Author: Eka Gerona

Jennifer MeierhansBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesStock markets around the world fell following the introduction of tariffs by President Donald Trump on goods entering to the US from China, Canada and Mexico.Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and 20% tariffs against China.Canada and China announced their own import taxes on US goods, while Mexico is said it had “contingency plans”, sparking fears of full-blown trade war.The three major stock market indexes in the US sank following the news, while the FTSE 100 index of the UK’s biggest publicly-listed companies opened sharply lower on Tuesday and stock markets in Asia were…

‘No room left’ for Canada and Mexico to negotiate tariffs, says TrumpDonald Trump has been threatening major tariffs on America’s two largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico, for more than a month. It now appears that the day of reckoning is at hand.The risk for the president is that his sweeping tariffs, which also target China, may drive up prices for businesses and consumers in the months ahead, damaging the health of the US economy – the issue that Americans say they care about most.The economy and inflation was at the top of voter concerns last November – concerns Trump…

A former boss of Barclays, who was ousted from the bank over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, will seek to clear his name in court this week.Jes Staley was forced out in November 2021 after UK regulators ruled he had failed to accurately disclose the nature and length of his relationship with Epstein to the Barclays board.The episode cost Mr Staley, a man with a glittering and rewarding career in investment banking, £18m in pay and bonuses and, more importantly, his reputation.Mr Staley is seeking to overturn a decision by the Financial Conduct Authority in 2023 banning…

Tom Geoghegan & Laura BickerBBC News, London and BeijingWatch: ‘I’d be pissed if I was Canadian’ – Trump supporters on 51st state jibeUS tariffs against Canada and Mexico will go ahead on Tuesday but their level will be decided by Donald Trump, the US commerce secretary has said.The US president has threatened to impose 25% tariffs – which are a tax on imports – on his two neighbours on 4 March, in response to what he says is an unacceptable flow of illegal drugs and migrants into the US.US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Sunday the tariffs would happen…

Asmita Patel Global School of TradingMs Patel has over half a million subscribers on YouTube and hundreds of thousands more on InstagramYouTuber Asmita Patel’s mission was to “make India trade”.The wildly popular financial influencer called herself the “She-Wolf of the stock market” – her take on the Hollywood film The Wolf of Wall Street. At last count, she had clocked upwards of half a million subscribers on YouTube and hundreds of thousands on Instagram. Fees for her stock trading courses ran into thousands of rupees.Last month, the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) put a spanner in…

Mixue Ice Cream and Tea may be unfamiliar to many of us but the Chinese firm has more outlets than McDonald’s and Starbucks.On Monday, the bubble tea chain’s shares jumped by nearly 30% as they started trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.The company raised $444m (£352m) in the financial hub’s biggest initial public offering (IPO) of the year.Mixue’s popularity comes as many people in China are grappling with the country’s economic challenges – including a property crisis, and weak consumer and business confidence. It sells ice creams and drinks for an average of six Chinese yuan ($0.82; £0.65).The company…

Mariko Oi and Mel RamsayBBC NewsThe Pokemon CompanyPik-a-boo: Pokémon is one of the world’s most valuable media franchiseThe boss of The Pokémon Company believes the series can last for at least another 50 years if it continues to innovate.First launched on Nintendo’s Game Boy in 1996, the video game has expanded into films, TV and toys to become one of the world’s highest-grossing media franchise.Most recently, the trading card game based on the cute creatures at the centre of its universe has seen a surge in popularity – but it has also brought scalpers and frauds to the hobby.CEO Tsunekazu…

Goldman Sachs has pledged £1.5m to a West Midlands apprenticeship fund to help businesses in the region to develop their staff.The investment bank announced it would be committing funds from its apprenticeship levy to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) levy transfer scheme.The money will help small and medium-sized businesses, charities and social enterprises to invest in and develop staff.West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said the WMCA’s apprenticeship levy scheme had already raised £50m, funding 4,800 apprentices in the region.Parker added more residents could get access to apprenticeships and smaller businesses could train workforces for the future following the boost…

Katy WatsonPacific correspondentGetty ImagesThe remote and resource-rich Cook Islands has antagonised old allies over a deal with China The Cook Islands may be small but the ambitions of its leader are mighty. A range of deals Prime Minister Mark Brown signed with China without consulting the public or New Zealand – an ally to which the Cooks is closely tied – has caused increasing irritation and concern.The agreements are the first of their kind with a country that is not a traditional ally. They cover infrastructure, ship-building, tourism, agriculture, technology, education and, perhaps crucially, deep-sea mineral exploration.Brown says his decisions…

BBCIn Union County, South Carolina, the sprawling cotton mills that once put bread on the table for many are long gone. Union is also what is termed a “food desert”, where many residents live far from the nearest supermarket. So in 2016, local non-profit director Elise Ashby began working with farmers to deliver discounted boxes of farm-fresh produce across the county, where 30% of the population is black and roughly 25% live in poverty.To fund this, Ms Ashby first relied on her own savings and then some small-scale grants. But in 2023, the Walmart Foundation – the philanthropic arm of…