Monday 26 September 2022

Britain's fiscal plan sends sterling skidding to all-time low

Monday, September 26, 2022

by Linda Noakes

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Here's what you need to know.

The pound's plunge is the latest ill omen as market stress rises, the U.S. warns of 'catastrophic consequences' if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine, and NASA's asteroid-deflecting spacecraft nears its target

Today's biggest stories

Commuters walk across London Bridge toward the financial district, September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

BUSINESS & MARKETS

Sterling slumped to a record low, and a renewed selloff in British gilts pushed euro zone yields higher as the fallout from last week's fiscal statement in Britain roiled markets for a second session. We look at the history of UK currency crises and crashes.

Britain's new economic agenda represents the biggest gamble for growth in a major Western democracy in at least 40 years.

Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said authorities stood ready to respond to speculative currency moves, a fresh warning that comes days after Tokyo intervened in the foreign exchange market to stem yen falls for the first time in over two decades.

Global economic growth is slowing more than was forecast a few months ago in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as energy and inflation crises risk snowballing into recessions in major economies, the OECD said.

Apple said it will manufacture its latest iPhone 14 in India, as the tech giant moves some of its production away from China. India is pushing tech giants to make smartphones compatible with its home-grown navigation system within months, worrying the likes of Samsung, Xiaomi and Apple who fear elevated costs and disruption.

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica and 13 other European telecoms providers made their strongest push for Big Tech to share network costs, citing the energy crisis and EU climate change goals.

The auto industry's drive to a greener and cleaner future is a treacherous road for companies in its beleaguered supply chain. Only the strong and the shrewd may survive. Many auto suppliers, already squeezed by rampant inflation and energy prices, say they have little choice but to shoulder the extra costs of making their components sustainable to meet carmakers' environmental targets.

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish pilgrim sits on a swing near the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov during the celebration of Rosh Hashanah holiday, the Jewish New Year, in Uman, Ukraine, September 25, 2022. REUTERS/Vladyslav Musiienko

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

The United States warned Moscow of "catastrophic consequences" if it uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine after Russia promised protection to Ukrainian regions it might annex following widely criticized referendums.

Citizens in four regions of Ukraine were voting for a fourth day in the Russian-organized referendums that Kyiv and the West have branded a sham. They say the outcomes are pre-determined and even countries with close ties to Moscow such as Serbia and Kazakhstan say they will not recognize the results.

Almost 17,000 Russians crossed the border into Finland during the weekend, an 80% rise from a week earlier, Finnish authorities said, as the influx of people continued in the wake of Russia's announcement of military mobilization. At least 100 people were detained at a protest opposing the mobilization in the southern Russian region of Dagestan.

Ukraine has discovered two more mass burial sites containing the bodies of hundreds of people in the northeastern town of Izium, which Kyiv recaptured from Russia this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now.

Leader of Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni reacts at the party's election night headquarters, in Rome, September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

IN OTHER NEWS


Giorgia Meloni looks set to become Italy's first woman prime minister at the head of its most right-wing government since World War Two after leading a conservative alliance to triumph at yesterday's election. We look at the potential flashpoints in Italy's new rightist coalition, the market reaction, and the companies potentially affected.

A gunman with a swastika on his teeshirt killed 13 people, including seven children, and wounded more than 20 at a school in Russia before committing suicide, investigators said.

U.S. attempts to violate Iran's sovereignty over the issue of protests triggered by the death of a woman in police custody will not go unanswered, the foreign ministry said, as the biggest unrest since 2019 showed no signs of abating.

It will take several months for Canada to restore critical infrastructure after the powerful storm Fiona left an "unprecedented" trail of destruction, officials said, as crews fanned out in five provinces to restore power and clean up fallen trees and debris.

Tropical Storm Ian hurtled toward western Cuba, prompting the government to evacuate tourists amid expectations of life-threatening storm surges as it turns into a hurricane.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr conducted an aerial survey of damage brought by typhoon Noru, which left heavy flooding across several northern provinces as authorities rushed to get aid to thousands of evacuees.

Ten months after launch, NASA's asteroid-deflecting DART spacecraft neared a planned impact with its target in a test of the world's first planetary defense system, designed to prevent a doomsday collision with Earth.

Quote of the day

"The British have decided that going back to the 1980s on steroids is the best way to go"

Michael Every

Strategist at Rabobank

Pound skids to record lows in firesale of UK assets

Video of the day

Ecuador's Galapagos park testing coral replanting

Park rangers are testing different methods in an effort to restore fragile underwater ecosystems around the storied islands.

And finally…

Here to stay? China's cityscapes transformed by thousands of COVID test booths

A thousand days since the World Health Organization was told of a "viral pneumonia" in central China, many countries have returned to pre-COVID life. Not so China itself.

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