Africa particularly vulnerable as Iran conflict disrupts supply chains, say experts

Food production in many African countries depends heavily on fertiliser imported from the Gulf through the strait of Hormuz

Trump claims he has ‘absolute right’ to impose new tariffs after supreme court blow

US supreme court has ‘ransacked’ the country, president argues, in wake of its ruling against his trade agenda

UK housing costs rise 41% over five years for renters and owners, study shows

Borrowers coming off fixed deals hit hard as Savills says big spike in interest payments made up half the overall rise

Relief for some of Britain’s poorest lands at right moment to cushion Iran aftershocks

Timely end of two-child limit plus a healthy uptick in universal credit signals ‘life-changing’ boost to Britons most exposed to Trumpflation

How the war in Iran and its economic fallout could lead to Trump’s defeat

The war is deeply unpopular, and the spike in oil prices will mean long-term high prices across the board for Americans

Gas prices are soaring – but one Los Angeles gas station is taking it to the extreme

A Chevron station just outside downtown charges more than $8 a gallon – nearly $3 more than the city’s average

Europe rebukes US for temporarily lifting sanctions on Russian oil

German chancellor says decision is wrong and that pressure on Putin over Ukraine war should be increased

Oil price shock likely to ‘push the UK economy into recession’; US growth revised down – as it happened

Surprise lack of growth in January as service sector stagnated, with falls in recruitment activity

British politics is hooked on flashy fake numbers – and the AI investment debacle proves it

A claim that the UK is attracting billions of pounds in AI investment has been debunked. That’s no surprise when our establishment runs on dubious ‘good news’, says Jonathan Portes, a professor at King’s College London and former senior civil servant

Seven in 10 Americans say Trump tariffs have cost them more money

Exclusive survey finds negative economic impacts felt across party lines as White House doubles down on tariffs

Bleak economic data shows UK plc in trouble well before Middle East crisis

Zero GDP growth in January will not help Rachel Reeves claim she has put UK in position to weather oil price storm

UK economy unexpectedly flatlined in January, official figures show

January’s GDP figure comes as higher energy prices look likely to drive up inflation, dashing hopes of interest rate cut

The Guardian view on Adam Smith: he deserves rescuing from the free-market myth

Editorial: On the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations, the Scottish philospher is still invoked by the right. Yet he worried about inequality, monopoly and the power of wealth

Will releasing millions of barrels of oil stockpiles really bring down fuel costs?

Despite rare act of multilateralism, there is no guarantee the IEA’s release of 400m barrels from reserves will depress prices

UK companies struggling to hire young people amid cost pressures, MPs told

Business lobby groups say firms less likely to take on staff with few qualifications or who have gaps in their CVs