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UK Economy News 8 October 2025 - 12 November 2025

Universal Credit Surges by 1.1 Million as UK Jobless Rate Hits 5% — What the New DWP Data Means for Starmer’s Government

Universal Credit Surges by 1.1 Million as UK Jobless Rate Hits 5% — What the New DWP Data Means for Starmer’s Government

Published: 12 November 2025 The UK welfare landscape shifted sharply this autumn. Fresh figures show 8.3 million people are now on Universal Credit (UC), up from 7.2 million a year ago—a rise of 1.1 million that coincides with unemployment ticking up to 5% in the three months to September. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says the jump partly reflects the ongoing transfer of people from older “legacy” benefits into UC, but it also lands amid a cooling jobs market that will test the Labour government’s economic plans. GOV.UK+2Office for National Statistics+2 The headline numbers Sky News, reflecting the
12 November 2025
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Tesco Shares Soar After Double‑Digit Dividend Hike: What Investors Need to Know

Tesco (LSE: TSCO) hits fresh 52‑week high before reversing as UK grocery inflation cools — 11 November 2025

Summary: Tesco shares touched a new 52‑week high in early London trade before losing momentum by midday, as industry data showed grocery inflation easing and market‑share gains for the UK’s largest grocer. Today’s focus for investors: how heavy festive promotions, slowing inflation and Tesco’s buyback programme shape margins and momentum into Christmas. FT Markets+2Reuters+2 Key takeaways (11 Nov 2025) Today’s trading: from record high to mid‑session pullback Tesco opened at 480.00p, briefly set a new 52‑week high of 480.50p, and then reversed, trading ~3–4% lower intraday by early afternoon. The day’s range printed 457.30–480.50p, with the previous close at 475.60p
11 November 2025
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London Stock Exchange at Record Highs – Inside the Historic Market’s Brexit Battle and 2025 Revival

UK Markets Today: FTSE 100 Hits New High as Rate‑Cut Bets Build; Vodafone Lifts Dividend for First Time in 7 Years; SoftBank Exits Nvidia; ‘Little‑Known’ Tech Giant RELX in the Spotlight (11 Nov 2025)

Published: 11 November 2025 FTSE 100 sets fresh records as labour market cools London stocks pushed to new highs on Tuesday, extending Monday’s record close, as investors priced in a higher chance of a December interest‑rate cut after a softer UK jobs report. The unemployment rate rose to 5.0%, its highest since early 2021, while regular pay growth slowed to 4.6% in the three months to September—data that knocked sterling and lifted rate‑sensitive shares. The FTSE 100 notched another intraday record in early trade after Monday’s all‑time closing high of 9,787, underlining the “bad news is good news” dynamic for
11 November 2025
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FTSE 100’s Record Run: Inside London’s Blue-Chip Rally and What’s Next

FTSE 100 Hits Fresh Record as Vodafone Lifts Dividend; UK Jobs Data Fuels Bets on a December BoE Rate Cut (11 November 2025)

London’s blue‑chip index set another intraday high today after softer UK labour‑market data strengthened the case for a pre‑Christmas interest‑rate cut. Vodafone led the rally with its first dividend increase since 2018. The Standard At a glance — 11 November 2025 Vodafone’s dividend revival powers the FTSE Vodafone shares jumped after the group said it now expects full‑year profit and cash flow at the upper end of guidance, and introduced a progressive dividend policy that includes a 2.5% increase this year — its first dividend rise since 2018. The update, including a return to growth in Germany and continued UK
11 November 2025
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North Sea Oil Giant Petrofac’s Shocking Collapse Puts 2,000 Jobs at Risk

North Sea Oil Giant Petrofac’s Shocking Collapse Puts 2,000 Jobs at Risk

Petrofac’s Collapse into Administration Petrofac, a leading services provider to the oil, gas and renewable energy industry, filed for administration on 27 October 2025, after last-ditch restructuring talks fell apartireland-live.ie. The company confirmed it has applied to court to appoint administrators, effectively admitting it cannot meet its obligations without protection from creditorsireland-live.ie. Petrofac stressed that the insolvency filing affects only its top holding entity – all operating subsidiaries will continue to trade while “alternative options” are exploredireland-live.iereuters.com. In an announcement, the firm said administrators will work with management to “preserve value, operational capability and ongoing delivery” across Petrofac’s projectsnews.sky.com. Over
27 October 2025
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EU’s 50% Steel Tariff Shocker Spurs “Existential” UK Crisis Amid Market Rally

EU’s 50% Steel Tariff Shocker Spurs “Existential” UK Crisis Amid Market Rally

EU’s New Tariff Plan: Protecting Steel or Protectionism? In a dramatic trade salvo, the European Commission announced plans on Oct 7 to impose a 50% tariff on steel imports exceeding reduced quota levelstheguardian.comtheguardian.com. This effectively doubles the current 25% duty that had been in place – a jump Brussels openly frames as matching the tough U.S. “Trump tariffs” on steeltheguardian.com. Under the proposal, the EU’s existing safeguard quotas (which allow a certain tonnage of foreign steel in tariff-free) would be slashed by 47% to about 18.3 million tonnes annually, a volume last seen in 2013theguardian.com. Any imports above that modest quota would face the hefty 50% tariff – “a high price
8 October 2025
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Stock Market Today

Seagate (STX) stock jumps nearly 6% as Citi hikes target — what to watch next week

Seagate (STX) stock jumps nearly 6% as Citi hikes target — what to watch next week

7 February 2026
Seagate shares rose 5.9% to $429.32 Friday after Citigroup raised its price target to $480 and reiterated a buy rating. The gain ended a two-day slide but left the stock 6.6% below its Feb. 3 high. CEO Dave Mosley sold 20,000 shares on Feb. 2 under a pre-arranged plan, SEC filings show. U.S. jobs and inflation data next week are seen as key tests for tech stocks.
Cummins (CMI) stock price rebounds after earnings whipsaw as investors eye data-center power demand

Cummins (CMI) stock price rebounds after earnings whipsaw as investors eye data-center power demand

7 February 2026
Cummins shares jumped 6.8% to $577.73 Friday, recovering from a nearly 9% post-earnings drop the day before. The company reported Q4 revenue up 1% to $8.54 billion, took a $218 million charge tied to its hydrogen business, and guided for 2026 EBITDA of 17–18% of sales. Demand for data center generators offset weakness in North American truck markets. Analyst reaction was mixed; Truist raised its price target.
Corning stock hits first record close since 2000 as jobs, CPI data loom

Corning stock hits first record close since 2000 as jobs, CPI data loom

7 February 2026
Corning shares surged 8.3% to $122.16 Friday, their highest close since the dot-com era, after Meta agreed to buy up to $6 billion in fiber-optic cables. The stock is up 40% since late 2025, fueled by strong first-quarter guidance and AI data-center demand. Insiders sold shares following the rally, SEC filings show. Investors await next week’s U.S. jobs and inflation data for rate signals.
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