Money blog:Musk makes £26bn overnight; tips from call centre insider on how to get discounts (2024)

Top news
  • Britons face ticket hikes for major tourist attractions in Paris
  • Landlords setting up limited companies to protect against budget
  • Musk makes £26bn overnight as Tesla shares soar
  • Millions of Britons can't get supermarket loyalty card - here's why
Essential reads
  • Starmer defines 'working person' ahead of budget
  • Which taxes could go up in the budget?
  • Analysis:How chancellor could give herself another £50bn to play with
  • 14 top destinations for a winter holiday that won't break the bank
Tips and advice
  • Eurostar launches service with big discounts - but there's a catch
  • Five banks offering nearly £200 to customers who join from rivals
  • Basically... Railcards

14:51:01

Boohoo row takes another turn as Mike Ashley rejected

The row between billionaire Mike Ashley and clothing company Boohoo has taken another turn, with the company refusing a Frasers Group request to install the tycoon as its new chief executive.

Frasers can influence Boohoo as it's the biggest shareholder, owning 27% of all shares.

It emerged yesterday that Frasers, the owner of Sports Direct, House of Fraser and Flannels, had written to Boohoo ordering it to sack its chief executive and appoint Mr Ashley instead.

Boohoo, the online fast fashion retailer, had ignored a private Frasers request to install Mr Ashley, according to an open letter from Frasers Group to members of Boohoo's board.

Boohoo has now responded...

"As shareholders will be aware, Mr Ashley is a 73% shareholder in Frasers; in addition,Frasers owns a 23.6% stake in Asos,and both Frasers and Asos operate in similar markets to Boohoo," it said.

"These are important facts that need to be taken into account and carefully considered by the board.

"Whilst the board remains willing to discuss board representation with Frasers in a constructive manner, it has been clear with Frasers that before any appointment can be made, appropriate governance will be required to protect the company's commercial position and the interests of other shareholders.

"Boohoo has sought assurances from Frasers in this regard and they have not to date been provided."

14:01:01

Thames Water secures financial future for next year with £3bn cash injection

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, business reporter

Thames Water has secured a £3bn injection to avoid running out of cash.

There were fears the UK's biggest water supplier, which serves 16 million customers, could have run out of money by Christmas.

But the cash injection secures its financial future for at least the next year, or possibly until the end of May 2026.

The deal reached with creditors, however, is subject to court approval as it involves a restructuring of debt. An interest rate of 9.75% will be payable on the sum.

The cash-strapped company has been struggling to secure fresh funds from existing shareholders after they withdrew a promised investment of £500m amid a funding row with industry regulator Ofwat.

Ofwat will make a final determination on how much Thames Water can put up bills and spend at the end of this year.

Read more here:

12:45:01

Call centre won't give you a discount? Hang up and try again, says former insider

One of our favourite hacks for a while comes from former call centre worker @mr_majika via X.

Replying to tweets by money saving expert Martin Lewis, he explained why trying a different call handler might give you a better chance of getting a discount...

"Previously worked in call centre retentions," he wrote. "Individual % discount and retention rates mean experiences vary between advisers. Eg lose too many customers in the morning, offer big discounts in the afternoon. The reverse is also true. Moral = no discount, hang up and try again."

He went on: "At month's end if you'd not hit the retention target you'd offer big discounts. Conversely, if you'd given out too much discount you'd offer little."

12:01:01

Markets not blinking in face of budget speculation - and Musk makes £26bn overnight

BySarah Taaffe-Maguire, business reporter

There was speculation about a possible rise in the cost of UK government borrowing after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced she was going to borrow up to £50bn for public investment yesterday.

But the market reaction has been minimal as the amount the state has to pay (the yield) on benchmark bonds (IOUs governments sell to raise money) is slightly down from earlier in the week when the possibility of a Trump presidency had pushed up borrowing costs on both sides of the pond.

It means investors are not too concerned about the impact extra borrowing will have on the UK's ability to pay back loans.

The public, however, is not feeling confident ahead of the budget.

Consumer confidence has dropped to a level last seen in March.

When it came to the general economic situation, there was an even bigger drop in confidence, according to market research company GfK.

Another market story today is highest share price rise since 2015 for the part state-owned bank NatWest.

It's the biggest riser in the FTSE 100 index of most valuable companies on the London Stock Exchange, with shares becoming more than 4% more expensive after it reported profit of £20m in just three months, compared to only £1m in the three months prior.

Overall the FTSE 100 is up 0.03% with the bigger and more UK-focused FTSE 250 up 0.19%.

It's nothing compared to the hike in Tesla's share price last night.

Shares in the electric carmaker rose 22% after it beat Wall Street profit expectations in its third quarter financial results.

It's meant Elon Musk has got a lot richer as a major owner of Tesla shares, adding around $33.5bn (£25.8bn) to his net worth.

The pound slipped below $1.30 first thing on Tuesday morning and has stayed below the recent high for the week.

Similarly, sterling slipped below €1.20, a figure that had been a more than two-year high.

10:33:15

Price of car insurance is falling. No, really...

Drivers will be well aware that insurance has gone through the car roof in recent years - but there is some relief to be had this morning.

New research from Compare the Market has found the average premium fell by £72 in September compared to the same time last year.

It means it may be worth shopping around before renewing with an existing provider.

Driving the price cut may be slower inflation, which has stabilised the cost of claims for insurers in recent months.

Car insurance is now £175 cheaper than its peak in November 2023, when the average premium hit £951.

Younger drivers are seeing most of the benefits, with a £107 drop for under-25s compared to just an £8 decline for motorists aged over 80 years old.

But as ever, younger drivers are paying far more on average, £1,786, than older ones, £637.

But at £776, average insurance costs are still well above the £570 charged just two years ago.

09:06:29

UK residents to face tourist charges in Paris

Residents from countries outside the EU - including the UK - look set to face an additional surcharge when visiting the French capital.

The plan was revealed by Rachida Dati, the culture minister, who said she wanted to charge visitors to enter Notre Dame cathedral for the first time, as well as introduce further charges to enter attractions such as the Louvre.

Entry was free at the Notre Dame before it closed for restoration work after a fire that partially destroyed it in 2019.

Ms Dati said the measures would be introduced to help France fund the upkeep of its heritage.

"My position is very clear - I want visitors from outside the EU to pay more for their entrance ticket and for this supplement to finance the renovation of the national heritage," she said in an interview with Le Figaro.

She intends to impose the "non-EU surcharge" at the Louvre in 2026, where tickets currently cost €22.

Britons and other non-EU visitors would have to pay €25-€30, according to culture ministry sources cited by The Times, although the exact fee has yet to be decided.

08:35:30

Now Starmer has defined a 'working person', what should we expect from the budget?

Speculation is mounting ahead of next week's budget about what taxes could be raised or introduced.

The government has promised not to raise taxes that would affect "working people", but has failed to define what that means.

Until last night, when Sir Keir Starmer sat down with our political editor Beth Rigby- which you can watch in full here...

Sir Keir said he believed a working person was somebody who "goes out and earns their living, usually paid in a sort of monthly cheque" but they did not have the ability to "write a cheque to get out of difficulties".

Asked by Rigby whether he would classify a working person as someone whose income derived from assets, such as shares or property, the prime minister said: "Well, they wouldn't come within my definition."

Pressed on whether that meant taxes for those people could go up, the prime minister said: "You can probably give me any number of examples... you're asking me for a definition of who's a working person, and then you're making assumptions about what that tax might be in relation to."

His spokesperson clarified later that a person who holds a small amount of savings in stocks or shares still counts as a "working person".

What does this mean for you?

Rigby says this morning that as a result of this interview, we are now a "bit clearer" onwhat the budget could look like.

Without a proper understanding of what a "working person" is, we've been unsure where Rachel Reeves and the government are going to place tax rises - which Rigby says are inevitable.

"Make no mistake, they will be raising taxes in the budget next week," she says.

"The government have identified, according to my Treasury sources, a £40bn gap in the public finances - that's going to have to be filled by tax rises, spending cuts, welfare cuts," she adds.

Rigby says the prime minister has "opened the door" to a capital gains tax hike.

"His answer raises speculation that he is going to tax those who are selling chunks of shares or selling property, selling assets," she says.

Watch Rigby speaking this morning...

07:24:21

Can Bitcoin get this club to the Premier League?

Real Bedford FC play in the lower leagues of English football. A matchday there seems, at first glance, like any other non-league club - a sense of community, a place to have a pie and a pint.

But if you look a bit closer, you notice that the ground is actually sponsored by huge cryptocurrency companies like Gemini and Luxor - and that the club is owned by Bitcoin podcaster Peter McCormack.

Sky News' series New Money takes a look inside new digital industries, speaking to some of the influencers, content creators and business owners across the UK.

In this episode we spend a day at Real Bedford FC to find out Peter's plan to get his team to the Premier League - all backed by Bitcoin.

06:44:46

Millions of Britons can't get supermarket loyalty card - here's why

Millions of people are excluded from loyalty schemes offering lower prices at some of the UK's biggest retailers, according to consumer brand Which?.

Sign-up criteria like minimum age, UK residency, email addresses or app downloads force some shoppers to pay 10%-33% more for affected items on average.

Vulnerable groups like young carers and the homeless are excluded, Which? said.

"This means a 17-year-old single parent living independently would not get a discount on baby food at some supermarkets, while a homeless person would have to pay more for a meal deal at others," the group said.

A Boots spokesperson said: "We are committed to providing great prices and value for money for all customers through a wide range of deals, discounts and promotions."

A Lidl spokesperson said everything they do is designed to give households access to good food at low prices. In-store promotions are available and app age restrictions are in line with legal requirements related to certain offers.

A spokesperson for Sainsbury's loyalty scheme, Nectar, said customers can register without an email address or mobile number by contacting the Nectar Helpline.

A Tesco spokesperson said: "Clubcard unlocks the best value at Tesco, with shoppers able to save £360 a year."

A Waitrose spokesperson said: "Our age and address requirements are in line with some other retailers and reflect our store locations."

A Superdrug spokesperson said: "As an accessible retailer, we aim to offer great value to all our customers."

They said delivery was only available to addresses within the UK and Republic of Ireland and the Health and Beauty Card membership reflects this.

06:43:59

Landlords setting up limited companies to protect themselves from budget

Every Friday we take an overview of the mortgage market, hearing from industry voices and getting a round-up of the best rates courtesy of the independent experts at Moneyfactscompare.co.uk. This week our focus is on the buy-to-let market.

Landlords have been facing uncertainty amid speculation capital gains tax could be hiked in next week's budget.

"They have had to review their portfolios over the years due to changing taxation rules," says Moneyfacts finance expert Rachel Springall.

"Landlords making purchases are making efforts to shelter themselves from a challenging tax environment by setting up a limited company."

A study out this week by Hamptons revealed more than 5,000 limited companies were created in Great Britain in September to hold buy-to-let property, a 28% increase year-on-year.

There have been almost 50,000 limited companies established since the start of 2024 - more than in the whole of 2021.

Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons, said: "While landlord purchase numbers are well down on pre-pandemic levels, there's been no sign of a slowdown in the number of companies being set up to put them in. Most new purchases are now made in a company structure.

"An increase in personal tax rates will only widen the gap between the tax paid by landlords who own homes in their own name or a company name further."

Moneyfacts has looked at the best rates on offer for those buying to let...

Moneyfacts also rounds up what it calls "best buys", which look beyond the lowest rates and takes in incentives and fees...

Money blog:Musk makes £26bn overnight; tips from call centre insider on how to get discounts (2024)

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