Business

Exclusive: Pubs, restaurants and hotels warn of mounting pressure days before rates rises and higher wage bills take effectOne in five hospitality businesses fear collapse in the next 12 months, according to an industry-wide survey that comes days before rises in tax and employment costs kick in.From Wednesday, many pub, restaurant and hotel companies face the prospect of a higher bill for business rates paid to their local authority, while an increase in minimum wage thresholds takes effect on the same day. Continue reading...

• On March 3, 2026, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S. 3971, the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, reauthorizing the SBIR and STTR programs through September 30, 2031, after their expiration on September 30, 2025. • The bill, providing over $4 billion annually in non-dilutive R&D funding, introduces enhanced foreign due diligence, application limits, strategic breakthrough funding, and carryover of FY2026 funds. • This legislation safeguards U.S. technological leadership by prioritizing small innovative firms amid global competition.

Lawmakers consider latest bill that targets trans people for using the bathroom that matches their gender identityIdaho lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it a crime for transgender people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity – even inside privately owned businesses.At least 19 states, including Idaho, already have laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms and changing rooms that align with their gender in schools and, in some cases, other public places. The LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Movement Advancement Project’s tracking of the laws shows that three other states – Florida, Kansas and Utah – have made it a criminal offense in some circumstances to violate the bathroom laws. Continue reading...

Watchdog also fines PhotobookShop for editing a paid review from an influencer who had described process as ‘fiddly’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn online photobook retailer has been fined nearly $40,000 for asking social media influencers to not disclose they had been paid to post a review on Instagram.It marks the first time a penalty has been handed down to an Australian business for an influencer not disclosing paid post. Continue reading...

• U.S. secondary-level economic statistics including construction indicators and business activity assessments will provide key signals for market sentiment early in the week. • Investors are preparing for a busier trading week with March flash PMI surveys from major economies, inflation data from Japan and UK, and U.S. consumer indicators due for release. • Market focus has shifted from traditional macro releases to monitoring oil prices, bond yields, and geopolitical developments, with these factors now setting the primary tone for equity sector rotations.

Group, which also owns Dove and Hellmann’s, will focus more on personal care products if deal agreedUnilever, the owner of Marmite, Dove and Hellmann’s mayonnaise, is in talks to combine its food business with the US-based spice and seasoning maker McCormick.The Anglo-Dutch food company – which last year spun off its ice-cream division, the home to Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum and Wall’s – has entered discussions over the future of the “highly attractive” business. Continue reading...

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsUK wage growth slows sharply as unemployment holds steadyFed holds interest rates steady as Iran war drives up oil prices and inflation fearsMiddle East crisis live: Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ entire South Pars gasfield if Iran strikes QatarUK wage growth has slowed to a five-year low, in a worrying sign for workers as the Middle East crisis pushes up energy costs.Average pay (excluding bonuses) rose by 3.8% in the three months to January, down from 4.1% in October-December 2025, the Office for National Statistics reports.“With unemployment staying steady at 5.2% and a rare gain in payrolls employment, this report paints a mildly more positive picture of the labour market. And with wage growth softer again, in normal times this would have been a relatively reassuring report for the Bank of England.But the report feels stale in light of the Iran conflict, and the inflation risks stemming from the large spike in energy prices. So while today’s Bank of England meeting had once looked like the likely point of the next rate cut, instead policy is set to be kept on hold today as policymakers give themselves more time to see how the conflict plays out. Continue reading...