Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
- Latest: Airlines rally on trans-Atlantic travel hopes
- German companies hit by supply bottlenecks
- Goldman: UK to grow faster than US this year
- Full story: UK economy predicted to grow at fastest rate since 1940s
- Introduction: Economists predict fast recovery this year
- Standard Life Aberdeen to become Abrdn(!)
Time to wrap up.
Hopes are building that the UK economy will grow rapidly this year. Goldman Sachs told clients that it expects the United Kingdom will grow even faster than the US this year. It predicts UK GDP will rise by 7.8% this year as it rebounds strongly from the pandemic.
Related: UK economy predicted to grow at fastest rate since second world war
Related: EU in vaccine passport talks with US but not UK
Copper prices have risen to the highest since 2011. https://t.co/MMUcG4snnD pic.twitter.com/CCapggnFwU
Some commodities hitting highs:
Copper highest level since 2011
Wheat highest level since 2013
Corn highest level since 2013
Iron ore flirting with new highs
Related: Quality of support for UK over-50s who lost jobs in pandemic raises concerns
“They are a financial company. What they do for customers is look at details, getting rid of vowels and letters makes it look like they’ve skipped over the most basic details in their name.”
Related: Standard Life Aberdeen to change name to Abrdn
Related: C’mn Abrdn, abndn this clunky new name nonsense
Related: Revealed: UK solar projects using panels from firms linked to Xinjiang forced labour
Related: Tate & Lyle in talks to sell sweeteners division in move to healthier food
Related: Greensill made scramble for cash months before collapse, US court filings claim
Related: Ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells quits Morrisons and Dunelm boards
Related: Homeowners face long delays for kitchen and bathroom fitters
Related: Surge in UK catalytic converter theft continues despite Covid lockdowns
Related: UK replaces France as Europe’s second largest electric car market
Related: Gousto to take on 1,000 staff as sales more than double in Covid crisis
The EU is at an advanced stage of talks with the US over mutually recognising vaccine passports to boost transatlantic tourism this summer, but Brussels is yet to open discussions with the British government, our Brussels bureau chief Daniel Boffey reports:
A spokesperson for the European commission said that while discussions had been held with US officials and the secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, there were “no contacts at present with the UK”.