Business

Let’s start with what we do know. The economy is now almost certainly in recession. It will not be pleasant. This is a recession which will be felt in most households’ pockets – both through the rise in energy prices and shop prices and the rise in the cost of borrowing. And when it comes

Sainsbury’s has claimed to be passing on rising costs to shoppers at a slower rate than its competitors, saying its decision is partly responsible for a dip in first-half profits. The UK’s second-largest supermarket chain by market share, which also owns Argos, updated on its progress as the ‘big four’ also including Tesco, Morrisons and

BT Group is expected to increase a multibillion-pound cost-savings target on Thursday as it seeks to counter the inflationary headwinds buffeting the UK economy. Sky News has learnt that Philip Jansen, BT chief executive, is poised to use the telecom giant’s half-results announcement to outline plans to find a further £500m of savings by the

Food inflation surged to a record 11.6% in October – with staple items including tea bags, milk and sugar all seeing significant price rises, according to a retail body. Overall, shops increased prices by 6.6% in the 12 months to October – the highest level since records began in 2005. But fresh food has been

Boris Johnson is in talks with one of Hollywood’s most prominent talent agencies about a lucrative speaking deal following his aborted run for a second stint as Britain’s prime minister. Sky News has learned that Mr Johnson has been holding detailed talks with Endeavor, the group founded by American businessman Ari Emanuel. Sources said that

BP has credited strong natural gas trading for strong quarterly profits of £7.1bn, which have fanned the flames around demands for stiffer windfall taxes. The oil and gas giant revealed third quarter profits of $8.2bn compared to $3.3bn in the same period a year earlier – boosted by high prices resulting from the impact of

Instagram has said it is looking into why thousands of users have suddenly had their accounts suspended. Users around the world have posted on other social media platforms to ask why they have been locked out of their profiles, having received a message saying: “We suspended your account on October 31, 2022.” “We’re aware that

Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk has denied a report he plans to lay off employees before the start of next month to avoid having to make special payouts as part of their compensation deal. In a response to a Twitter user asking about the redundancies reported in the New York Times, Musk tweeted simply: “This

The next operator of the National Lottery is in talks to buy the incumbent, Camelot, in a £100m deal that would pave the way for the removal of the latter’s final legal challenge against the industry regulator. Sky News has learnt that Allwyn Entertainment is in advanced discussions with Camelot’s Canadian owner about a takeover

Octopus Energy has sealed its deal to buy Bulb, a collapsed energy rival that has been funded by billions of pounds in government support for nearly a year. Octopus said it is taking on Bulb’s 1.5 million customers “bringing an end to taxpayer losses and uncertainty for Bulb customers and employees”. It added: “Octopus is

A veteran investment banker is being lined up to chair one of Britain’s biggest car parts manufacturers as it prepares for a newly independent life as a standalone listed company. Sky News has learnt that Simon Mackenzie-Smith, a prominent City figure during a long career at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, is close to being

At first glance, there is nothing altogether unusual about the train. Sitting on the platform at Spandau station in the suburbs of Berlin, it looks much the same as every other one. But do not be fooled, for this train, manufactured by French group Alstom, is very special indeed. It runs not on electricity or

The head of NatWest, which is part state-owned, has defended the amount of tax big banks pay. Alison Rose, the chief executive, said banks were taxed more than “any other sector” and more than the financial service sectors in other countries. Speaking on Ian King Live, Ms Rose said: “On taxes, the banking sector already

English football’s top flight is lining up a £30m-a-year deal to sell digital tokens to fans after talks with a rival provider collapsed. Sky News has learnt that the Premier League will hold talks with its 20 clubs to discuss a proposed multi-year contract with Sorare, a Paris-based start-up. The deal, which is understood to

Shell has reported operating profits of $9.5bn (£8.19bn) for the third quarter of this year, lower than that of the three months before but still more than double the same period in 2021. The London-listed energy giant reported two consecutive quarters of record profit in the first half of the year at a time of

Elon Musk has been seen entering Twitter HQ – carrying what appears to be a sink. Mr Musk tweeted a video showing himself walking into the building in San Francisco a day after reports that he could close his $44bn takeover of the site by the end of this week. The 51-year-old captioned the video:

The chairman and chief executive of one of the world’s biggest banks says he is “committed to the UK”, despite recent political and economic turmoil. Brian Moynihan, of Bank of America, also told Sky News that he is not concerned about the prospect of an increase in corporation tax, adding: “We don’t live or die

The pound hit a six-week high as Rishi Sunak became prime minister today, another sign of the markets welcoming the country’s new leader. Sterling was up 1.8% against the dollar at $1.147, having risen by 1.92% to $1.150 earlier in the day – the highest level since 15 September. On Friday afternoon the pound had

The financial markets appear to have welcomed news that Rishi Sunak will be the UK’s next prime minister. The pound was up 0.15% against the US dollar just moments after Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee, said that only one valid nomination had been received for the top job. On Friday afternoon, the

Rishi Sunak is not just our first British Asian prime minister, our first Hindu PM. He is not just the youngest prime minister of the modern era. He is also the youngest since the Napoleonic wars and the first millennial PM. Just as intriguingly, and possibly even more consequentially, he is Britain’s first hedge fund