business

Stocks dived and investors scrambled to the safety of bonds, gold and the yen on Thursday as Donald Trump unveiled a bigger-than-expected wall of tariffs around the world’s largest economy, upending trade and supply chains. The technology sector was pummelled as manufacturing hubs in China and Taiwan faced new tariffs above 30%. In total, China … Read more

Australia has experienced its hottest 12-month period on record, ending with its hottest March on record, with last month seeing temperatures 2.41C above average, the Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed. The bureau said its data going back to 1910 showed the 12 months ending in March 2025 averaged 1.61C above average – the hottest of … Read more

Developing nations in South-east Asia, including war-torn and earthquake-hit Myanmar, and several African nations are among the trading partners facing the highest tariffs set by US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Upending decades of US trade policy and threatening to unleash a global trade war, Trump on Wednesday announced a raft of tariffs he said … Read more

Australian elections have many proud traditions: democracy sausages, Akubra hats, and of course, salt of the earth “tradies” in campaign ads. The tradition continues down in Victoria, where a young man in an orange hi-vis vest, complete with a hard hat, makes an appearance in a campaign video for the former Liberal MP Tim Wilson. … Read more

Donald Trump’s tariff “day of liberation” arrived with the US president imposing markups on imports while accusing other nations, including allies, of “looting, pillaging, raping and plundering” the US. The UK got off relatively lightly with the basic 10%. Here is how major British newspapers see it. Guardian front page, Thursday 3 April 2024 Photograph: … Read more

The usually quiet streets outside South Korea’s constitutional court in Seoul are now a political ground zero for a decision that will determine the country’s future. Months after Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law and triggered South Korea’s worst political crisis in decades, the court will on Friday decide whether to uphold the suspended president’s … Read more

Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature The Japanese yen has strengthened 1% against the US dollar on Thursday, AFP reports. In morning trade in Tokyo, one dollar bought 147.69 yen, with the Japanese currency – traditionally viewed as a safe-haven – up 1% compared to late Wednesday. … Read more

Canada’s exemption from Donald Trump’s global tariffs was “like dodging a bullet into the path of a tank”, say business leaders as other levies are poised to hit key industries that drive the country’s economy. In a theatrical unveiling of tariffs on countries with “unfair” practices on Wednesday afternoon, Canada was noticeably absent, alongside trade … Read more

It was Jeopardy!, or The Price is Right, come to Washington. On an unseasonably chilly day in the White House Rose Garden, Donald Trump stood with a giant chart listing what reciprocal tariffs he would impose on China, the European Union, the United Kingdom and other hapless contestants. The winner? Trump, of course, the maestro … Read more

Australia has been hit with a 10% tariff on all imports to the US as part of a global tariff regime imposed by the US president, Donald Trump. In his “liberation day” speech, the president held up a board listing countries and their rates of tariffs. It claimed Australia imposed a 10% tariff on US … Read more