Image copyright Getty Images The Trump administration has pulled back from its threatened extension of the trade war over Airbus subsidies, and given a modest amount of ground. The target of Scotch whisky and textiles continues, and is intended to cause pain, leading to political leverage within the UK. That much seems to be working, though tariffs also cause pain… Read more →
Image copyright Getty Images Plans for price caps on the cost of funerals have been shelved for the time being because of coronavirus. A long-running investigation by the UK’s competition authority concluded the sector was not working well for grieving families. It found rising costs and difficulties for people to compare prices. But any plans for a major overhaul of… Read more →
Image copyright Getty Images Travel firm Tui has seen a sharp jump in bookings for 2021 as customers make early plans for next year. The UK’s largest tour operator said bookings for next summer were up by a “very promising” 145%. News of a bounce-back came as Tui posted a €1.1bn (£995m) loss for the three months to June as… Read more →
Image copyright Getty Images Tencent has played down Donald Trump’s ban on its WeChat app, believing it will only affect its US operations. The tech giant runs an equivalent messaging platform in China called Weixin which it hopes will be unaffected. The bigger fallout may be Apple’s sales in China if its iPhones aren’t allowed to download Chinese messaging apps.… Read more →
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionWelsh firms meet the challenge of producing PPE in case of a second wave A “can-do” attitude among businesses in Wales has made them an “essential” part of the PPE supply chain during the pandemic, it has been claimed. The director of a manufacturing firm which started making PPE in March said… Read more →
Image copyright Getty Images Official forecasts predict a fall in UK house prices with the economy in recession and jobs being lost. First-time buyers may be rejoicing about the prospect of cheaper property. Yet a report by the Resolution Foundation suggests home ownership could become increasingly “out of reach” for this group of people. It comes as a survey of… Read more →
Image copyright Business Waste Image caption You can currently sell recycled cardboard for up to £80 a tonne Getting all your cardboard recycled may often seem like a pain, but there is big money to be made from all this so-called “beige gold”. And sadly this is attracting criminals around the world. Thieves are making a fortune from stealing used… Read more →
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption US imports of Scotch whisky dropped 33% after tariffs were imposed last year The US has said it will hold off an a threatened hike in tariffs on $7.5bn (£5.75bn) worth of European and UK goods that it imposed as punishment for subsidies for plane-maker Airbus. The move comes as the two sides wrestle… Read more →
Image copyright HM Treasury Image caption There is anecdotal evidence that ‘eat out to help out’ is helping High Street footfall. The latest economic output figures show we are in a recession like no other – a consequence of having to shut the economy down, resulting in an unprecedented hit. The hope is that it proves to be short-lived, indeed… Read more →
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Peters, leader of the populist New Zealand First party, is also the country’s foreign minister. New Zealand is “very frustrated” with the pace of post-Brexit trade talks with the UK, the country’s deputy prime minister has said. Winston Peters said the UK’s EU membership had not left it “match fit” to negotiate its… Read more →