NatWest faces £140m hit from Iran war as UK growth slows and inflation rises

Profits ahead of expectations but almost half of £283m impairment charge follows forecast reassessment

Tony Blair’s thinktank urges Labour to scrap ‘unaffordable’ pension triple lock

State pension was ‘built for a different era’, says former PM’s organisation amid pressure on government finances

Bank of England warns ‘higher inflation unavoidable’ after holding interest rates

Governor says decision to keep rates at 3.75% reasonable given unpredictability of events unfolding in Middle East

Oil price tops $126 a barrel after Trump warns Iran blockade could last ‘months’

Markets spooked as US president appears willing to keep up naval blockade and Iran keeps strait of Hormuz all but shut

US economic growth rebounds 2% as consumer spending slows amid Iran war

First quarter output, driven by AI investment and government spending, rose as oil shock fuels inflation fears

Eurozone inflation soars to 3% as Iran war drives up energy prices

ECB keeps interest rates on hold as growth stumbles and price rises gather pace, up from 2.6% in March and 1.9% in February

Why Bank kept interest rates on hold despite message for UK to brace itself for Trumpflation

The reasons are hardly comforting, pointing to the weakness of a battered economy in the face of this latest crisis

Why is Britain’s economy so stuck? It’s the tension between what voters want and what the bond markets allow

There is no such thing as the Bond Dealers party, but there might as well be – the people who trade in UK debt exert a stranglehold over our politics, says Guardian columnist Larry Elliott

Rising costs forcing 3m UK households to skip meals, Which? report finds

Consumer insight tracker shows 85% are worried about food prices and a majority think the economy will deteriorate

Massive profits already earned by property investors to be shielded from Chalmers’ CGT changes

Treasurer tells Commonwealth Bank podcast that he aims to ‘recognise the decisions that people have taken in the past’

Jerome Powell to stay on Fed board after central bank holds rates steady in defiance of Trump

Chair planned to exit after inquiry into building renovations but will now oversee ‘remaining steps in the process’

Oil nearing $120 a barrel for first time since 2022 as Trump maintains Iranian blockade – as it happened

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as Brent crude approaches highest level since Middle East conflict began

Reliance on Chinese green tech poses ‘serious’ risk for Europe, experts say

Continent ‘sleepwalking’ into series of economic and national security problems due to over-dependence

UK firms in ‘critical financial stress’ jump by a third as costs rise, report finds

Insolvency firm points to tax rises, staff costs and shaky consumer confidence after number increases to 62,193

Lloyds takes £151m hit from Iran war as it forecasts rise in UK unemployment

Bank expects its base case for GDP growth to be 0.5% this year, lower than IMF’s 0.8% prediction for Britain