Workers in Felixstowe launched an eight-day strike yesterday, causing major disruption at the start of the ‘peak season’ leading up to Christmas. It’s a quiet day elsewhere, also with European gas prices rising again amid concerns about disruption.

5 things to start your day

  1. Finance nuclear power with green bonds, Treasury said The energy industry is pushing the government to include nuclear technology in the Green Financing Framework.
  2. Ineos makes £474m profit as oil and gas bet pays off
  3. Small businesses warn of ‘existential threat’ posed by £20,000 energy bills Prospective Tory leaders face calls to cut VAT on household bills from 20% to 5% and extend the price cap to small companies.
  4. Nick Candy offers to freeze ex-partner’s assets The property developer has sought a global asset freeze against a former business partner in a High Court fraud case.
  5. Exploding rents leave renters with one less room for their money Renters have been robbed of an extra bedroom after their purchasing power shrank at a record pace amid a chronic shortage of rental properties.

What happened in the night

Asian shares fell on Monday and the dollar extended its gains amid worries about global growth as most major banks continued to raise interest rates, while a modest easing from China only helped highlight problems in its property market. Worries about the Chinese economy sent the yuan to a 23-month low, while weighing on stocks across the region. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell a further 0.7 percent while Chinese blue chips shed 0.1 percent. South Korea’s KOSPI fell 0.7% while Japan’s Nikkei slipped 0.6%, although it has drawn support from the yen’s recent sharp reversal.

It’s coming today

Corporate: There are no scheduled results Finance: Interest rate decision (China). Chicago Fed National Activity Index (US)