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Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsGood morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.The London stock market is ending its strongest year since the aftermath of the financial crisis at record levels.“The global nature of the inhabitants of London's top-flight index has helped it avoid the doldrums which have held back the more domestically focused FTSE 250…“Investors have been looking beyond the usual suspects for value and diversification as the US dollar came under pressure and the world continued to be beset with geopolitical turmoil and fears of an AI bubble. An indication that further interest rate cuts are on the cards in the US could enable Wall Street to find a higher gear and minutes from the Fed's last meeting of the year should also shed some light on that.12.30pm GMT: Early close on London stock market1.30pm GMT: US weekly jobless claims report Continue reading......

Whether Vinted's to blame or TikTok's to thank, people are flocking back to car parks in search of secondhand bargains. How did the car boot get hip again?It's a crisp Sunday morning in south-west London. Tucked within rows of terrace houses, the playground of a primary school has been transformed into an outdoor treasure trove. Tables are filled with stacks of books and board games; clothes hang from metal racks or are piled into boxes which are strewn over a hopscotch. It's the 10am opening of Balham car boot sale. A modest queue filters through the entrance: families, pensioners, fashion influencers, TikTokers.Three friends – Dominique Gowie, Abbie Mitchell (both 25 years old) and Affy Chowdhury (26) – arrived an hour earlier, to set up. They are selling at a car boot for the first time, enticed by the growing hype circulating on social media. “If you go out and say: 'Oh I bought this at the car boot,' I think it's actually cooler than saying I bought this on Asos,” says Dominique. Conti...

Power problem and stuck vehicle shuttle halted seasonal rail travel between UK and the continent on TuesdayEurostar said it plans to run a full service on Wednesday but warned of possible knock-on disruptions after a power supply issue halted Channel tunnel train trips connecting London to the European mainland.Travellers making journeys in the busy run-up to the new year were left scrambling to find alternatives after the operator postponed all services between London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels. Continue reading......

Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio warns against granting legal rights to cutting-edge technologyA pioneer of AI has criticised calls to grant the technology rights, warning that it was showing signs of self-preservation and humans should be prepared to pull the plug if needed.Yoshua Bengio said giving legal status to cutting-edge AIs would be akin to giving citizenship to hostile extraterrestrials, amid fears that advances in the technology were far outpacing the ability to constrain them. Continue reading......

Labour urges Conservative leader to reveal whether she knew David Wolfson was to represent Russian oligarch in legal case Kemi Badenoch is under pressure to act on the revelations that her shadow attorney general is representing the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, despite UK sanctions against him.David Wolfson, a Tory peer, is part of the legal team representing Abramovich as he attempts to recover billions in frozen assets he owns in the Channel islands. Continue reading......

Exclusive: Sales via intermediary companies appear to continue despite Michelin's attempts to cut off tradeRussia has continued to use intermediary companies, including one apparently based in the UK, to import aviation tyres made by the French firm Michelin despite attempts to stop the trade, customs records suggest.Despite sanctions on the sale of tyres to Russia, which is critically dependent on foreign suppliers, an analysis of records indicates that a significant number are continuing to get through. Continue reading......

Community leaders raise alarm over study links and Polynesian ties, with Tonga to face restrictions from January as US says too many overstayThe small Pacific nation of Tonga is one of more than a dozen countries to be hit with visa and entry restrictions on 1 January as the Trump administration tightens its crackdown on immigration.In December, the US said it would further restrict and limit the entry of foreign nationals to protect the country from “national security and public safety threats”. Continue reading......

Post-Fukushima nuclear closures of dozens of reactors forced the country to rely heavily on imported fossil fuels Continue reading......

Law's original author points to removal of obligations for downstream traders to verify origin of commoditiesIt was hailed by campaigners around the world as a game-changing piece of legislation that would help stop deforestation.But when a bullet-ridden version of the EU's deforestation regulation, once supposed to be the crown of the Green Deal, finally limped across the legislative line this month, not even its architect was smiling, and one politician said it had been pretty much “dismantled”. Continue reading......

Joe Dromey, head of the Labour thinktank, urges his party to take on the 'twin populisms' of Reform UK and the GreensThe Green party leader, Zack Polanski, is offering voters “unicorns” and Labour must confront his “fantasy” solutions such as the idea that a wealth tax would fix the public finances, according to the Fabian Society's general secretary, Joe Dromey.Much of the government's fire is trained on Nigel Farage. But in an end-of-year interview, the head of Labour's internal thinktank urges his party to take on the “twin populisms” of Reform and Polanski. Continue reading......

In an unusual turn, the central bank's board debated over monetary policy before the latest quarter-point cutThe US Federal Reserve agreed to cut interest rates at its December meeting only after a deeply nuanced debate about the risks facing the US economy right now, according to minutes of the latest two-day session.Even some of those who supported the rate cut acknowledged “the decision was finely balanced or that they could have supported keeping the target range unchanged”, given the different risks facing the US economy, according to the minutes released on Tuesday. Continue reading......

Retailers say appetite for alcoholic drinks that are about half the strength of the traditional versions is soaringChristmas and New Year's Eve celebrations often used to result in a hangover the next day, but with moderation now the order of the day the new drinks industry buzzword is “coasting”.This involves choosing a white wine, lager or even a cocktail that is about half the strength of the traditional version of the drink – meaning you can have the same number of drinks without feeling the worse for wear. Continue reading......

Rent rises likely to slow after rapid increases in recent years, lenders and estate agents forecastFirst-time buyers are expected to drive the UK housing market in 2026, with further interest rate cuts likely to improve stretched affordability.The for-sale market should accelerate moderately, with prices rising by 2% to 4%, while rent rises are likely to slow from the rapid increases of recent years, according to lenders and estate agents. Continue reading......

Anja Cradden proposes ways of managing tech companies before we reach crisis point. Plus letters from Mike Scott and Gerry Rees “When the AI bubble bursts, humans will finally have their chance to take back control”, says the headline on Rafael Behr's article (23 December). I think it's more likely that when the AI bubble bursts, the creators of the crisis, along with other wealthy economic actors, will be in the rooms with the politicians telling them how to “rescue” us all by transferring wealth in some way from average citizens to the already extremely wealthy. Just like they did during the financial crisis of 2008.We need to be ready with alternative plans. For example, world governments could coordinate to buy, for suitably low prices, majority shares in any crashing tech company that actually produces something useful, ensuring that those shares come with full voting rights. Continue reading......

Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today, how US foreign policy has dramatically – and alarmingly – turned towards Latin America and the CaribbeanDonald Trump is not generally noted as a student of history. Yet over the past year, his decisive reorientation of US foreign policy towards the Americas has revived a playbook dating back two centuries, to the fifth president, James Monroe. Now the 47th is doubling down. An anti-interventionist is having second thoughts. Remarks that sounded at first like bad jokes or random outbursts from the presidential id have become more sinister through repetition or accompanying actions. Only a fool would take all of Mr Trump's comments literally – but they should certainly be taken seriously.He has refused to rule out using military force to take control of Greenland and repeatedly floated the idea of making Canada the 51st state. He threatened to seize the Panama canal. He has imposed swingeing tariffs on ...

Daniel Owen would welcome the demise of postal marketing, while Marlene McAndrew asks why charities repeatedly send appeals to the same peopleI am prepared to accept the demise of letter writing discussed in your editorial (The Guardian view on sending letters: the writing's on the wall, 22 December) if it also means the abolition of all forms of postal marketing.In an online age, the obscene environmental cost alone of printing and distributing large volumes of paper material, 99% of which will go straight into a recycling bin unread, should have caused the demise of this form of advertising years ago. No one would miss it.Daniel OwenTorrington, Devon Continue reading......

Safety researchers feel excessive financial rewards and an irresponsible work culture have led some to ignore a catastrophic risk to human lifeOn the other side of San Francisco bay from Silicon Valley, where the world's biggest technology companies tear towards superhuman artificial intelligence, looms a tower from which fearful warnings emerge.At 2150 Shattuck Avenue, in the heart of Berkeley, is the home of a group of modern-day Cassandras who rummage under the hood of cutting-edge AI models and predict what calamities may be unleashed on humanity – from AI dictatorships to robot coups. Here you can hear an AI expert express sympathy with an unnerving idea: San Francisco may be the new Wuhan, the Chinese city where Covid originated and wreaked havoc on the world. Continue reading......

From datacenters to AI, we'll be keeping our eye on the technology that will be shaping your life in the coming yearHello, and welcome to TechScape. I'm your host, Blake Montgomery, wishing you a happy New Year's Eve filled with cheer, champagne and Mariah Carey's comically awful rendition of Auld Lang Syne.Today, we're looking forward to the next year in technology news. I am watching five trends I think will define the year: datacenters will see rapid proliferation beyond the US and China; billionaires will reap billions more; self-driving cars will park themselves in a slew of brand-new locales; AI will find its niche at work; and consumer tech will take strange new shapes. Continue reading......

BPI figures show music lovers listened to equivalent of 210.3m albums by UK artists in 2025 in 11th consecutive year of growthNostalgia surrounding the Oasis reunion tour, alongside Taylor Swift fans' clamour for vinyl, contributed to another boom year for the UK music industry, as physical formats continued their comeback.Music lovers listened to the equivalent of 210.3m albums by UK artists during 2025, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) annual report, up 4.9% on 2024 and the 11th year of growth in a row. Continue reading......

Engineers still struggling to restore full service on Tuesday evening as car passengers face seven-hour delaysBusiness live – latest updatesA power outage in the Channel tunnel has disrupted thousands of journeys ahead of the New Year celebrations, with all passenger and vehicle trains suspended for several hours while engineers raced to repair the fault.As Eurostar foot passenger departures for the continent were first delayed, then cancelled, the halls of St Pancras international station in London filled with stranded travellers awaiting updates. At Folkestone, tailbacks formed as drivers hoping to catch the shuttle faced seven-hour delays. Continue reading......