Business

Average house prices have jumped by about £4,500 this month – but experts are still predicting that 2024 will be a “smoother year” for buyers. According to Rightmove, the typical asking price for a British property now stands at £359,748, which is 0.7% lower compared with a year ago. The number of new houses coming

New strikes have been announced by the train drivers’ union ASLEF. Drivers will stage fresh industrial action and an overtime ban from the end of the month in a long-running pay dispute, the union said. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the

Plans for a new government information campaign to tackle the explosion in online fraud have sparked divisions among major banks over concerns about its cost and potentially conflicting public messages. Sky News has learnt that the Home Office has in recent weeks been in discussions with major lenders including Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and Santander

Vue International, Europe’s largest independent cinema operator, is finalising a fresh debt restructuring after the Hollywood actors’ strike halted the release of a string of blockbuster movies. Sky News has learnt that UK-based Vue, its shareholders and lenders are in the process of organising the company’s second debt-for-equity swap in 18 months in a bid

What lies 1,000 metres beneath the North Sea could help the climate of the atmosphere above. And I’m on my way down to see it. The rattly lift drops at 10 metres per second, the speed of a sprinter, ruffling the air and flapping my shorts as it plunges down. Yes shorts. I wear a

US flight safety regulators are to intensify their scrutiny of Boeing in the wake of the mid-air panel blowout a week ago aboard one of the company’s planes. The announcement was made by a top Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official who is working on the investigation into the scare aboard the Alaska Airlines flight on

Shipping costs have risen by more than 300% since November amid the disruption caused to freight in the Red Sea from attacks, according to fresh data. Just hours after US and UK-led attacks on Yemen aimed at preventing renewed assaults on shipping by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, it was revealed that freight prices continued to rise

The UK economy returned to growth in November, according to official figures that are being closely watched amid fears the prospect of recession remains on a knife edge. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported output growth of 0.3% for the month – recovering from a 0.3% decline witnessed in October when many weather-sensitive sectors

Two tech giants are battling it out for the title of the world’s most valuable company. Microsoft had overtaken Apple for the first time since 2021 to become the world’s most valuable firm by market capitalisation – which measures the value and number of a company’s shares. Money latest:‘Huge announcement’ on car finance could see

The boss of Ryanair has complained of “minor issues” with new aircraft delivered by Boeing as the US plane manufacturer battles to contain the fallout from its latest safety scare. Michael O’Leary had used an interview with the Financial Times earlier this week to raise concerns about quality control at the US firm in the

An ex-Centrica executive will this week be appointed the new chair of the independent trade body which advises the government on the imposition of tariffs. Sky News understands that Nick Baird, who also ran UK Trade and Investment, Britain’s former trade promotion body, is to be the next chairman of the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA).

Danone will reduce the price it sells Aptamil baby formula to retailers by up to 7% from Monday – after manufacturers were criticised for “exploiting” British families. It comes seven months after Sky News revealed the desperate measures families have been taking to feed their babies because of the high prices of formula milk in

On today’s episode, Ian King speaks to John Grant, chief analyst at the aviation analytics firm OAG, about problems mounting for Boeing, as its 737-9 MAX jets continue to be inspected. Plus, hear from YouGov boss Steve Hatch about the firm’s latest acquisition. And global cloud enterprise software company, IFS, has a new chief executive

Jeremy Hunt held talks with some of the City’s top business leaders on Tuesday in a bid to inject fresh momentum into London’s flagging market for new company listings. Sky News understands the chief executives of asset managers Abrdn and Schroders and their counterpart at HSBC Holdings were among those scheduled to attend a breakfast

Barclays is in the process of removing 5,000 roles from its global workforce in recent months as part of a renewed push by executives to slash costs and improve the bank’s profitability. Sky News has learnt that a total of roughly 5,000 jobs were shed from the British bank’s 84,000-strong ranks during 2023, with about

The energy regulator has warned suppliers over their conduct as a temporary ban on the forced installation of prepayment meters ends. Ofgem said on Monday that it was allowing EDF, Octopus and Scottish Power to resume “involuntary” ‘Pay as you Go’ meter installations. That was because the three firms had met conditions to restart the

The owners of SoundCloud, one of the world’s largest music streaming services, are preparing for a sale that could fetch in excess of $1bn. Sky News has learnt that Raine Group and Temasek Holdings, the Singaporean state investment fund, have begun interviewing investment banks about a prospective auction of the company. Founded in 2007, SoundCloud

Dramatic footage shows the moments after a window and chunk of fuselage blew out of a passenger plane in mid-air, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the Boeing 737-9 MAX.  One Alaska Airlines passenger on the affected flight said a boy and his mother were sitting in the same row as the damage

Some of BP’s largest shareholders have urged it to approach Charles Woodburn, the BAE Systems chief executive, about becoming the FTSE-100 oil behemoth’s next boss. Sky News has learnt that several large investors believe that BP should target the appointment of an external candidate as its CEO for the first time in its 114-year history.

The chairman of NatWest bank has come under fire after he claimed it is not “that difficult” for people to get on the property ladder in the UK. Sir Howard Davies said that while some found it hard to “start the process”, aspiring homeowners “have to save and that is the way it always used