  Average bills to go up again in April, with Ofwat approving record spending plans amid outrage over sewage spillsWater bills in England and Wales will rise by an average of £33 per household in April, in the latest above-inflation increase intended to fix leaking pipes and sewage treatment works.The increase will push the average annual water bill to £639 in the year from 1 April, up 5.4% on the previous year, according to figures published on Thursday by Water UK, a lobby group for
  
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• As most TV viewers tune in via broadband, will 2034 signal the death of Freeview?

  29-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  The aerial-accessed service has a fast-dwindling audience but when exactly to switch the platform off is proving highly divisiveFor almost quarter of a century Freeview has enabled viewers to access television from the nation’s biggest broadcasters almost anywhere in the UK for no charge.Despite it still being the UK’s largest TV platform, used in more than 16m homes and on 10m main household sets, those same broadcasters are now calling for the service to be switched off in as littl
  
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• ‘Absurd’: decent homes standard for England’s private renters will not be enforced until 2035

  28-01-2026 19:07 via theguardian.com
  Campaigners say government is letting ‘landlords drag their feet’ and ‘denying renters the most basic standards’Labour’s promise to make private rented homes in England fit for habitation will not be enforced for almost a decade, a decision campaigners have described as “absurd”.The timeline means landlords will have until 2035 to implement a new decent homes standard (DHS) in their properties, which will include “robust standards” to combat
  
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• Don’t panic and stay invested: top tips to protect your pension in turbulent times

  28-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Try to focus on the long term, be clear about your priorities, and resist withdrawing money earlyAll employers must automatically enrol their employees in a workplace pension scheme if they meet the eligibility criteria: the employee must be a UK resident, aged between 22 and state pension age, and earning more than £10,000 a year, £192 a week or £822 a month, in the 2025/26 tax year. Continue reading...
  
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• UK veterinary sector reforms planned to tackle high costs of pet care

  27-01-2026 23:30 via theguardian.com
  Proposals would require clearer pricing and transparency as CMA finds fees have risen at nearly twice rate of inflationThe biggest shake-up of the UK veterinary sector for 60 years should push down costs for pet owners by requiring practices to make their pricing clearer, the government has said.Ministers have announced a package of measures after an investigation into reported high prices found problems in the vet sector could be costing UK households at least £1bn over five years. Contin
  
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• Keir Starmer is about to be stabbed in the back - but it's not Labour twisting the knife

  27-01-2026 19:03 via express.co.uk
  Keir Starmer just signed his own death warrant. It's hard to see how he survives now.
  
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• U-turn on pubs has not solved the government’s mess on business rates | Nils Pratley

  27-01-2026 18:59
  The package being offered is not insignificant but the hospitality sector is still in troubleWill the chancellor’s inevitable U-turn on business rates for pubs be enough to quieten the developing riot behind the taps? Possibly, a bit. After two months of damaging headlines, Rachel Reeves has granted pubs a 15% discount on bills, worth £1,650 on average in the next tax year, then a two-year freeze in real terms, with the promise of a change in methodology in time for the next revaluat
  
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• Hobbycraft issues full recall of asbestos-tainted children’s play sand

  27-01-2026 18:49
  Craft retailer says there is ‘risk to health’ after some vials in Giant Box of Craft set contained fibrous tremolite asbestosHobbycraft has issued a full recall of children’s coloured play sand after confirming some bottles contained asbestos, presenting “a risk to health”.The Guardian revealed at the weekend that the craft retailer had stopped selling the kit after being alerted to the risk but had stopped short of alerting customers who had already bought the item
  
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• Finance expert makes surprising suggestion to help you keep track of your money

  27-01-2026 18:29 via express.co.uk
  Moneybox expert Brian Brynes has shared his number one tip for making sure you stay on top of your finances.
  
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• Rayner urges government to stand firm over £250 ground rents cap

  27-01-2026 18:07
  Former deputy PM warns against ‘vested interests’ trying to block measures for leaseholders in England and WalesFreeholders may “resort to lawfare” to block the government’s £250 cap on ground rents, Angela Rayner has warned, as leasehold experts urged ministers to speed up the “glacial” pace of reform.Keir Starmer announced a cap on ground rents for leaseholders in England and Wales as part of measures that also include a consultation on banning n
  
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• Pubs and live music venues to get support after business rates backlash

  27-01-2026 17:06
  Package worth at least £80m a year for England and extra to come for Wales and Scotland receives mixed reactionPubs voice fury at Reeves’s business rates changesThe Treasury has announced a support package worth more than £80m a year for pubs and live music venues in England, in a climbdown that follows a fierce backlash against plans to overhaul business rates.Trade bodies had warned that Rachel Reeves’s changes to business rates, announced at the chancellor’s Nove
  
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• Millions across UK set for around £900 pay rise

  27-01-2026 16:34 via express.co.uk
  Ministers have flagged up the rise as part of a wider cost-of-living package
  
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