Market Buzz
Friday newspaper round-up: Apple, South Korea, Drax...
Apple plans to shift the assembly of all US-sold iPhones to India as soon as next year, according to people familiar with the matter, as President Donald Trump’s trade war forces the tech giant to pivot away from China. The push builds on Apple’s strategy to diversify its supply chain but goes further and faster than investors appreciate, with a goal to source from India the entirety of the more than 60mn iPhones sold annually in the US by the end of 2026. – Financial Times .
Thursday newspaper round-up: UK Temu duty, chlorinated chicken, energy bills, AstraZeneca, EU mobility
British brands have warned they are being “doubly penalised” after DHL suspended deliveries to the US because of President Trump’s tariff war, which is loading extra costs and paperwork on to exporters. The logistics group temporarily halted shipments worth more than $800 to the United States for business-to-consumer deliveries on Monday as it scrambles to deal with added shipping complexities caused by White House policy changes on imports. - The Times.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Tesla, IMF, China tariffs...
The Tesla chief executive, Elon Musk, said he will start pulling back from his role at the so-called “department of government efficiency” starting in May. Musk’s remarks came as the company reported a massive dip in both profits and revenues in the first quarter of 2025 amid backlash against his role in the White House. On an investor call, Musk said the work necessary to get the government’s “financial house in order is mostly done”. – The Guardian.
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Global trade, Trump-Powell relations, power pylons, parking fines
Rachel Reeves will fly to Washington this week to argue for global free trade in the face of Donald Trump’s punitive tariffs, amid continued international economic turbulence. The UK chancellor will use the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund, which is attended by top finance ministers and central bankers, to make the case that free trade is in both British and global interests. - Guardian.
Sunday newspaper round-up: Steelmaking, DHL, HSBC
Ministers may do away with the controversial climate change levies in order to help resuscitate British steelmaking. That follows the UK government's recent decision to take over control of the country's blast furnaces at Scunthorpe. Demand for steel will soar as Britain rearms and looks to become more self-sufficient so as to avoid tariffs. - The Financial Mail on Sunday.
Thursday newspaper round-up: UK pharmaceutical firms, Bialetti, baby boomers
Ministers are having an “active conversation” with UK pharmaceutical firms about the potential impact of US tariffs, amid calls for an emergency taskforce to make sure the supply of medicines is not disrupted. The UK government has been trying to head off the threat of tariffs to the pharmaceuticals industry, which exports about £7bn of goods to the US – just behind the £8. 3bn of car exports. – Guardian.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: UK energy summit, Grant Thornton, Nvidia
China is to snub a major UK summit on energy security next week, the Guardian has learned, amid a growing row over the country’s involvement in UK infrastructure projects. The US will send a senior White House official to the 60-country summit, to be co-hosted with the International Energy Agency. Leading oil and gas companies are also invited, along with big technology businesses, and petrostates including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. – Guardian.
Tuesday newspaper round-up: UK business confidence, Nvidia, Vistry
UK business confidence has fallen to the lowest level for more than two years amid growing concern over tax rises and Donald Trump’s escalating trade war, according to a survey. Highlighting the risks to the economy, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) said the first quarter of the year had been “harrowing” for companies across Britain. – Guardian.
Tuesday newspaper round-up: UK business confidence, Nvidia, Vistry
UK business confidence has fallen to the lowest level for more than two years amid growing concern over tax rises and Donald Trump’s escalating trade war, according to a survey. Highlighting the risks to the economy, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) said the first quarter of the year had been “harrowing” for companies across Britain. – Guardian.
Monday newspaper round-up: British Steel, Viagogo, tariffs
British Steel is to deploy emergency measures in a race against time to save the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe, as the business secretary refused to guarantee the plant could get what it needed in time. The company is understood to be looking at offers of help from more than a dozen businesses to obtain materials such as iron ore and coking coal, potentially allowing it to avoid the temporary shutdown of one of the two furnaces. – Guardian.
Sunday newspaper round-up: British Steel, BP, BoE
The government has passed a bill that allows it to force companies to keep operations going at loss-making steel businesses in England. That or their executives will face criminal penalties. The bill was approved in what was just the sixth Saturday sitting of parliament since the second world war. The move was made necessary by the apparent breakdown of talks with British Steel's Chinese owners, which threatened to provoke the works' furnaces going out and the loss of thousands of jobs.
Friday newspaper round-up: Prada/Versace, WeightWatchers, sewage plant
The EU will not rip up its tech rules in an attempt to reach a trade deal with Donald Trump, the bloc’s most senior official on digital policy has said. Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission vice-president responsible for tech sovereignty, indicated the EU was not going to compromise on its digital rulebook to reach an agreement on trade with the US – a key demand of Trump administration officials. – Guardian.
Friday newspaper round-up: Prada/Versace, WeightWatchers, sewage plant
The EU will not rip up its tech rules in an attempt to reach a trade deal with Donald Trump, the bloc’s most senior official on digital policy has said. Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission vice-president responsible for tech sovereignty, indicated the EU was not going to compromise on its digital rulebook to reach an agreement on trade with the US – a key demand of Trump administration officials. – Guardian.
Friday newspaper round-up: Prada/Versace, WeightWatchers, sewage plant
The EU will not rip up its tech rules in an attempt to reach a trade deal with Donald Trump, the bloc’s most senior official on digital policy has said. Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission vice-president responsible for tech sovereignty, indicated the EU was not going to compromise on its digital rulebook to reach an agreement on trade with the US – a key demand of Trump administration officials. – Guardian.
Thursday newspaper round-up: Royal Mail, Nato, Netflix tax
Royal Mail has unveiled a solar-powered “postbox of the future” with a built-in barcode reader and a hatch to accept parcels larger than letterbox size. In the “biggest change to postbox design since their introduction more than 175 years ago”, the hi-tech pillar box looks as if it is wearing a jaunty beret. The black, chequered lid is in fact solar panels that power the scanner. The postbox’s extra-large opening hatch offers a new way for the postal service to cash in on a roaring parcel trade.
Thursday newspaper round-up: Royal Mail, Nato, Netflix tax
Royal Mail has unveiled a solar-powered “postbox of the future” with a built-in barcode reader and a hatch to accept parcels larger than letterbox size. In the “biggest change to postbox design since their introduction more than 175 years ago”, the hi-tech pillar box looks as if it is wearing a jaunty beret. The black, chequered lid is in fact solar panels that power the scanner. The postbox’s extra-large opening hatch offers a new way for the postal service to cash in on a roaring parcel trade.
Thursday newspaper round-up: Royal Mail, Nato, Netflix tax
Royal Mail has unveiled a solar-powered “postbox of the future” with a built-in barcode reader and a hatch to accept parcels larger than letterbox size. In the “biggest change to postbox design since their introduction more than 175 years ago”, the hi-tech pillar box looks as if it is wearing a jaunty beret. The black, chequered lid is in fact solar panels that power the scanner. The postbox’s extra-large opening hatch offers a new way for the postal service to cash in on a roaring parcel trade.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Blue Skies Space, FS Italiane, Liverpool St station
Back in the early months of Covid lockdowns, all the talk in property circles was of would-be housebuyers plotting a move to coastal and rural areas as city dwellers prioritised a bigger garden, access to nature and more room for home working. But, five years on, the reshaping of the housing market sparked by the pandemic has gone into reverse, with homes by the sea seemingly losing some of their lustre and fewer people looking to escape from cities, data shows. The property website Rightmove said that, while much had changed since 2020, one constant was a desire among many would-be buyers for a home with more space.
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Clean power, Apple. productivity
The world used clean power sources to meet more than 40% of its electricity demand last year for the first time since the 1940s, figures show. A report by the energy thinktank Ember said the milestone was powered by a boom in solar power capacity, which has doubled in the last three years. The report found that solar farms had been the world’s fastest-growing source of energy for the last 20 consecutive years. – Guardian.
Monday newspaper round-up: Companies House, supermarkets, UK economy
The UK government agency responsible for overseeing a national register of companies has collected just £1,250 in fines after being given new powers to crack down on corruption, it has emerged. Companies House is implementing a series of reforms, amid embarrassing revelations about fraudsters and jokers signing up to the corporate register with names such as “Darth Vader” and “Santa Claus”. – Guardian.