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Russian oil tankers circumventing western sanctions are relying on insurance that appears impossible to claim against, according to leaked documents exposing the risks taken by Moscow’s “dark fleet”. The cache of shipping files, seen by the Financial Times and the Danish media group Danwatch, reveals that a number of Russian vessels travelling from the Baltic

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has ruled out calling a general election in May, dashing the hopes of opposition MPs who believed there could be a new UK government by the summer. Sunak told ITV news

The US has held secret talks with Iran this year in a bid to convince Tehran to use its influence over Yemen’s Houthi movement to end attacks on ships in the Red Sea, according to US and Iranian officials. The indirect negotiations, during which Washington also raised concerns about Iran’s expanding nuclear programme, took place

His wavy hair billowing in the wind, Rashed al-Haddad looked into the camera as his dinghy neared the Israeli-linked cargo vessel that has become an unlikely tourist attraction since it was seized late last year by Houthi rebels. In a video recorded in the shadow of the Galaxy Leader, now languishing off the Yemen coast,

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The UK economy returned to growth in January helped by the expansion of the services sector, following a technical recession in the second half of 2023. Gross domestic product rose 0.2 per cent between December

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US inflation myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. US inflation increased unexpectedly to 3.2 per cent last month, in data set to be scrutinised by the US Federal Reserve as it decides when to reduce interest rates. Economists polled by Bloomberg had expected

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Equities myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Growing optimism about the world economy and improved corporate earnings is driving stock markets to record highs, prompting analysts to forecast further gains in what some describe as a “risk reset”. Wall Street’s S&P 500, the

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Brussels is pushing to give Ukraine €2bn-€3bn this year from profits derived from Russia’s frozen assets, accelerating the funding plan as US financial support to Kyiv wanes. The European Commission is preparing a plan,

Last November, the $1.6tn Norwegian sovereign wealth fund asked the government for the umpteenth time if it could be allowed to invest in private equity. That’s a good excuse to explore one of the financial world’s most controversial issues. After all, this is potentially a big deal, given the size of Norges Bank Investment Management

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US economy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Americans are increasingly happy about the economy but reluctant to give credit to Joe Biden, according to a new poll that underscores the US president’s challenges as he squares off against Donald Trump in this

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese economy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Officials from some of China’s most indebted provinces and cities have met leading state bankers in Beijing in recent days as they step up efforts to renegotiate debt payments on billions of dollars in liabilities

The US has widened its productivity lead over Europe, sparking fears in the EU that it faces a “competitiveness crisis” as policymakers call for greater public and private investment. New data released on Friday showed eurozone productivity fell 1.2 per cent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, while in the US it rose

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Central banks myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Top central bankers in Europe and the US have moved closer to declaring victory over the biggest inflation surge for a generation, with new data giving policymakers confidence they can cut rates by the summer.

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Sterling is the only major developed world currency to strengthen against the dollar this year, driven by a stronger than expected UK economy and growing hopes of imminent US interest rate cuts. The pound climbed

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. [embedded content] Joe Biden called on Congress to “stand up” to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he opened his annual speech to Congress with a plea to support Ukraine and criticism of Donald Trump for

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Nothing screams For Sale louder than a cheap sticker price. A number of listed UK companies seem priced for a quick sale. On Thursday, Britain’s largest private building society Nationwide announced it had provisionally agreed

With a general election looming, chancellor Jeremy Hunt was under pressure to deliver sweeteners for voters, notably what he described as “helping families with permanent cuts in taxation”, without appearing fiscally irresponsible. He confirmed the heavily trailed 2p cut in national insurance contributions, a shake-up of the “non-dom” tax regime and the creation of a

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt claimed that Britain’s economy has “turned the corner”, as his pre-election Budget put a £10bn personal tax cut at the heart of the Conservatives’ bid to overturn Labour’s polling lead and

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Donald Trump cruised to victory in more than two-thirds of the states holding Republican primaries on Super Tuesday, on a night that is set to bring him to the brink of securing his party’s presidential

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to cut national insurance rates as he puts personal tax reductions at the heart of his Budget on Wednesday. Government insiders confirmed that Conservative whips had been told to