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Chancellor Rachel Reeves came to office in July pledging to make stronger growth the number one mission of the new Labour government. Official figures on Friday underlined how far she is from achieving this ambition.  After gaining momentum since 2023, output slipped back in September and October. The figures confirm that businesses and households shied
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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The UK economy unexpectedly shrank 0.1 per cent in October, the second contraction in a row, in a blow to the Labour government’s economic agenda. The monthly change in GDP published on Friday by the
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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. HSBC is reviewing its retail banking operations outside the UK and Hong Kong, a move that could see it substantially scale back operations in countries including Mexico, as it seeks further cost cuts. The bank
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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Business leaders have warned chancellor Rachel Reeves at a private meeting that the economic environment is “extremely challenging”, with companies facing major uncertainty due to her tax-raising Budget and the government’s planned package of employment
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Qatar’s $500bn sovereign wealth fund is preparing to deploy its cash more aggressively ahead of a petrodollar windfall that could ultimately double its size. Mohammed Al-Sowaidi, the Qatar Investment Authority’s new chief executive, told the Financial Times the fund expected to “do bigger-ticket deals” and invest with “more frequency” as it embarks on a review
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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Financial services myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Investors’ “relentless” appetite for juicy returns has triggered the biggest boom on Wall Street in complex financial products since the lead-up to the global financial crisis in 2007. The global volume of structured finance transactions
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Show video info Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country after a stunning offensive by rebels who seized the capital city of Damascus and toppled the dynasty that had ruled for 50 years. Amid scenes of jubilation on Sunday, the rebels proclaimed that “the city of Damascus is free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad”
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€69 per month Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%. What’s included Global news & analysis Expert opinion FT App on Android & iOS FT Edit app FirstFT: the day’s biggest stories 20+ curated newsletters Follow topics & set alerts with myFT
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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Romania’s constitutional court has annulled last month’s first round of presidential elections after evidence that the leading candidate benefited from Russian intervention. The unprecedented decision to strike down the vote, which was won by far-right candidate
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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The French parliament on Wednesday voted to oust prime minister Michel Barnier over his proposed deficit-cutting budget, plunging the country into deeper political turmoil. A motion of no confidence was approved by 331 votes in
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A UK-led operation has uncovered a multibillion-dollar money laundering scheme run out of London, Moscow and Dubai that enabled Russian spies and European drug traffickers to evade sanctions using cryptocurrency. The UK’s National Crime Agency said on Wednesday that its “Operation Destabilise” investigation centred on two companies — Smart and TGR — that acted as
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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol faced mounting calls for his impeachment on Wednesday after his failed attempt to impose martial law triggered the country’s worst constitutional crisis in decades. Opposition lawmakers called on him
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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. South Korea’s conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol has declared martial law, accusing the left-wing bloc that controls the national assembly of North Korean sympathies and plotting rebellion. Yoon, a hardline former chief prosecutor, said in
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