Finanse

The average rate on a two-year fixed mortgage has fallen to its lowest level for nearly seven months as lenders compete for custom. Financial information service Moneyfacts said the average rate had fallen from 5.92% to 5.87% in a day.more

Asda has announced it will match the prices of 287 items to those sold at rivals Aldi and Lidl. The supermarket chain said matching means five items have gone up in price, 58 are unchanged, and 224 have decreased by an average of 17%.more

Sainsbury's has announced pay rises from March as supermarkets continue their battle to retain workers. It will increase minimum pay for employees outside London to £12 an hour, with wages for staff in the capital increasing to £13.15 an hour.more

Starting on Monday 1 January 2024, so-called "digital platforms" now have to collect extra information about sellers, including – crucially – how many sales you've made and how much income you've generated. more

The second day of a six-day junior doctors' strike - the longest in the history of the National Health Service (NHS) - began today in England. Disruption to medical services is precipitating, the BBC reported.more

Households can claim £150 cost of living help from today amid the ongoing financial troubles across the country. Those eligible for the help can claim the vouchers from 10am today (January 3) in the wake of the Christmas and New Year period. more

The start of the new year is often boom time for divorce lawyers, but 2024 may be different as new research shows the cost of living crisis has delayed more than 270,000 couples from splitting.more

The sharp declines in gas and electricity prices last year suggest that Europe's energy crisis is over, according to a leading Belgian energy expert. "This should kill European inflation, which is mainly driven by energy," said Professor Damien Ernst from the University of Liege.more

Junior doctors on Wednesday began the longest strike in NHS history as figures revealed that more than 337,000 appointments and operations had been cancelled in London due to industrial action. more

House prices during 2023 rose by an average of 3.4pc, the smallest increase since 2019, according to a Daft.ie end-of-year report.more

London's suburbs are being placed under a huge amount of strain as an increasing number of families move out of the capital. Nurseries are bursting to the point where babies who have not even been born are being registered with them while schools and care homes are struggling to cope with demand. Council budgets are under pressure.more

Starting January 1, 2024, the amount of the child-rearing benefit will be raised from PLN 500 to PLN 800. Parents will receive payments on the same dates as before. According to government estimates, 6.6 million children will be eligible for 800 plus in 2024.more

An increase in the cost of domestic energy in England, Wales and Scotland has taken effect, adding pressure to household budgets in the new year. A higher price cap, set by regulator Ofgem, from now to April means gas and electricity costs will be 5% higher than the last three months.more

The bottom half of earners will lose any gains from next week’s lowering of national insurance payments when their income tax bills go up in April, a leading thinktank has warned.more

Households are facing a "debt timebomb" next year, according to analysis from a trade unions group. more

Annual card spending report says consumers are prioritising travel and nights out and buying value-range groceries amid cost of living crisis.more

Most of the richest people in the world have increased their wealth in 2023. The fortunes of 38 of the 50 most wealthy have increased, The Guardian reported yesterday.more

Energy bills are due to fall by hundreds of pounds for the typical household from the start of April, as international gas prices dropped in recent weeks, new forecasts have suggested.more

Shona McMahon lives with degenerative disc disease in her back, neck and spine, as well as liver disease and other health concerns. more

The British economy is facing recession. The statistical office reported today that GDP shrank by 0.1% in the third quarter of this year, although analysts expected an increase of 0.2%. and revised the data for the second quarter downwards - instead of an increase of 0.2%. it turned out that GDP was stagnantmore

Friday is set to be the busiest day of 2023 for cash machine withdrawals, cash access and ATM network Link predicts. Link said that, with a four-day break ahead, comprised of the two weekend days followed by two bank holidays, ATM use is expected to peak on Friday – the last working day before Christmas for many people.more

The UK's annual inflation rate fell to 3.9 per cent in November, the lowest level since September 2021, the ONS statistics office said today.more

Four out of five dentists in England are not taking on new NHS patients, new research shows. The stark reminder of the acute difficulty facing people seeking treatment for their teeth comes amid a warning from health experts that “universal dental care has likely gone for good”.more

Demand for at-home equipment jumps amid steep rise in cafe prices since pandemic.more

Millions of people are borrowing to pay essential bills at Christmas, charities warn, with energy debts a key concern as prices are set to rise again. Citizens Advice said it was seeing more people falling behind on energy bills as winter began, owing an average of £1,841 to their supplier.more