Tax hikes would ‘take strain’ as headroom shrinks April 23, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves will likely announce a raft of tax increases to “take the strain” of higher public spending in areas including defence and health, leading economists have warned. The last Autumn Budget saw a historic rise of £40bn in taxes as the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the fiscal watchdog, said the tax burden [...]
Reeves pledges to defend UK interests ahead of IMF meetings in Washington April 22, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged to “defend Britain’s interests” as she prepares to meet fellow finance ministers in Washington and push for a US trade deal. Reeves will spend three days in the US capital for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s spring meetings of finance ministers and business leaders from across the G7 and G20. [...]
Will the price of gold keep going up? April 22, 2025 The US-China trade war rumbles on. Investors are digging their trenches. The dollar is losing its force while the price of gold is going ballistic. A week ago, UBS made what some saw as a bold prediction that gold would reach $3,500 per ounce by December 2025. That milestone has already been hit. Scarred stockholders [...]
The Open at Turnberry? Trump given fresh hope of hosting major April 22, 2025 The Open Championship organisers have raised hopes that Donald Trump’s Turnberry could come in from the cold and stage the golf major again. Turnberry has not staged the Open since five years before the current US president’s 2014 purchase of the Ayrshire resort, amid suspicions that it has been unofficially blackballed over the Trump connection. [...]
As FTSE 100 pharma firms wait for a tariffs decision, what would drugs levies mean for consumers? April 22, 2025 For FTSE 100 businesses navigating the shifting sands of Trump’s trade war, the uncertainty surrounding the tariffs has been almost as painful as the stock market shocks. The pharmaceutical industry has been left in a particularly agonising limbo: free, for now, from the 10 per cent baseline import tax, but the US President keeps making [...]
Rolls-Royce: FTSE 100 giant worth £60bn after shares rebound April 22, 2025 Rolls-Royce is worth £60bn again after shares in the FTSE 100 giant continued their recovery after President Donald Trump’s tariffs shocked global markets. Shares in the Derby-headquartered group have now risen to more than 700p, giving it a market capitalisation of more than £60.5bn. Rolls-Royce’s shares had been trading at more than 800p before Trump’s [...]
Ukraine and Russia agree to prisoner swap as Putin announces ceasefire April 19, 2025 Russia and Ukraine said on Saturday they had swapped hundreds of prisoners in the largest exchange since the Russian full-scale invasion started over three years ago. Russia’s ministry of defence said that 246 Russian service members were returned from territory controlled by Kyiv and that, “as a gesture of goodwill”, 31 wounded Ukrainian prisoners of [...]
Iran and US prepare for second round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme April 19, 2025 Iran and the US are preparing for a second round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme. The talks in Rome over Easter weekend will again hinge on US billionaire Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. That talks are even happening represents a historic moment, given [...]
Trump says US may ‘take a pass’ from Ukraine talks if they prove too difficult April 19, 2025 Donald Trump has said the US could “take a pass” on Ukraine peace talks if they become too difficult but added he thought there was a “good chance” of succeeding. Sir Keir Starmer discussed Ukraine with the US president in a phone call on Friday, Downing Street said, but did not give further details. Trump’s [...]
Reeves: Cutting ties with China would be ‘foolish’ April 19, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said it would be “foolish” to stop engaging with China. Reeves is due to hold talks with the US next week amid efforts to strike a trade deal, which the UK hopes can help soften the brunt of Donald Trump’s tariffs. There has been speculation that Washington may press the UK [...]