Finance

Finance · 27 October 2026

Chinese Shares Plunge as AI Race Drains Trillions

Iris Quay, London desk

Rising anxiety over the U.S.‑China AI rivalry has wiped trillions of dollars from Chinese stock markets, sparking a sharp sell‑off and prompting investors to stare nervously at the next line of code.

Finance · 27 October 2026

Small‑Business Pain Parade: Inflation, Rate Hikes and Red‑Tape Trip Up Payments

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

Small‑business owners are slipping into payment arrears as policy shifts, rising inflation and higher interest rates combine to create a perfect storm of financial strain.

Finance · 27 October 2026

Anthropic’s IPO filing nudges ASX and Wall Street upward

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

Anthropic’s move to go public has the Australian and U.S. markets edging higher as investors digest the filing and await key big‑tech earnings.

Finance · 27 October 2026

Audi’s $4 bn US plant: Trump hails tariff triumph, Germany watches with a sigh

Noor Hale, World desk

Audi will invest $4 billion in a new U.S. factory, a move Trump touts as a tariff success while German officials view it as a sign of domestic auto decline.

Finance · 26 October 2026

VW to Build $4bn Audi SUV Factory in Georgia as It Cuts Jobs at Home

Iris Quay, London desk

Volkswagen is investing $4 billion (£3 billion) to build an Audi SUV factory in Georgia, creating 4,500 jobs, even as it cuts positions in Germany amid tariffs, Chinese competition and the shift to electric vehicles…

Finance · 26 October 2026

Guppy‑Level Doom Looms Over AI Cloud as French Bonds Take a Swim

Iris Quay, London desk

Elon Musk cautioned that funding for AI‑driven cloud services could dry up, likening the risk to a guppy’s demise. Meanwhile, French government bonds rallied after a downgrade was avoided, giving investors a safer ha…

Finance · 26 October 2026

Paris Baguettes, Bonds and a Bit of a Crisis

Iris Quay, London desk

Violent protests that saw municipal buildings set ablaze and shops looted sparked a sharp sell‑off in French bonds, widening the spread with German debt and prompting investors to flee to safety.

Finance · 26 October 2026

Miner Rally Pushes ASX Higher, November Rate‑Hike Odds Top 60%

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

The ASX recovered from an early sell‑off to close marginally higher, driven by a rally in mining stocks, lifting the market’s view of a November Reserve Bank of Australia rate hike to above 60%.

Finance · 26 October 2026

City Economists Say BoE Won’t Hit 4.75% by Summer – Full‑Point Hike Unlikely

Iris Quay, London desk

City economists warn that the Bank of England is unlikely to raise interest rates by a full percentage point by next summer and could even cut them by the end of 2027, contradicting market forecasts of a 4.75% rate.