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Exclusive poll: Americans are also increasingly blaming the White House for their financial woesTwice as many Americans believe their financial security is getting worse than better, according to an exclusive new poll conducted for the Guardian, and they are increasingly blaming the White House.The poll, conducted by Harris, will be a further blow to Donald Trump's efforts to fight off criticism of his handling of the economy and contains some worrying findings for the president.Nearly half (45%) of Americans said their financial security is getting worse compared to 20% who said it's getting better.57% of Americans said the US economy is undergoing a recession, up 11% from a similar poll that was conducted in February. Continue reading......

New head of preparedness at OpenAI will face unnerving in-tray amid fears from some experts that AI could 'turn on us'The maker of ChatGPT has advertised a $555,000-a-year vacancy with a daunting job description that would cause Superman to take a sharp intake of breath.In what may be close to the impossible job, the “head of preparedness” at OpenAI will be directly responsible for defending against risks from ever more powerful AIs to human mental health, cybersecurity and biological weapons. Continue reading......

Filipinos make up a large percentage of the healthcare workforce, which includes undocumented peopleIn the Philippines, she spent three years providing end-of-life care for a family's grandmother. When the grandmother died, family members told the healthcare worker to arrange her own way to the United States, where they operated home healthcare facilities.In California, they promised, she would have a place to stay and a stable job. They would look after her just as she had cared for their grandmother. Continue reading......

Last few months of the year have seen $1tn in value wiped from the market, despite all-time-high price of bitcoinAs 2025 comes to a close, Donald Trump's favorable approach to cryptocurrency has not proven to be enough to sustain the industry's gains, once the source of market-wide optimism and enthusiasm. The last few months of the year have seen $1tn in value wiped from the digital asset market, despite bitcoin hitting an all-time-high price of $126,000 on 6 October.The October price peak was short-lived. Bitcoin's price tumbled just days later after Trump's announcement of 100% tariffs on China sent shockwaves across the market on 12 October. The crypto market saw $19bn liquidated in 24 hours – the largest liquidation event on record. Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency, saw a 40% drop in price over the next month. Eric Trump's own crypto company endured a similar drop in its value in December. Continue reading......

Metal that underpins the renewable energy industry joins silver and gold as a safe haven asset for investorsBusiness live – latest updatesCopper, the metal that underpins the fast-growing renewable energy industry, is on course for its biggest annual price rise in more than 15 years as traders react to fears of global shortages.As one of the main beneficiaries of the “electrification of everything”, copper has soared by more than 35% in value this year, spurred by US tariff uncertainty and concerns about mining disasters that could restrict supply. Continue reading......

Effects on inflation and employment have not been as bad as feared – but could still materialise with full force in 2026When Donald Trump took office last January, most economists feared what would happen if he raised tariffs. The expectation was that, as the new duties drove up prices of consumer goods and inputs – affecting households and companies, respectively – surging inflation and falling real incomes would follow. This would be a supply shock, so the US Federal Reserve could not do much to counteract it.Trump did raise tariffs to shocking levels, violating international agreements and blowing up the Republican party's oft-professed commitment to free trade. In terms of severity and disruptiveness, Trump's 2025 tariffs went far beyond the already harmful tariffs of his first term, and even beyond the infamous Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930. According to the Yale Budget Lab, the average effective tariff on US imports rose from 2% to 18%, the highest level since the 1930s, this year. Add to that th...

MHRA says buying from illegal online sellers can put health at real risk amid booming black marketLosing weight may be a common new year resolution but health experts have warned against buying medications for such purposes from social media sellers or other illegitimate channels.Jabs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro have become hugely popular for weight loss, with trials suggesting the latter can help people lose an average of 20% of their body weight after 72 weeks of treatment. Continue reading......

Cybersecurity experts reveal what they do for high-profile clients targeted by hackers such as Scattered Spider They call it “stopping the bleeding”: the vital window to prevent an entire database from being ransacked by criminals or a production line grinding to a halt.When a call comes into the cybersecurity firm S-RM, headquartered on Whitechapel High Street in east London, a hacked business or institution may have just minutes to protect themselves. Continue reading......

I'd like to believe that the horrific darkness of this past year is a necessary prelude to a brighter and saner futureAbout a year ago, at the start of the Trump 2.0 regime, a woman was about to pass me on the sidewalk and then stopped, turned toward me and almost shouted: “It's a fucking nightmare!”It has been a “fucking nightmare”. Continue reading......

As Trump's tariffs take effect, Britain is likely alternative destination for cars, telecoms and sound equipmentBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK is poised for an influx of cheap Chinese imports that could bring down inflation amid the fallout from Donald Trump's global trade war, leading economists have said.After figures showed China's trade surplus surpassed $1tn (£750bn) despite Washington's tariff policies hitting exports to the US, the Bank of England said the UK was among the nations emerging as alternative destinations for the goods. Continue reading......

B&Q, Topps Tiles and Wickes among those on track for double-digit percentage share price rises this yearBusiness live – latest updatesRetailers of home improvement products are enjoying a glittering year on the London stock market, as cash-strapped UK consumers turn to DIY projects after being priced out of shifting home or undertaking expensive renovations.Publicly listed retailers including the B&Q owner Kingfisher, Topps Tiles, Wickes and the sofa seller DFS are on track for double-digit percentage share price increases of as much as 56% this year. Continue reading......

Candidates will have to sit assessments in person unless there are exceptional circumstances, says ACCABusiness live – latest updatesThe world's largest accounting body is to stop students being allowed to take exams remotely to crack down on a rise in cheating on tests that underpin professional qualifications.The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), which has almost 260,000 members, has said that from March it will stop allowing students to take online exams in all but exceptional circumstances. Continue reading......

Manchester and Bristol among those worst hit as most airports face bills more than doubling in next three yearsBusiness live – latest updatesAir passengers are being warned to brace for ticket rises as regional airports across the UK face “unprecedented” rises in property tax next year.Analysis of government data for the Press Association has revealed regional airports are among those facing the steepest increases in business rates of any sector in the UK amid an overhaul of property valuations underpinning the tax. Continue reading......

Rally in precious metals triggered by US interest rate cut hopes, hedging against geopolitical uncertaintyGood morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.As the final trading week of the year gets under way, the rally in precious metals has continued – silver, platinum and palladium hit new all-time highs before falling back.Add supply worries and the move has turned parabolic. But the late-year, near-vertical surge, especially in silver, also raises the risk of higher volatility.3pm GMT: US Pending home sales for November3.30pm GMT: US EIA Crude oil stocks change Continue reading......

Sadiq Khan's office blames delay on lack of government guidance on links between gambling ads and harmGambling companies have spent nearly £5m to advertise on the London transport network since Sadiq Khan pledged to stop them from doing so, amid a prolonged impasse between the mayor's office and the government.Khan said during his 2021 mayoral election campaign that he would order Transport for London (TfL) to extend a ban on junk food ads to cover online casinos and bookmakers as well, citing the “devastating” impact of addiction. Continue reading......

Rural depopulation compounding challenges of climate emergency and changing technologies in drawing young people to sectorThe huge concrete vats that have held countless litres of verdejo white wine in the 90 years since the Cuatro Rayas cooperative winery was founded are dwarfed by the stainless steels tanks that sit opposite and serve as reminders that, even in an enterprise as ancient as winemaking, times change.Outside, a chilly but welcome rain falls on the surrounding vines, autumn-brown after another furnace-hot summer in the northern Spanish province of Valladolid. But changing technologies and the vagaries of the climate emergency are not the only challenges facing Spain's €22.4bn (£20bn) wine industry. Continue reading......

Survivors urge government to stop using suppliers cited in public inquiry into fire in which 72 people diedSurvivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have called on the government to stop companies implicated in the disaster from receiving public contracts, after it was revealed several were still in receipt of multimillion-pound deals.New analysis found at least 87 contracts across the public sector in the government's own database involve companies criticised in the phase 2 report into the Grenfell fire, published in September 2024, though some contracts may have since expired. Continue reading......

Unions and thinktank urge action to save sector hit by sky-high energy bills, cheap imports and underinvestmentBritain will lose a piece of its national identity if the country's ceramics industry is allowed to descend further into crisis without state assistance, the government has been warned.Ceramics producers including the struggling potteries of Staffordshire have come under huge pressure owing to factors such as the UK's sky-high energy costs, leading to job losses. Continue reading......

Gerstner was chair and CEO at a time when the firm was struggling for relevance faced with rivals such as MicrosoftLouis Gerstner, the businessman credited with turning around IBM, has died aged 83, the company announced on Sunday.Gerstner was chair and CEO of IBM from 1993 to 2002, a time when the company was struggling for relevance in the face of competition from rivals such as Microsoft and Sun Microsystems. Continue reading......

More young people are following the money and going into trades like construction where AI can't easily replace themWhile standing on the sideline watching a high school soccer game, my friend, who owned a small and successful construction company, complained that his son – a senior – was starting at a respected local university that fall, which would cost roughly $200,000 over the next four years.“I could take the same money and set him up in a contracting business,” he said. “It would be a much better investment.” Continue reading......