Business

Lloyds Bank customers may want to double check if they qualify for a £250 bonus. Some existing customers may think they are not eligible but there is a way for them to get the one-off payment.The bank is offering a £250 payment if you'll switch your current account over to them. You can get the funds when switching your current account to a Club Lloyds Account, Club Lloyds Platinum Account or Club Lloyds Silver Account.You have to carry out a full account switch using the Current Account Switch Service, including closing your old account. Your switch must include at lest three active direct debits from your old account.The rules on the Lloyds website state that you will only qualify if you switch to a new account you switch to a new account. So customers who already have a Club Lloyds a...

The typical UK house price dropped to its lowest point in six months during December, new figures have revealed. Property values declined by 0.6% or £1,789 month-on-month on average in December, bringing the average house price to its lowest level since June last year, Halifax reported.Annual growth in property values also slowed to 0.3%, down from 0.6% in November. Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages at Halifax, said: "Average house prices fell by 0.6% in December, down £1,789 compared to November, with a typical property now costing £297,755, the lowest since June 2025." The average UK house price in June 2025 stood at £297,157.Ms Bryden continued: "While this may feel like a subdued close to the housing market in 2025, overall activity levels were resilient over the last year and broadl...

Check out what's clicking on FoxBusiness.com. The Department of Transportation is seeking to eliminate the use of automated traffic enforcement cameras in Washington, D.C. The proposal, which was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget, would result in millions of dollars in lost revenue but would likely be celebrated by drivers frustrated by traffic tickets received because of the cameras, according to POLITICO.The initiative seeks to outlaw speed, red light and stop sign cameras throughout the district as part of the upcoming surface transportation bill that Congress is wanting to pass this year, the outlet reported. According to the proposal, the move would "prohibit the operation of automated traffic camera enforcement in the District of Columbia." DEMOCRAT SENA...

Pat McFadden has insisted that the £3 billion a year cost of lifting the two-child benefit cap is an "investment" in the future, indicating that the Government still harbours ambitions for welfare reform. The Bill to abolish the cap will be officially presented to Parliament on Thursday, following Rachel Reeves' announcement in her November budget.This move comes after pressure from Labour backbench MPs to scrap the cap, a step the Government had initially been reluctant to take due to financial concerns. It's estimated that removing the limit could lift approximately 450,000 children out of poverty by 2030, at an annual cost of £3 billion.Work and Pensions Secretary Mr McFadden defended the policy's price tag during his media rounds on Thursday morning.Speaking to Sky News, he said: "W...

Rumble founder and CEO Chris Pavlovski reacts to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg looking to mend fences with the Trump administration on 'The Big Money Show.' FIRST ON FOX: Rumble said Tether announced Wednesday the launch of a new digital wallet system that would allow users and creators to send, receive and store cryptocurrency directly on the platform without using a bank or third-party payment service. The technology, dubbed "Rumble Wallet," would allow creators to be paid directly by viewers using digital funds, rather than relying on traditional financial institutions.This could potentially reduce fees and minimize the risk of payment restrictions or account shutdowns. Chris Pavlovski, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Rumble Inc., during the Bitcoin 2025 confer...

As winter solidifies its icy grip on the UK like a vice, scores of households are struggling with heating in their homes, coupled with skyrocketing energy costs. Amidst this harsh weather, Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert has revealed a common radiator mistake we’re all guilty of making — and it could be costing you heavily.One cardinal sin during the heating season is keeping your radiators on high temperatures in rooms you’re not using. This seemingly harmless error could be adding to your already sky-high energy bills, and who wants that?According to MSE, it's imperative to make sure you control which rooms you’re heating, so you’re not wasting your hard-earned money on heating rooms that are empty. The money saving expert’s advice is straightforward: “You can simply go round the ho...

Au centre, la ministre de l’action et des comptes publics, Amélie de Montchalin, lors de la séance des questions au gouvernement à l’Assemblée nationale, le 7 janvier 2026. JULIEN MUGUET POUR « LE MONDE » Après une première lecture infructueuse, l’Assemblée reprend jeudi 8 janvier en commission l’examen du budget de l’Etat pour 2026, avec l’espoir partagé par le gouvernement et les parlementaires de trouver une issue rapide. La ministre des comptes publics, Amélie de Montchalin, a assuré jeudi, sur RTL, qu’elle « n’exclu[ait] rien qui puisse donner à la fin un budget aux Français », alors qu’on la questionnait sur une possible utilisation du 49.3. « La méthode d’adoption du budget, ça dépend du gouvernement [et] en effet il y a des mét...

Yardeni Research president Ed Yardeni discusses economic drivers heading into 2026 on 'Making Money.' Companies in the private sector added 41,000 jobs in December, payroll processing firm ADP said Wednesday. The figure is below economists’ estimates of a gain of 47,000 jobs. The prior month's payrolls number was revised to a loss of 29,000 from an initially reported loss of 32,000."Small establishments recovered from November job losses with positive end-of-year hiring, even as large employers pulled back," said ADP chief economist Nela Richardson. WORKERS IN 19 STATES GET PAY BOOST AS MINIMUM WAGES JUMP NATIONWIDE ON NEW YEAR’S DAY Attendees at the Albany Job Fair in Latham, New York, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.  (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg)Education and health services add...

The WASPI campaign (Women Against State Pension Inequality) is eagerly awaiting the DWP to issue its new compensation decision. The WASPI campaign are one of several advocacy groups who have been battling for over a decade to secure DWP compensation for women born in the 1950s.This is the generation of women who were affected by the increase in the state pension age for women from 60 to 65 and then 66. They argue that these women were inadequately informed about the changes and should receive payouts as a result, as many were left in the dark until the last moment, causing their retirement plans to be thrown into disarray.An inquiry by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman suggested compensation amounts ranging from £1,000 to £2,950, concluding that the DWP should have sent let...

Check out what's clicking on FoxBusiness.com. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to block defense companies from paying dividends or buying back stock until they improve production and delivery performance. "Effective immediately, they are not permitted in any way, shape, or form to pay dividends or buy back stock, until such time as they are able to produce a superior product, on time and on budget," the order reads.Trump and the Pentagon have criticized the defense industry for what they describe as high costs and slow production. The administration has vowed to make changes to boost production of military equipment. "I am committed to ensuring that the United States military possesses the most lethal warfighting capabilities in the world," the order re...