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• Amerikaanse aandelen stegen vorige week sterk, waarbij de S&P 500 en NASDAQ nieuwe recordhoogtes bereikten, ondersteund door sterker dan verwachte werkgelegenheidscijfers voor april en solide winstcijfers in de technologiesector. • De S&P 500 steeg in april met 10,42% en sloot op een recordhoogte van 7.209,01, terwijl de Nasdaq 100 met 15,64% steeg en de Dow 7,14% won, geleid door mega-cap tech en AI-enthousiasme. • De groei van de werkgelegenheid overtrof de prognoses in april, met een stabiele werkloosheid van 4,3%, terwijl de winstcijfers van de Magnificent Seven voor het eerste kwartaal naar verwachting met 45,7% op jaarbasis zullen groeien.

• De Amerikaanse economie toonde kracht met een stijging van 123.000 banen in de private sector in de afgelopen maand, na een eerdere stijging van 190.000, waarmee de verwachtingen dubbel werden overtroffen, terwijl de werkloosheid op 4,3% blijft, wat dicht bij volledige werkgelegenheid ligt. • De Atlanta Fed GDPNow voorspelt een jaarlijkse groei van 3,7% voor het tweede kwartaal, met wekelijkse claims voor werkloosheid op een historisch dieptepunt en geen recessie in zicht, ondanks kritiek vanuit links. • Blauwe-boord werknemers in niet-leidinggevende functies zagen een groei van 3,7% in het uurloon en een stijging van 1% in het aantal gewerkte uren, wat leidde tot een stijging van 4,7% in de looninkomensproxy, waarmee zij de winst van witte-boord werknemers overtroffen.

• He Ting Ru, parlementslid voor de Workers' Party, benadrukte tijdens een parlementaire motie over de AI-transitie dat Singapore een van de meest kwetsbare economieën is voor verstoringen door AI. • Zij drong aan op de erkenning van ongemakkelijke realiteiten die verder gaan dan de geprezen infrastructuur en initiatieven voor bijscholing van het land. • De aanpak van Singapore, aangehaald door BCG, Kristalina Georgieva van het IMF en anderen, richt zich op het aanpakken van AI-kansen en -risico's door middel van omscholing van werknemers.

• De Republikeinse senator voor Maine, die voor een zware herverkiezingsoorlog staat, zegt dat zij al decennia lijdt aan een benigne essentiële tremor. • Susan Collins, de Republikeinse senator van Maine die door Democraten als kwetsbaar wordt beschouwd in de tussentijdse verkiezingen van november, heeft een decennia-oude medische aandoening onthuld die volgens haar haar uiterlijk beïnvloedt, maar niet haar vermogen om haar werk te doen. • Collins, 73, vertelde News Center Maine, een NBC-affiliate, dat zij een benigne essentiële tremor heeft die zij met medicatie behandelt, wat er soms toe leidt dat haar handen, armen en hoofd trillen.

Ministers verplichten het gebruik van tools die de cumulatieve blootstelling van individuen aan schokkende incidenten registreren De politie in Engeland en Wales staat voor een belangrijke opdracht met betrekking tot de mate van trauma die agenten en personeel ervaren, aangezien ministers het gebruik van "trauma tracker"-tools zullen verplichten om ervoor te zorgen dat de psychologische tol veroorzaakt door blootstelling aan overlijdens, misbruik en verwaarlozing wordt vastgelegd. Een witboek van het Home Office, gepubliceerd in januari, schetste een wetgevend streven om traumamonitoringsystemen verplicht te stellen voor alle 43 korpsen in Engeland en Wales. Lees verder...

Nieuwe eigenaar Modella Capital, die de winkels heeft omgedoopt tot TG Jones, wijst op zwakke consumentenuitgaven.

• BioNTech revealed plans to close manufacturing sites in Germany and Singapore, impacting up to 1,860 jobs, as it shifts from COVID-19 vaccine production to oncology therapies. • The company, which co-developed the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty with Pfizer, will also repurchase up to $1 billion in shares amid a leadership transition. • This restructuring reflects the post-pandemic decline in demand for COVID vaccines, positioning BioNTech to focus on cancer treatments with greater long-term potential.

• Indian companies have invested $16.4 billion in the United States, supporting 70,800 jobs, demonstrating India's growing role as a source of foreign direct investment. • The investment figures were highlighted at the SelectUSA Investment Summit, where additional Indian deals are expected to be announced, reflecting continued expansion of India Inc. into US markets. • These investments span technology, manufacturing, and services sectors, strengthening bilateral economic ties and positioning Indian firms as significant employers in North America.

Staff warned news operations face 15% cut, above BBC-wide 10% target, as corporation pushes through £600m savings planThe BBC’s news operation is to cut costs by a steeper-than-expected 15%, with staff told to expect heavy redundancies.The division, home to about a quarter of all BBC staff, is being saddled with one of the highest cost-cutting targets as the corporation attempts to cut as many as 2,000 jobs in the biggest downsizing of the public service broadcaster in 15 years. Continue reading...

Whitbread to call time on restaurants in UK and Ireland blaming higher costs and taxes for latest strategic resetPremier Inn owner Whitbread is to cut about 3,800 jobs in the UK and Ireland and shut its remaining Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants as it resets its five-year business strategy, amid tax rises and pressure from a US activist investor.The cuts will affect about 12% of Whitbread’s 30,000-strong workforce in the UK and Ireland working in its Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants, which are usually located next to, or inside, Premier Inn hotels. The company said consultations with affected employees would begin immediately. Continue reading...

Sources say staff have been asked to pack up final stock and equipment after waves of closuresJewellery chain Claire’s is closing its final UK stores on Tuesday, cutting about 1,000 jobs months after falling into administration.Sources said staff at Claire’s, which collapsed in January, had been asked to pack up the final stock and equipment with the final outlets to formally close on Tuesday after successive waves of closures in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Despite surprise fall in unemployment, weak wage growth and inflation pressures put the squeeze on workersUK unemployment shows surprise fall to 4.9%Business live – latest updatesDespite a surprise fall in the unemployment rate, the latest jobs data show the labour market in a fragile state, even before the Iran war threatened to derail the UK’s nascent economic recovery.At 4.9% in the three months to February, the unemployment rate was down from 5.2% in the previous three months, according to the Office for National Statistics. Continue reading...

Twin reports from top accounting firms underline scale of economic threat as Iran war shatters business confidenceA quarter of a million people could lose their jobs by the middle of next year as Britain “flirts with recession”, analysis suggests, after business confidence was shattered by the US-Israel war on Iran.As the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, summoned bank chiefs for talks aimed at containing the fallout, twin reports from top accounting firms underlined the scale of the economic threat facing the UK. Continue reading...

US defense secretary said Iran’s energy infrastructure is ‘not destroyed yet’ at presser where he also lambasted the mediaIran’s energy infrastructure is “not destroyed yet” and the US is “locked and loaded” to finish the job, Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, said on Thursday as he called many of the press corps gathered the moral equivalent of the Pharisees who conspired to destroy Jesus Christ.Hegseth’s comments from the Pentagon podium came as a naval blockade of Iranian ports began this week and he called on Tehran to accept a nuclear deal or face consequences for its remaining infrastructure, power generation and energy industry. Continue reading...

Lisa Nandy says BBC staff have been strongly affected and have expressed frustration that high-paid presenters and executives are unlikely to be affectedThe BBC’s sudden announcement of 2,000 job cuts has had a “very strong effect” on staff, the UK’s culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has said, as employees express frustration that highly paid presenters and senior staff will not be the prime targets of the cuts.Nandy, who has been having conversations with BBC staff during discussions about the broadcaster’s charter renewal, is understood to be keen that staff are involved in making the cost-cutting plan, which will affect as many as 10% of the broadcaster’s 21,000 employees over the next three years. Continue reading...

Announcement comes before Matt Brittin replaces Tim Davie as director general next monthBusiness live – latest updatesThe BBC is to cut as many as 2,000 jobs in the biggest down-sizing of the public service broadcaster in 15 years.Staff are set to be informed of the cuts, which will affect about 10% of the BBC’s 21,500 staff, at an all-staff meeting on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: US state is targeting corporate heavyweights in the UK with subsidies and incentives Y’all Street: Bullish Dallas aims to steal New York’s crownThe US state of Texas is putting UK businesses in its crosshairs with the launch this month of a dedicated London office to lure jobs and investment to the low-tax Lone Star State.Texas recently secured approval for the new site, adding to a growing list of international offices from which it can try to draw corporate heavyweights across its borders. Continue reading...

Human rights lawyers say NDIS workers and their clients remain at risk despite newly bolstered whistleblower protectionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen Susan* came across wrongdoing at her disability support provider, she faced a choice.Say nothing, and allow her highly vulnerable clients to be put at serious risk. Continue reading...

• Initial jobless claims totaled 285,000 for the week ending April 5, slightly above expectations but remaining within the normal range, signaling continued labor market strength despite economic headwinds. • The four-week moving average for claims declined to 268,000, suggesting underlying labor market conditions remain robust with minimal layoff activity across major sectors. • Economists noted that while the labor market continues to generate positive employment data, wage growth pressures persist, complicating the Federal Reserve's inflation-fighting efforts.

Jason Tarry sees salary increase by 21% in year to January, while fewer people are employed at John Lewis and Waitrose storesThe boss of the group that owns John Lewis and Waitrose was handed a 21% increase in basic pay last year to £1.2m while the retailer cut 3,300 jobs.Jason Tarry, who became chair of the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) in September 2024, saw his annual salary increase by a fifth to £1.2m in the year to January, from £990,000. Continue reading...

Lord Richard Walker, Iceland’s chair, says Walker Smith is ‘welcome to a job with us’ as public fundraiser hits £7,500Keir Starmer’s cost of living tsar, who is the chair of Iceland, has offered a job to a worker who was sacked from Waitrose after trying to stop a shoplifter.Waitrose faced public outcry over its treatment of Walker Smith, who was fired two days after he stopped the shoplifter taking items from the Easter egg display, including Lindt chocolate bunnies. Continue reading...

• Meta is eliminating approximately 200 positions in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of team restructuring. • The layoffs support heavy investments in AI infrastructure and long-term tech priorities. • This reflects broader industry shifts where companies trim staff to allocate resources toward generative AI development.

• U.S. equity markets closed for Good Friday, but S&P 500 futures fell 0.3%, Dow futures dropped 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures declined 0.4% early Friday after a robust March jobs report showing 178,000 additions and unemployment at 4.3%. • WTI crude surged 11.4% to $111.54 per barrel on Thursday amid fears of prolonged Iran conflict, while Brent crude jumped 7.8% to $109.03, with President Trump vowing continued U.S. attacks without an end timetable. • A BMI report warns extended Middle East conflict threatens infrastructure, disrupts Strait of Hormuz oil flows, and delays postwar recovery, spilling price impacts into later 2026.

• The White House touted a robust March 2026 jobs report on April 3, signaling accelerating economic momentum under President Trump. • Specific figures highlight gains in employment and wage growth amid policy implementations. • The data bolsters Trump's economic narrative ahead of midterm elections.

Aria Fani of University of Washington’s Middle East Center is latest critic of Israel to lose position at US universitySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA University of Washington professor was removed as head of the school’s Middle East Center after reportedly using newsletters from the center to criticize the US and Israel’s war on Iran and describe Zionism as “cancerous”.His case is one of at least three incidents in the past month in which higher education faculty members have faced suspension or dismissal after voicing opposition to US-Israeli actions in the Middle East. Continue reading...

• The US Labor Department reported that employers added 178,000 jobs in March 2026, significantly surpassing economists' expectations of 60,000 jobs polled by LSEG. • The unemployment rate declined to 4.3% from 4.4% in February, lower than the projected 4.4%, with January revised up to 160,000 jobs and February down to 133,000. • This rebound follows February's unexpected job losses and signals labor market resilience despite geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty.

Research for TUC analyses link between job quality and economic inactivity, as UK youth unemployment risesYoung people in the UK are more likely to leave their job for health reasons and become economically inactive when they work in insecure, low-paid sectors, a study has found.Research carried out for the Trades Union Congress by the consultancy Timewise charts a connection between the jobs young people are most likely to do – in hospitality, retail and care, for example – and the proportion of people leaving work because of ill health. Continue reading...