Reeves to raise taxes faster than any chancellor in half a century

Group 1 - Nexperia is involved in a dispute with its Chinese unit after the Dutch government took control from its Chinese owner Wingtech on September 30 [1] - The European Commission is seeking a diplomatic resolution regarding the ownership of Nexperia [1] Group 2 - The Bank of England's upcoming decision on interest rates is highly uncertain, with a 29% chance of a rate cut indicated by money markets [2][46] - The pound has declined approximately 2.3% against the US dollar in October, marking its largest drop since July [2][46] Group 3 - The FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 indexes closed lower, down 0.4% and 0.5% respectively, but both indexes achieved monthly gains [9][33] - Pharmaceuticals, financials, and mining sectors performed well in October, supported by strong earnings from companies like HSBC and GSK [9][34] Group 4 - Capital Economics predicts that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will raise taxes by £38 billion in the upcoming Autumn Budget, following a previous £41.5 billion increase last year [6][39] - If forecasts hold, Reeves will have raised taxes by 2.3% of GDP within just over a year, surpassing the tax increases of her predecessors [5][6] Group 5 - The cocoa market is experiencing a significant drop in demand, reaching a 10-year low, as consumers react to rising prices [18][19] - Despite the current crisis, analysts suggest that the cocoa market may stabilize due to improved supply conditions anticipated from the 2025/2026 crop [20]