Did you buy a coffee machine with a tax refund? It may have affected Australia’s interest rate

Policymakers didn’t think people had the financial capacity to purchase ‘durable’ goods – but a rise in spending contributed to inflation

US fixation on the hard-hat economy and making manufacturing great again makes little sense

The dream of greasy overalls is driven by nostalgia and doesn’t justify policies that harm US consumers

‘It’s been life-changing’: young Britons on why they left the UK to work abroad

Skilled workers facing a tough jobs market and high rents at home reveal how they have built new lives elsewhere, from Vancouver to Dubai

UK migration could be negative this year – how will that hit the economy?

Universities, builders and health trusts are feeling the squeeze, as thinktank says effect of zero net migration could be similar to Brexit

Valentine’s lamps, Easter rugs: ‘seasonal decor’ has become a year-long tat-fest

This year-round churn profits shops and content creators, but not the rest of us. Nobody needs ‘autumn oven gloves’, says freelance writer Amelia Tait

Pension annuity sales hit record as average pot exceeds £80,000

Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tax changes encourage more people to invest in previously unloved product

‘My husband burned down our house – then the bank threatened repossession’

A family struggled to rebuild their lives after an abusive marriage ended in tragedy and financial ruin

Arundhati Roy is right, not Wim Wenders – here are eight films that have changed politics

From ‘honour’ killings to nuclear war, some screen works have led directly legislative action – despite what jury head Wenders suggested at the Berlin film festival

UK ad agencies undergo their biggest exodus of staff as AI threatens industry

Number of employees declined by more than 14% to 24,963 last year, with fall greatest among younger workers

AI is indeed coming – but there is also evidence to allay investor fears

Opinions are divided about the potential impact of artificial intelligence as the response to a recent viral essay shows

Reeves appoints higher pay advocate to fight skills shortages as chief economic adviser

Labour market expert Prof Brian Bell has called for better pay and conditions in key sectors, particularly social care

Trump ‘plans to roll back’ some metal tariffs; US inflation weaker than expected in January – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

How ‘neglectful or absentee’ investors fuel Toledo, Ohio’s post-pandemic housing crisis

Out-of-state investors buy cheap homes in the city, leaving working residents struggling with substandard housing

Heathrow isn’t crowded, it’s travellers walking on the wrong side, boss says

Thomas Woldbye says part of airport’s problem is UK passengers walk on the left while others walk on the right

Penalty notice: Euro Car Parks fined £473,000 for ignoring regulator

High court refuses injunction to stop CMA naming company penalised for failing to hand over information