Financial news

• ‘Your manager’s behaviour has been inexcusable’ – our work expert responds

  15-04-2017 07:59
  
  Our careers expert – and you the readers – help someone whose boss has got the wrong end of the stick about them and a Tefl teacher pondering postgrad studyI recently started a well-paid and interesting job. Shortly after joining, one of the team provided highly critical feedback about our manager to HR, anonymously.Continue reading...
  
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• UK electric vehicle charging firms ‘seeking buyers amid rising costs and tough competition’

  07-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Mergers and acquisitions will shrink number of operators from more than 100 to five or six, says Be.EV co-founderBritish electric charger companies are asking rivals to buy them as they run out of cash amid rising costs and intense competition, according to industry bosses.A wave of mergers and acquisitions is likely to shrink the number of charge point operators from as many as 150 to a market dominated by five or six players, said Asif Ghafoor, a co-founder of Be.EV, a charging company backed
  
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• Trump housing policy is a mess and it won’t fix the US housing crisis

  07-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Deregulation alone can’t make homes affordable when rising inequality, not zoning, is what is driving prices upDonald Trump has an interesting view of how housing plays in US politics. “I don’t want to drive housing prices down. I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes,” he said at a recent cabinet meeting. Unaffordable housing may be front and center of the “affordability crisis” pissing off voters. Still, he insists: “We’
  
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• Thousands of Malawi businesses close in protest over tax changes

  07-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Peaceful demonstrations force a delay in measures aimed at improving revenue collection but which many fear will be fatal for small traders Demonstrations across Malawi’s four main cities during the past week have achieved a delay in the introduction of a new tax regime that business owners claim will cripple their livelihoods.Tens of thousands had signed petitions which this week were presented to tax officials and on Monday thousands of small traders shut up shops and businesses to hold
  
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• The Epstein files reveal that a vast global conspiracy actually exists – sort of

  07-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The documents confirm what many have long assumed: elites live by their own special rules and codes of immunityThe millions of Jeffrey Epstein files dumped last Friday by the US Department of Justice will provide journalists, conspiracy theorists and interested members of the public with months of reading. And what they will read is enraging.What makes these files so infuriating, however, is not just Epstein’s horrific predatory behavior, which is well-known, but the more mundane examples
  
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• Post-Brexit sales of British farm products to EU fall by 37%

  07-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  NFU warn it could take years to restore Brexit losses despite efforts to smooth negotiations on farming and other elements of UK-EU resetExports of British farm products to the EU have dropped almost 40% in the five years since Brexit, highlighting the trade barriers caused by the UK’s divorce from the EU in 2020.Analysis of HMRC data by the National Farmers’ Union shows the decline in sales of everything from British beef to cheddar cheese has dropped by 37.4% in the five years sinc
  
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• Waymo is trying to seduce me. But another option is staring us in the face | Dave Schilling

  07-02-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  I understand the appeal of avoiding all human contact. Still, good old-fashioned taxis have so much to offerIt’s Super Bowl weekend here in America, which means a few things: copious amounts of gut-busting food, controversial half-time show performances, extravagant commercials, and occasionally a bit of football.For the tens of thousands rich enough to afford tickets to the Big Game, transportation to and from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, will be paramount. Thankfully,
  
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• Monzo wrongly denied refunds to thousands of fraud and scam victims

  07-02-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Ombudsman found bank wrongly rejected 34% of complaints last year, with NatWest and HSBC close behindMonzo has wrongly denied refunds to thousands of fraud and scam victims, the Guardian can reveal.The digital-only bank wrongly rejected more than 1,000 fraud and scam complaints that were closed last year alone, according to data from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Continue reading...
  
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• Reform-run Kent council accused of fabricating £40m net zero savings

  07-02-2026 11:43 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Disclosures show figures cited by council leader rested on unfunded ideas listed briefly in budget papersReform UK’s flagship council has been accused of telling a “blatant lie” after its claim of nearly £40m in savings on net zero was found to be based on hypothetical projects for which there was no documentation.Kent county council, which has a £2.5bn annual budget, is one of 10 where Nigel Farage’s party has outright control and is seen as a test
  
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• Victims urge tougher action on deepfake abuse as new law comes into force

  07-02-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Campaigners welcome criminalisation of non-consensual AI-generated explicit images but say law does not go far enoughVictims of deepfake image abuse have called for stronger protection against AI-generated explicit images, as the law criminalising the creation of non-consensual intimate images comes into effect.Campaigners from Stop Image-Based Abuse delivered a petition to Downing Street with more than 73,000 signatures, urging the government to introduce civil routes to justice such as takedow
  
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• Lib Dems urge FCA to investigate Peter Mandelson over potential insider trading

  07-02-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Daisy Cooper says ex-minister could have ‘abused trading laws’ when sharing state information with Jeffrey EpsteinThe Liberal Democrats have urged the UK’s financial regulator to immediately investigate Peter Mandelson, saying his apparent decision to leak highly confidential government information to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein may have led to insider trading.In a letter to Nikhil Rathi, the chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Daisy
  
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• Cost of UK pet insurance falls despite higher vet fees and inflation

  07-02-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Competition is driving down prices, albeit slowly, with the median lifetime cover put at £247 for dogs and £180 for cats a yearVet fees continue to rise and many other costs are on the increase, but pet insurance has on average become slightly cheaper as providers compete for custom, new research claims.The pricing data coincides with a study which found that one-third of UK pet owners don’t have insurance, with cost cited as one of the biggest factors. Continue reading...
  
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• Wealthy use loophole to conceal value of £300m in Scottish land sales

  07-02-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Prices paid for large estates not being disclosed on official register, land reform advocates sayLand reform campaigners are alarmed at the increasing use of a legal loophole that allows landowners to conceal the price paid for Highland estates from the public register.Andy Wightman, a land reform analyst, said the loophole meant the prices paid in more than £300m-worth of Highland property transactions were not disclosed on the register. Continue reading...
  
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• UK threatens to seize Russia-linked shadow fleet tanker in escalatory move

  07-02-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Capture of rogue ship could open a new front against Moscow at a time when Russia’s oil revenues are tumblingThe UK is threatening to seize a Russia-linked shadow fleet tanker in an escalatory move that could lead to the opening up of a new front against Moscow at a time when the country’s oil revenues are tumbling.British defence sources confirmed that military options to capture a rogue ship had been identified in discussions involving Nato allies – though a month has gone by
  
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• ‘Plainly wrong’: London flat dwellers fight shock £200,000 heating bill

  07-02-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Almost 1m UK households are hooked up to heat networks. None had protection from poor service or price hikes … until last month‘If I could move, I would – to a place without a heat network. But I can’t while this debt is hanging over me,” says Anja Georgiou.The mother lives with her family in a rented flat in the River Gardens development in Greenwich in south-east London where, three years ago, residents were shocked to be presented with a surprise £200,000
  
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• Dow Jones hits 50,000 milestone amid tech gains and hopes of lower interest rates

  06-02-2026 22:31 via theguardian.com
  Although tech stocks and cryptocurrencies suffered recent falls, investors largely shrugged off geopolitical tensions The Dow Jones industrial average crossed 50,000 for the first time, as ballooning tech valuations, robust corporate earnings and hopes of lower interest rates drive it to new highs.Leading stock markets on Wall Street came under pressure earlier this week as technology stocks fell amid scrutiny of extraordinary levels of investment into artificial intelligence. Continue reading..
  
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• Queen’s image on Australian commemorative coins likened to Shrek

  06-02-2026 19:01 via theguardian.com
  Two coins celebrating Queen Elizabeth II criticised for failing to resemble late monarchTwo Australian coins commemorating Queen Elizabeth II have been criticised for failing to resemble the late monarch.The $5 (£2.56) and 50c (26p) silver coins, created by Royal Australian Mint to commemorate the centenary of the queen’s birth, were released in an online ballot that closed on Wednesday. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Quality really matters’: why the organic food market is booming again

  06-02-2026 17:52 via theguardian.com
  Greater awareness of healthy diets and concerns over ‘trusted’ food mean sales are growing at fastest pace in two decadesWhen household finances were plunged into turmoil during the credit crunch, one of the first things that Britons cancelled was their veg box delivery.But although the cost of living crisis persists, the organic market is enjoying its biggest boom in two decades, according to the veg box seller Riverford. It is not just fruit and veg, with a “massive” in
  
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• Levi’s sales grow in UK as celebrities drive denim revival

  06-02-2026 16:21 via theguardian.com
  Noel Gallagher and Harry Styles lead way, and sales of jeans in general rise faster than wider fashion marketThe UK was one of Levi’s fastest-growing markets last year as British trend leaders from Harry Styles to Noel Gallagher and Grime Gran were spotted in the brand’s kit.Lucia Marcuzzo, the managing director of the European operations at the US company famous for its denim jeans, said the revival of 1990s trends had boosted sales of its classic 501s. New trends such as baggy jean
  
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• Trump’s family is embroiled in a $500m UAE scandal. We’ve hardly noticed | Mohamad Bazzi

  06-02-2026 16:00 via theguardian.com
  A crypto startup founded by Trump’s family signed a huge deal with the UAE president’s brother. Where’s the political fallout?Days before Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, an investment firm controlled by a senior member of the United Arab Emirates royal family secretly signed a deal to pay $500m to buy almost half of a cryptocurrency startup founded by the Trump family. Under any other president, such an arrangement, which was revealed this past weekend by the W
  
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• £99,987 and counting: graduates trapped by ballooning student loans

  06-02-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  As their debts rise, graduates reveal how loans are reshaping careers, finances and faith in the systemStudent loans: why is Martin Lewis clashing with Rachel Reeves?Growing anger over the plight of millions of graduates saddled with ballooning student loan debts is threatening to develop into a fresh crisis for the government, with Martin Lewis leading the demands for an urgent rethink.The MoneySavingExpert founder has been critical of the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, over a change to repayment t
  
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• Most of England’s smart motorways are poor value for money, official reports find

  06-02-2026 14:48 via theguardian.com
  AA says long-awaited evaluations show schemes are a ‘catastrophic waste of time, money and effort’Most of England’s smart motorway schemes have proved poor or very poor value for money, according to assessments by the government agency that built them.Official evaluations from National Highways, some of which had been held back by the Department for Transport (DfT) since completion in 2023, showed that a slew of big projects to convert the hard shoulder on the M1, M4, M6 and M2
  
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• Hail our new robot overlords! Amazon warehouse tour offers glimpse of future

  06-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  At its new Stone Mountain, Georgia, facility, Roomba-like robots shuffle between stacks, another adds shipping labels while another arranges packages in palletsOne of the reasons Amazon is spending billions on robots? They don’t need bathroom breaks. Arriving a few minutes early to the public tour of Amazon’s hi-tech Stone Mountain, Georgia, warehouse, my request to visit the restroom was met with a resounding no from the security guard in the main lobby.Between the main doors and th
  
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• Three years on: what is the latest with Premier League charges against Manchester City? | Paul MacInnes

  06-02-2026 11:28 via theguardian.com
  In February 2023 more than 100 charges were laid against the serial champions but we are still waiting for the verdictExactly three years ago, 10 paragraphs on the Premier League website set the cat among the pigeons. Under the nondescript heading “Premier League statement”, football’s richest and most popular domestic competition announced unprecedented disciplinary charges against Manchester City, champions of the two previous seasons (and the two to come). We are still waiti
  
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• Bad and getting worse: for students like me, the loan system is the disaster that never ends | Rohan Sathyamoorthy

  06-02-2026 11:01 via theguardian.com
  The current situation in England and Wales is akin to generational warfare – Martin Lewis is right when he takes ministers to taskAs someone who receives close to the maximum student loan from the government each year, I try my best not to think too hard about the crushing financial burden I am going to carry into my postgrad years. After all, for those of us who need a degree to enter their field of employment and don’t have the family finances to sail us through, it doesn’t m
  
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• Flats for sale in England with outside space – in pictures

  06-02-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  From a Victorian conversion in London to a flat in a Southport townhouse with beaches on the doorstep Continue reading...
  
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• The Russian economy is finally stagnating. What does it mean for the war – and for Putin?

  06-02-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  A wartime boom in Russia has given way to sluggish growth, tax hikes and squeezed public services. Will it affect the conflict in Ukraine?Western leaders were bullish when they imposed sanctions on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.“The Russian economy is on track to be cut in half,” said the then US president, Joe Biden, in March, a month into the war. Continue reading...
  
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• Here is a political lesson progressives need to learn, and fast: British pubs are crucial | Simon Jenkins

  05-02-2026 18:36 via theguardian.com
  Politics has recklessly downplayed the significance of the local inn, but the hard right has cottoned on – and its opponents better follow suitNigel Farage thinks poor families should be denied benefits and the cash go to their local pub. When he runs the country, he says, he will cut child benefit for those with more than two children and switch the £3bn saved to keep down the price of beer.The art of populism lies in headlines. It is about the way you tell it. Farage also says he w
  
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• How cryptocurrency’s second largest coin missed out on the industry’s boom

  05-02-2026 16:00 via theguardian.com
  A leaked pitch to reshape Ethereum’s leadership exposed deep divisions over politics, power and ether’s static priceUS crypto developer Danny Ryan submitted a proposal in November 2024 to Vitalik Buterin, the founder and symbolic leader of Ethereum, a prominent blockchain powering the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency. Ryan, who had worked for seven years at the Ethereum Foundation (EF), Ethereum’s de facto governing body, suggested that Ethereum could be on the cusp
  
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• Dubai’s potent lure: the reality behind the real-estate frenzy

  05-02-2026 15:10 via theguardian.com
  Bankers and billionaires are flocking to the city where income tax is zero but critics say it ignores money laundering – and pay disparities are huge Business live – latest updatesAidan Doyle was an estate agent in Liverpool before he decamped to Dubai and turned a £30,000 annual income into £500,000 a year and climbing.Acting as an agent for buyers and sellers, Doyle has seen his commission soar beyond anything he could hope to generate in the UK after just three years i
  
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