But how will she feel about it later? Dean Drobot/ShutterstockIt is that time of the year again – Black Friday is almost upon us. What used to be just an American event has now taken over the calendar in many other countries as one of the key shopping events of the year.
Pixels Hunter/ShutterstokSince the election last year, the UK government has said economic growth is its top priority, as a way to improve living standards, cut NHS waiting lists and ease pressure on household finances. But with the Office for Budget Responsibility predicting growth this year to be a below-average 1.5%, it seems things haven’t gone entirely to plan.
Standret/ShutterstockModern electric vehicles are transforming the roads with low noise, rapid acceleration and zero exhaust emissions. However, drivers of electric vehicles in the UK will now face a new 3p per mile charge and drivers of hybrid vehicles a 1.5p per mile charge.
UK chancellor Rachel Reeves has made some significant reforms in her latest budget. Notably, she has committed to easing living cost pressures with widespread energy bill support, higher taxes for the most expensive homes, and axing the two-child cap on certain benefits.
Letter from the Chancellor to the Governor
Government ministers say they are confident overdue payments will hit farmers’ bank accounts in time to call off disruptive protests planned for the coming week, while they hope to have the payments system tidied up by the end of the year.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Transition Report 2025-26, "Brave Old World," identifies Greece as a rapidly ageing economy facing mounting demographic challenges, necessitating bold policy responses centered on extending working lives, boosting productivity through technology, and facilitating targeted labor mobility.
The budget primary balance was confirmed at a surplus of 10.25 billion euros up to October, compared to a surplus of 13.53 billion euros in the same period a year earlier, according to the final Finance Ministry (MoF) budget execution data released on Tuesday.
Trade turmoil in April 2025 saw a marked change in cross-asset behaviour compared with typical patterns. Notably, the US dollar depreciated strongly while US Treasury yields rose – the opposite of what usually happens in a risk-off environment. This prompted discussions as to whether the safe-haven properties of US dollar-denominated assets might be changing. This is particularly important for euro area financial stability since euro area investors hold US dollar-denominated securities in an amount equivalent to €6 trillion, which represents a significant share of their portfolios.
Some experts see a dangerous combination of factors reminiscent of practices that led to previous financial crises.
