The pound rose above $1.25 on Thursday after President Trump said the dollar was ‘getting too strong’ * IMF’s Lagarde: Trump’s trade barriers would be ‘self-inflicted wound’ * ‘Great chemistry’: Trump abandons China criticism 1.30pm BST Over in Greece, prime minister Alexis Tsipras has used his last cabinet meeting before Easter to call for a “big political counter attack” from ministers who will soon be called to defend concessions made by his leftist-led government with creditors keeping the debt-stricken country afloat. 1.10pm BST THE SQUEEZE ON REAL INCOMES IN THE UK SHOULDN’T BE TOO SEVERE ACCORDING TO ANALYSTS AT CAPITAL ECONOMICS. It follows official figures on Wednesday which showed inflation outpaced regular pay growth (excluding bonuses) for the first time in two-and-a-half years in February. After two-and-a-half years of rising real wages, this week’s inflation and labour market figures confirmed that the pay squeeze has returned. And, with inflation rising faster than expected, some further drop in real earnings looks likely over the coming months. However, the squeeze shouldn’t be as sharp or prolonged as that seen after the financial crisis, and there are other reasons to think that spending growth might hold up rather better this time around. Related: Living standards in UK fall for the first time since 2014 Continue reading...
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