Money, in brief

UK prices rose 3.5% in the year to September, up from 3.1% in August, the ONS, the UK's official statistics office, said on Wednesday. [1][6]

Petrol and diesel did most of it: fuel for cars cost 29.8% more than a year earlier. [1] A litre of petrol averaged 169.5p in September, and diesel 192.5p. [1]

Fuel is dear because Iran has in effect closed the Strait of Hormuz, the sea route for much of the world's oil, after US and Israeli attacks. [1] Prices rose 3.7% in the US and 3.8% in the countries using the euro over the same year. [4]

Food prices rose only 1.3% over the year, against 4.5% a year earlier. [2]

By law, benefits such as PIP, a payment for the extra costs of disability, and carer's allowance rise next April by September's price rise. [1][3]

So most working-age benefits rise 3.5% next April. [2] Child benefit for a first child goes up 95p, to 28 pounds a week. [2]

Universal Credit, the main UK benefit for people of working age, rises more. [2] Its basic amount for a single adult over 25 goes up 4.3%, to 102.28 pounds a week. [2]

The state pension rises 3.9% under the triple lock, which raises it each year by prices, wages or 2.5%, whichever is highest. [9] Wages grew 3.9% from May to July, so wages set it. [1]

The full new state pension goes up 9.40 pounds to 250.70 pounds a week. [2] That is about 13,036 pounds a year, above the amount a person can earn before paying income tax. [9]

The UK government has said people living only on the state pension will not pay income tax on it, but pension experts say it is not clear how. [9]

Help with rent for private tenants, the Local Housing Allowance, stays frozen in cash while rents climb. [2]

Higher prices also raise the UK government's own bills. [5] It borrowed 24.5bn pounds in September, and 6bn pounds more this financial year than the Office for Budget Responsibility, its official forecaster, expected. [5][1]

Why it matters. The next tests are Healey's Budget on 28 October, and whether it adds help with energy bills or unfreezes help with rent, and the Bank of England's rate decision on 5 November. [2][6]

Workers with family health insurance through their job paid an average of 7,471 dollars towards it this year, up 9%, KFF, a US health research group, found. [11] Its yearly survey covers more than 1,900 employers. [11] The whole family premium, counting the employer's share, rose 5% to 28,303 dollars, while wages rose 3.7%. [11] Among large employers, 44% raised what workers pay, KFF Health News reported. [10] The Business Group on Health, a group of big employers, expects a typical rise of 9.2% next year. [10]

Why it matters. Almost 157 million Americans under 65 get health cover through work, so the rise comes out of take-home pay. [11] Workers at small firms pay the most: 9,687 dollars a year for a family. [11]

The European Commission has opened an investigation into Booking.com over fake listings and scams. [12] It says Booking.com, which lists 28 million places to stay, may have broken the Digital Services Act, an EU law that makes big websites find and reduce risks to users. [12] In one kind of scam, criminals pose as a hotel and message guests asking for money to secure their stay. [12] A Dutch consumer group counted 200 reports of Booking.com scams in 2025, costing 65,000 euros. [12]

Why it matters. A fine can reach 6% of the company's yearly sales worldwide, but opening an inquiry decides nothing yet. [12] This summer Which? listed 10 Downing Street on the site as a holiday flat and took bookings within hours. [13]

Andy Burnham, the UK prime minister, asked ministers on Wednesday to plan how to remove standing charges from gas bills. [14] A standing charge is a fixed daily fee for being connected, paid even when no gas is used. [14] For gas it averages 29.7p a day. [14] One research foundation said scrapping it would take 27 pounds off a typical yearly bill. [14] No details were given on where the cost would go instead. [14]

Why it matters. If the cost moves into the price of each unit, homes that use little gas pay less and heavy users may pay more. [14] Citizens Advice, a UK charity, warns that poorer people who use a lot of energy could lose out. [14]

Guernsey's government proposed a 19% rise in its winter fuel allowance, help with heating for poorer households, to 50.48 pounds a week. [15] The island's parliament debates it in November. [15] In Devon, a 76-year-old woman was quoted 600 pounds plus VAT for 500 litres of heating oil that cost 317 pounds six months earlier. [16] Cornwall Council is giving a second 300-pound payment to the 1,386 households it already helped. [16]

Why it matters. Homes off the gas network have no choice but oil. [16] A UK minister, Polly Billington, says heating fuel costs have risen up to 82% since the war with Iran began. [16]

Since July 2024 a law in Oregon, a US state, has made hospitals check patients for help with their bills without making them apply. [19] At Oregon Health & Science University's hospital, one of the state's largest, the share of patients getting help rose from 12% to 64%. [19] At the hospitals with published figures, spending on free and cut-price care more than doubled on average. [19] After hospitals asked for relief, a second law in April raised the bill for a single visit that triggers a check from 500 to 1,500 dollars. [19]

Why it matters. As many as 100 million US adults have debts from health care, and hospitals are a main source of them, KFF Health News says. [19] Oregon is the first big test of a method more states are trying. [19]

The Trump administration has drafted an executive order, a direct instruction from the US president, to cut the costs of US home loans, HousingWire, a US housing news site, reported. [23] It would have Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two government-controlled firms that buy home loans from lenders, find borrowers who can cancel mortgage insurance and tell them. [23] It would also cut fees and paperwork when a refinance lowers the monthly payment. [23] The order has not been signed. [23]

Why it matters. It comes as industry forecasts expect a slow 2027 with interest rates staying high, and as housing costs weigh on the midterm elections. [23]

Mark Zuckerberg, who runs Meta, the owner of Facebook, told a company committee he was thinking of leaving California because of a proposed billionaire tax, Meta said in a filing on Wednesday. [21] Californians vote on 3 November on Proposition 40, a one-time tax on the wealth of the state's billionaires. [21][22] Meta is creating a new class of shares that would let him raise 20 billion dollars to pay the tax, if it passes, without losing control of the company. [21] He agreed to stay where Meta is based for eight years. [21]

Why it matters. California's governor, Gavin Newsom, opposes the tax. [22] The filing shows a company changing its own shares so that its boss can pay the tax and stay. [21]

A US renter household on a typical income now needs 16 years to save a deposit and closing costs for a starter home, the Center for Responsible Lending, a research nonprofit, found. [24] That is twice as long as in 2019. [24] For a Black renter household on a typical income it is 21 years. [24] The center priced a starter home at 335,574 dollars and assumed a 3.5% deposit. [24] The wait runs from 11 years in Houston to 24 in Los Angeles. [24]

Why it matters. The typical first-time buyer puts down about 10%, not 3.5%, so the center says the real wait is probably longer. [24]

In about one US county in three, owning a typical home now takes more than 43% of an average local worker's wages, ATTOM, a property data firm, found. [25] It counts the loan payment, mortgage insurance, property tax and home insurance. [25] Home prices fell 2% over the year, to a median of 368,000 dollars. [25] But loan rates reached 7.3% by the end of September. [25]

Why it matters. To afford the median home, a buyer needs about 90,191 dollars a year, against an average wage of 79,534 dollars. [25]

SEIU Local 1000, the biggest union for California's state workers, called a one-day strike for Wednesday. [20] It represents more than 100,000 people, including nurses, auditors and counsellors. [20] It wants a new contract with more pay, affordable health care and more home working. [20] The old contract ran out in June, and members voted earlier this month to strike. [20]

Why it matters. The union accuses the state government, led by Governor Gavin Newsom, of failing to bargain in good faith. [20] It is the first time the union has picketed across the state since it was founded in 2004. [20]

President Trump said on Tuesday that his administration is looking at a version of Trump Accounts for adults. [29] Trump Accounts are US government investment accounts for children, with 1,000 dollars for each US child born from 2025 to 2028. [29] Brad Gerstner, an investor who helped design them, said on Wednesday they should go to every US citizen under 40, which would need a new law. [29] He also said Elon Musk's planned gift of SpaceX shares to children would go into the accounts. [30]

Why it matters. Experts warn that savings could cost poorer adults their benefits. [29] Today a single person with more than 2,000 dollars in an IRA, a common US retirement account, can lose Supplemental Security Income, a US payment for poor older and disabled people. [29]

People aged 18 to 29 made up 8,956 of 14,493 money-laundering arrests in England and Wales from January 2020 to January 2025, researchers found from figures they got from 36 police forces. [33] Many are money mules: people who let criminals move stolen money through their bank accounts. [33] The researchers say gangs recruit students with fake job adverts. [33] Police told them international students are targeted soon after they arrive. [33]

Why it matters. The researchers want universities brought under the UK's money-laundering rules, which cover banks and lawyers but not universities. [33] Police do not record whether a suspect is a student, so nobody knows how many are. [33]

More than one UK university student in ten now plans to move abroad after graduating, up from 7.8% two years ago, a survey of 15,000 final-year students found. [35] UK employers get 140 applications for each graduate job, up from 30 twenty years ago, says the Institute of Student Employers, a group for graduate recruiters. [35] Australia is the top destination for Britons who move abroad, then the US. [35] Official figures show 75,000 more people aged 16 to 34 left the UK in 2025 than arrived. [35]

Why it matters. A London immigration lawyer said student debt, housing costs and weak pay rises make leaving a rational choice. [35]

The West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, which speaks for 5,000 employers, asked Healey to cut employers' National Insurance for staff under 25. [36] National Insurance is a UK tax on pay, and the employers' share rose in 2024. [36] The chamber says a cut would help tackle youth unemployment. [36] A man who runs bars in Harrogate, Leeds and Sheffield said the 2024 rise led directly to job cuts. [36]

Why it matters. Healey has refused to rule out tax rises, after saying government borrowing costs are at historic highs. [36]

From Wednesday, drivers in England without a driveway no longer need planning permission for a pavement gully, a channel that lets a charging cable reach a car parked in the street. [34] Dropping the permit saves 300 to 500 pounds. [34] Fitting a gully still costs about 1,200 pounds without a grant, one installer says. [34] More than 20 councils still refuse them, most in London. [34] Charging at home costs about 8p per unit of electricity, against 54p at a public charger. [34]

Why it matters. Caroline Pidgeon, a member of the House of Lords who campaigned for the change, says one household in three in England has no driveway. [34] For them the cheap way to run an electric car depends on their council. [34]

Airbnb, the home-rental website, will stop hosts asking guests to strip beds, take rubbish away or wash dishes, for bookings made from 20 November. [17][18] Guests already pay a cleaning fee, and many complained about having to clean as well. [17] Since April 2025 that fee has not been shown on its own; hosts can fold it into the nightly rate. [18] Hosts may still ask for reasonable things, such as short showers during a drought. [17]

Why it matters. The rules apply worldwide, including in Australia. [18] Hosts cannot fine guests, and a request that breaks the rules will be flagged. [17]

Mystery shoppers for Which? bought and returned more than 200 items from 17 big online shops in June and July. [43] Matalan, a clothing chain, refunded only 7 of 12 shoppers for the item, and paid back no delivery fees. [43] River Island and Sports Direct also refunded no delivery fees, which the law requires. [43] Amazon and John Lewis came top, refunding both the item and the delivery. [43]

Why it matters. A Matalan shopper who should have lost only the 2.99-pound return fee was left 9.98 pounds out of pocket. [43]

Which? found official tickets for the Alhambra, a palace in Granada, Spain, cost 22 euros (19 pounds), with the first free slot five days away. [39] GetYourGuide, a booking site, offered next-day entry for 68 pounds. [39] Viator, owned by Tripadvisor, charged 130 pounds. [39] The Last Supper in Milan admits 40 visitors every 15 minutes, and a bundle including it cost 89 pounds, nearly seven times the official ticket. [39]

Why it matters. Stricter limits on visitor numbers mean tourists pay more for bundles they may not want, or miss out. [39] In Which?'s searches, official sites often appeared below resellers. [39]

People in Hastings were promised first go at tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum in London, by phone with proof of address. [40] Their member of parliament, Helena Dollimore, said they waited on hold for hours, and one booked after 2 hours 38 minutes. [40] Guests at museum parties had no such trouble, and guests of a London hotel can see it if they book a 1,000-pound-a-night room. [40] Tickets cost 27 or 33 pounds, against 12 euros at its home in Normandy. [40]

Why it matters. The museum says the offer was first come, first served, and residents can try the general sale. [40] When tickets first went on sale this summer, almost 80,000 people queued online. [40]

About 3 million UK pension pots are lost, meaning the provider cannot reach the owner, the Pensions Policy Institute, a research group, found this month. [38] Most belong to people under 55, who change jobs more often. [38] Automatic enrolment, which puts most employees into a workplace pension, can leave people with a new pot for each job. [38] Providers have until the end of October to link their records to the pensions dashboard, a planned service showing all of a person's pots in one place. [38]

Why it matters. About 90% of records are linked so far, and 96% are expected by the deadline. [38] The dashboard should open in 2027-28. [38]

A landlord in Portland, Maine, Geoffrey Rice, agreed on Sunday to a 3.6-million-dollar settlement with the Trelawny Tenants Union. [26] About 2.86 million dollars will repay more than 1,000 current and former tenants what they overpaid since June 2020. [26] The union's lawsuit said he broke Portland's rent law, which caps yearly rises at 70% of the area's inflation rate and never above 10%. [26] Rents at his 19 buildings go back to the legal level. [26]

Why it matters. For 2027 the law lets rents rise by at most 2.6%. [26] Rice declined to comment. [26]

Investors bought 224,000 US homes in the first half of 2026, the fewest for that half-year since 2020, Realtor.com, a US property site, found. [27] Small investors, with fewer than 10 purchases, made 66.2% of investor buying, the highest share in 15 years. [27][28] Large investors sold more homes than they bought. [28] It happened as the US Congress finished a law aimed at large investors in housing. [27]

Why it matters. Investors still bought about one home in five in Memphis, St. Louis and Kansas City. [28]

A US law signed on 7 October makes the Social Security Administration give each victim of Social Security number theft one trained staff member to handle their case. [31] The Social Security number is the US personal ID number used for jobs, tax and credit. [31] Victims had reported being passed between staff and given conflicting advice. [31] The rule takes effect on 5 April 2027. [31]

Why it matters. Data breaches exposed Social Security numbers in 2,243 cases in 2025, up from more than 1,800 in 2024, the Identity Theft Resource Center counted. [31]

Guernsey's government will put aside 10 pounds a week for every child in its care, for them to use when they turn 18. [37] The saving starts when a child enters care, and 40 children benefit straight away. [37] Guernsey Community Savings, a charity, will run the accounts and work with each young person's social worker. [37] At 18 they can keep the account or move the money. [37]

Why it matters. The charity says young people leaving care are particularly likely to be shut out of banking and credit as adults. [37]

In Japan, many older owners with no heir are handing their small businesses to younger buyers through websites such as Relay and BATONZ. [32] A 2023 survey by the Japan Finance Corporation, a state lender, found 57.4% of small firms expected to close when the owner stepped away. [32] Kengo Ohama, 31, took over a cafe in Mihara, in Japan's Hiroshima region, for zero yen and pays 50,000 yen a month in rent. [32] BATONZ has listed more than 42,000 businesses. [32]

Why it matters. Owners with no heir often list their firms at low prices, so a working business can pass to a new owner for little cash. [32]

From Thursday, people must buy something to sit in any of Starbucks' 8,000 cafes in China. [41] The company says it is improving the in-store experience, and it has struggled with customers who sit without buying. [41] Starbucks made similar moves in North America and South Korea. [41] In China it faces cheaper local rivals such as Luckin Coffee, which overtook it as the country's biggest coffee chain in 2023. [41]

Why it matters. Many Chinese social media users welcomed the rule, saying seats had been full of people who had not ordered. [41]