Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as mid-cap stocks hit their highest level in over nine months
- Latest: UK stock market rallies
- B&M waives £80m in business rates relief
- Pound hits highest level against dollar since December 2019
- US jobless claims fell last week, but still painfully high
- Asda to hand back £340m; Aldi to repay £100m
- Introduction: Sainsbury’s waives £440m business rates relief
7.22pm GMT
Right, time to wrap up.
Here’s today’s main stories:
Related: Pound hits year high against dollar as Brexit trade deal hopes grow
Related: £1.8bn-plus in Covid rates relief to be handed back as B&M joins list
Related: Four in 10 UK food firms to cut supplies to Northern Ireland – poll
Related: More than 500,000 full electric cars sold so far this year in Europe
Related: Ryanair orders further 75 Boeing 737 Max jets worth up to £6.7bn
Related: Trust that tracks Bill Ackman hedge fund to join FTSE 100
Related: Aston Martin to hold internal inquiry after ‘sockpuppet PR firm’ row
Related: Shoppers go the extra mile for Primark’s open-all-hours trading marathon
7.00pm GMT
The pound is falling back from its earlier one-year high against the US dollar, following some less-than-optimistic tweets:
Sounds like Brexit talks have gone worse this afternoon…
A senior govt source says ‘at the eleventh hour, the EU is bringing new elements into the negotiation. A breakthrough is still possible in the next few days but that prospect is receding.’
BREXIT – EU NEGOTIATOR BARNIER TO RETURN TO BRUSSELS FRIDAY AFTERNOON, SAYS SKY NEWS DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR
