Microsoft claims new quantum chip 1,000 times better than before

The price of gold has hit a record high of more than $4,000 (£2,985) an ounce as investors look for safe places to put their money over concerns about economic and political uncertainty around the world. Gold has seen its biggest rally since the 1970s, rising by around a third since April when US President…

The war has seen large oil and gas facilities attacked and it has effectively closed a key shipping channel, the Strait of Hormuz, which runs close to the Iranian coast. One fifth of the world’s oil passes through here, so the disruption has sent global oil prices soaring, and the price of diesel has followed.

Tim Armitage, investment strategist at Quilter Cheviot, said the numbers mentioned by Trump were “relatively small”. He said the first tranche equated to approximately 2.25m barrels, and daily US consumption was around 3.8m barrels, “so it won’t make a material difference to pump prices in the US”. “Granted, there are then two more releases to…

One of Africa’s most ambitious energy infrastructure projects has finally been signed off at the highest level, with West African leaders formally endorsing the long-awaited Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline. “Don’t be surprised when the gas comes your way,” quipped Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone’s president and the current head of West Africa regional bloc Ecowas,…

Danielle KayeBusiness reporter Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images It’s been a roller-coaster year for financial markets – but US stock investors are heading into 2026 on a high note. US President Donald Trump’s global trade tariffs sent shockwaves through markets in the spring. But by summer, the US saw record highs fuelled by strong company…