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Talk of ‘small boats’ may dominate politics and the media, but the cost of living crisis is what most adults spend their time worrying about, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams

FTSE 100 winning streak ends as WPP shares hit lowest level since 1998; ECB holds rates at 2% – as it happened

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

Novo Nordisk bids $9bn for obesity drug maker Metsera in challenge to Pfizer

US biotech viewed as lucrative target partly because of its promising pipeline of weight-loss drugs

WPP jobs at risk as ad group’s new boss condemns ‘unacceptable’ performance

Review launched after firm struggles to stem exodus of clients and compete with AI and data capabilities of rivals

ECB keeps interest rates on hold despite eurozone inflation fears

Key deposit rate kept at 2% even as recovery starts to drive up price growth across bloc

Volkswagen indicates shortage of Chinese chips would hit profits

New EV models are offsetting a slump in demand but Europe’s carmakers are bracing for shutdowns

Halloween candy prices rising, spooked by Trump’s tariffs and climate change

Prices to spike by 10.8% this year, with some chocolatey treats seeing upticks of at least 20%, analysis shows

Virgin Media O2 teams with Musk’s Starlink to offer improved UK rural mobile coverage

Service scheduled to launch in 2026 will be first in Britain to use Starlink’s satellites to connect to handsets

Five key takeaways from Donald Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping

From tariffs to rare earths, Chinese and US presidents ‘make outstanding group of decisions’ at crunch trade talks

Insurers calling for trees to be felled as cheap fix for subsidence, say critics

Campaigners say problem so common that some of the UK’s most irreplaceable ancient trees in danger of being lost

Shell’s profits pass $43bn after production hits new highs in Brazil and Gulf of Mexico

Oil company plans to buy back shares for 16th consecutive quarter as protesters say its earnings are ‘horror show’

Trump-Xi meeting: US president says rare earths deal and tariff cut agreed

Donald Trump hails ‘amazing’ trade talks with Chinese counterpart, with ‘no roadblock at all on rare earth’

Virgin Trains on track to challenge Eurostar cross-Channel monopoly with access to key depot

UK rail regulator approves Richard Branson firm’s application to use Temple Mills site in London

Business and charity leaders urge ministers to lead England’s transition to four-day week

Open letter signed by more than 100 leaders comes after local government secretary criticised a council for switching to shorter week

Benefits of a four-day week are ever clearer, despite Steve Reed’s stance

Housing secretary’s criticism of trial in South Cambridgeshire council ignores its many positives