Economists have warned that pressure to increase rates is mounting as inflation rises to a five-month high

The Bank of England is expected to maintain interest rates at 3.75 per cent, though economists have cautioned that pressure to increase rates is building as inflation climbs. Most economists believe the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will choose to leave interest rates unchanged at its forthcoming meeting on Thursday.

It would mark the sixth consecutive occasion the MPC has held rates steady, having remained at the same level since December.

Experts believe policymakers will persist with a “wait-and-see” strategy, particularly regarding the Middle East conflict and its impact on the UK economy.

Nevertheless, three members of the nine-strong MPC – Huw Pill, Megan Greene and Catherine Mann – voted to raise rates to four per cent at the previous meeting, and economists anticipate the same outcome at the next one.

This comes amid a backdrop of rising prices across the UK, with Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation climbing to 3.1 per cent in August, up from 2.9 per cent in July, according to the most recent official data.

This represented a five-month peak and demonstrates that CPI inflation has drifted further from the Bank of England’s two per cent target rate.

Numerous economists are predicting the cost of living will rise further, with households confronting another increase in their energy bills from next month, which could prompt the Bank to lift interest rates in the coming months.

Experts have said that services inflation — which reflects pricing trends within the UK’s dominant sector — held steady at 3.4 per cent in August, suggesting an absence of so-called second-round effects, such as escalating wage demands and broader increases in shop prices.

Nevertheless, inflation is widely anticipated to climb once Ofgem’s next energy price cap comes into effect in October, which will push household energy bills up by four per cent for a typical dual-fuel household.

Thomas Pugh, chief economist at RSM UK, said: “The rise in inflation in August is just the start of a new upward trend as higher energy, food and memory chip prices continue to make their way through supply chains.

“We now see inflation peaking at almost four per cent in early 2027, before gradually dropping back to two per cent in 2028. The MPC will hold this week, but inflation at four per cent is realistically too hot to ignore.”

Charlotte O’Leary, associate economist for the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr), said the MPC would also be keeping a close eye on the recent surge in oil prices, with Brent crude oil rising above 107 dollars a barrel this week.

“Nevertheless, with limited evidence of second-round effects so far, we expect the MPC to hold rates on Thursday,” she said.

“However, mounting inflationary pressures, alongside resilient growth data, may eventually grant scope to raise rates without materially damaging the economy.”

Economists for Pantheon Economics said there is a possibility the MPC “toughens its language” at the next rates announcements “to open up the possibility of a November hike if energy prices keep ramping up”.

“A four per cent inflation peak would already be too hot to hold, but further energy price rises could take inflation even higher,” they said. “The MPC needs to be ready.”

Last week, the European Central Bank lifted its interest rates for the second time this year, cautioning that the Iran war continues to generate inflationary pressure.

Meanwhile, the US Federal Reserve is broadly anticipated to raise its rates for the first time since 2023 on Wednesday evening.

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SAN FRANCISCO — Salesforce Inc. has not disclosed a dollar estimate for how much Wednesday’s global service outage cost the company or its customers, and no independent analyst had published a specific figure as of Wednesday afternoon, leaving the financial toll of the disruption an open question even as the technical incident itself has been resolved.

The outage began around 7:50 a.m. UTC, roughly 3:50 a.m. Eastern time, according to Salesforce’s own status page, and affected customers across all three of the company’s operating regions, with reports of disruption spanning the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, India and Japan. Salesforce said the root cause traced to an internal login service, where incoming requests were stalling while waiting for a response, consuming available server resources and cascading into broader access failures across the platform. The company said it validated a fix on a test instance and began rolling it out fleetwide by roughly 10:56 a.m. UTC, with independent monitoring services logging the core disruption at around four hours and 22 minutes, though shorter, related incidents continued to appear on the company’s status tracker later in the day.

Quantifying the financial impact of a cloud outage like Wednesday’s is notoriously difficult, and companies rarely disclose precise figures even after an incident is fully resolved. Unlike a factory shutdown or a single retailer’s website going dark, Salesforce’s customer relationship management platform underpins day-to-day operations for a vast and varied customer base, one that Salesforce itself has described as including major global companies such as Amazon, Walmart, Coca-Cola, Toyota and IBM. An outage affecting that platform generates costs on at least two separate ledgers: the direct hit to Salesforce’s own business, largely through service-level agreement credits and reputational damage, and a far larger, harder-to-measure set of costs borne by the customers who rely on Salesforce to run sales, service and marketing operations.

Salesforce’s own scale offers one way to think about the stakes involved, even without a specific outage-cost figure attached. The company reported fiscal second-quarter revenue of $11.35 billion, up 11% year-over-year, with full-year revenue guidance raised by $200 million following that report. Spread across a full fiscal year, that revenue run rate implies Salesforce generates tens of millions of dollars in revenue on a typical day, though a service disruption does not translate directly into lost revenue on a one-to-one basis, since most Salesforce customers pay through annual or multiyear subscription contracts rather than per-use billing, meaning a several-hour outage does not necessarily reduce the total amount Salesforce ultimately collects from an affected customer.

The more significant financial exposure from an incident like Wednesday’s typically falls on Salesforce’s customers rather than on Salesforce itself. Businesses that rely on the platform for order processing, customer service ticketing, sales pipeline management and marketing automation can face lost productivity, delayed transactions, and in some cases direct revenue loss if the outage prevents customer-facing sales or support functions from operating during the disruption window. Because those costs are dispersed across thousands of individual Salesforce customers rather than concentrated at Salesforce itself, they are rarely aggregated into a single public estimate, and no such aggregate figure had been published in connection with Wednesday’s incident as of the most recent available reporting.

The timing of Wednesday’s outage added a further layer of reputational, if not directly quantifiable, cost. The disruption struck on the second day of Dreamforce, Salesforce’s flagship annual conference in San Francisco, an event expected to draw more than 40,000 in-person attendees and more than 200,000 additional registrants online, with more than 400 sessions this year built around Salesforce’s push into AI-driven “Agentic Enterprise” software. An outage occurring in the middle of an event explicitly designed to showcase the platform’s reliability to customers, prospects and partners carries a cost in credibility and marketing impact that is difficult to translate into a specific dollar figure, even if it does not appear directly on Salesforce’s income statement.

Financial markets offered one immediate, if imperfect, gauge of investor sentiment following the outage. Salesforce shares had already closed Tuesday at $255.65, down 1.46% from Monday’s close of $259.43, a decline that occurred before the outage began and therefore cannot be attributed to the incident itself. Shares slipped a further roughly 0.5% in Wednesday premarket trading, changing hands around $254.40, though broader market conditions, including anticipation ahead of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision, were also weighing on technology stocks more broadly that morning, making it difficult to isolate how much of Wednesday’s modest share price movement, if any, reflected the outage specifically.

Wednesday’s disruption was not an isolated event in Salesforce’s recent history. The company has experienced a series of significant outages over the past year and a half, including a June 2025 incident that took its Heroku platform-as-a-service offline for more than six hours alongside disruptions to Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Tableau, Service Cloud and MuleSoft, and an earlier four-day disruption that crippled core customer service functions including Email-to-Case and Web-to-Case features. None of those prior incidents resulted in a publicly disclosed cost estimate either, consistent with the broader industry pattern of treating outage costs as commercially sensitive or simply too diffuse to calculate with precision.

Absent an official disclosure from Salesforce or a published third-party analysis, the true financial toll of Wednesday’s outage, spanning lost productivity across its global customer base, any service credits owed under customer contracts, and the harder-to-quantify reputational cost of the disruption occurring during Dreamforce, is likely to remain an estimate rather than a confirmed figure, unless Salesforce chooses to address the matter directly in a future earnings call or regulatory filing.

Cockpit windows, Vermont says, are “totally different”.

They are generally made of glass, which is chemically reinforced by adding potassium to it. This involves swapping smaller sodium ions for larger potassium ions, which helps to fill out the molecular structure of the glass, meaning that when it cools during production, it compresses into an extra strong, tight formation as it cools.

Some of the latest aircraft feature cockpit windows that are also curved, to make the plane more streamlined, which improves fuel efficiency. But curved cockpit windows are challenging to make – the slightest distortion or defect is clearly visible to the pilot.

Quality control checks are used to ensure no such impediments exist in the final product.

All aircraft windows must be resistant to impacts but cockpit windows, at the front of the plane, are especially vulnerable to bird strikes, says Vermont: “The issue is not the speed of the bird, the issue is the speed of the aircraft.”

Saint-Gobain uses numerical simulations and “physical tests representative of a sizeable bird impact” to test its windows against this threat.

“Typically, if you go through a hailstorm or if you hit a large enough bird, the external ply will crack,” says Vermont. “The cockpit window is designed for that.”

A London to Londonderry flight was recently affected by a cracked cockpit window. While a mid-air emergency was declared, the plane landed safely. “There can be [such] cases,” says Vermont, though he adds that Saint-Gobain’s windows have not been involved in any recently.

“You’re obviously dealing with a surface that is interfacing with two very different environments,” says Stengel. “That’s why these are more highly-engineered products.”

Those lessons shaped a career that has spanned sacred writing, Hebrew calligraphy, Judaica art, and education. Today, his work continues to focus on preserving Jewish heritage while sharing those traditions with future generations through teaching and craftsmanship.

“I have always believed that making a positive difference in people’s lives is what matters most,” Rabbi Karro says.

From Russia to a Life of Learning in Jerusalem

Rabbi Steve Karro was born in Russia before moving to Jerusalem with his family at the age of 10. The move marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to Jewish education and personal growth.

He attended Hebrew school before continuing his studies at Yeshiva Ponevezh in Bnei Brak, where he immersed himself in rabbinical studies. During this time, he earned his rabbinical diploma while also developing a passion for Hebrew calligraphy and art.

For Rabbi Karro, education was never simply about acquiring knowledge. It was about preparing to serve others.

“Learning never really ends,” he says. “The more we learn, the more we can share with others.”

That philosophy continues to influence both his work and his outlook on life.

A Career Dedicated to Sacred Writing and Art

After completing his studies, Rabbi Karro devoted his career to sacred writing and traditional Jewish craftsmanship. His work includes writing Torah scrolls, mezuzot, and tefillin, as well as restoring older Torah scrolls so they can continue serving communities for generations.

Every project requires careful attention to detail and respect for traditions that have remained largely unchanged for centuries.

Alongside his work as a scribe, Rabbi Karro is also a Judaica artist who creates oil paintings and Hebrew calligraphy inspired by Jewish history and culture. Together, these disciplines allow him to combine creativity with preservation.

“I believe making good changes is important,” he says. “Every piece of work should leave something positive behind.”

Why Teaching Has Always Been Part of the Mission

While craftsmanship has defined much of Rabbi Karro’s professional life, education has always been equally important.

Throughout his career, he has shared his knowledge of Hebrew calligraphy, sacred writing, and Jewish tradition with others, believing that preserving knowledge is just as important as preserving artifacts.

He hopes that by teaching others, these skills and traditions will continue long into the future.

“Teach what I learned so more people will be able to do good for our universe,” he says.

Rather than keeping specialized knowledge to himself, Rabbi Karro sees education as an opportunity to multiply positive influence.

Staying Focused Through Challenges

Every career brings obstacles, and Rabbi Karro has faced his share of personal challenges.

He has spoken about experiencing attempts to damage his identity and reputation. Instead of allowing those experiences to define him, he remained committed to his values, faith, and work.

“Many challenges came when enemies tried to take my identity away and put me through worldwide embarrassment,” he says. “I’m still standing and going with God and what I have always believed in.”

His response has been to continue creating, teaching, and helping others rather than becoming distracted by negativity.

That resilience has become one of the defining characteristics of his journey.

Building a Legacy Through Service

For Rabbi Karro, success has never been measured by recognition alone. Instead, he believes lasting impact comes from helping people and preserving traditions that matter.

Whether restoring a Torah scroll, teaching a student, or creating a work of art, he approaches each opportunity with the same sense of purpose.

“When I make a happy difference in people’s lives,” he says, “that is what matters most.”

He also believes that good actions inspire more good actions.

“My goal is to duplicate my good actions so others continue believing they are important and can make positive changes.”

That philosophy has guided his work for decades and continues to shape his future.

Looking Ahead While Preserving the Past

Today, Rabbi Steve Karro continues his work as a Hebrew calligrapher, Judaica artist, educator, and scribe. His career reflects a deep respect for history while emphasizing the importance of passing knowledge from one generation to the next.

Although his work centers on ancient traditions, his message is timeless. He believes every person can make a meaningful contribution by acting with integrity, serving others, and remaining committed to lifelong learning.

“When your close family is happy, others around them become happier too,” he says.

For Rabbi Karro, preserving tradition has always been about more than protecting the past. It is about ensuring future generations inherit the knowledge, values, and craftsmanship needed to continue making a positive difference.

 

Shares of Juniper Hotels gained nearly 2% on Thursday, hitting a day’s high of Rs 219.07 on the NSE, after the company announced a proposal to acquire the operating Novotel Imagicaa hotel in Khopoli, Maharashtra, for an aggregate lumpsum consideration of Rs 248 crore.

According to an exchange filing, the company said the proposed transaction involves the acquisition of Novotel Imagicaa, an operating hotel undertaking in Khopoli, Raigad district, Maharashtra. The aggregate lump-sum purchase consideration is Rs 248 crore, or approximately Rs 86 lakh per key, subject to the terms and conditions of the definitive agreements.

Also Read | Juniper Hotels plans Rs 248 crore acquisition of 287-key Novotel Imagicaa

The proposed acquisition relates to an operating hotel business. Imagicaaworld Entertainment Limited owns the Hotel Undertaking.

The hotel undertaking comprises approximately 11 acres of land, with a built-up area of approximately 2,80,000 sq. ft., comprising 287 guest rooms, along with restaurants, banquet and meeting facilities, recreational amenities and other associated hotel infrastructure.

The proposed acquisition is aligned with Juniper’s hospitality business and adds an established, cashgenerating, 287-key hotel in the Mumbai–Pune corridor, catering to leisure, social and MICE demand.
The company further said that the Board of Directors in its meeting held on September 16, 2026, approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be entered with Imagicaaworld Entertainment (Previously known as Adlabs Entertainment) for acquisition of operating hotel, Novotel Imagicaa.The proposed transaction does not involve any issuance of shares by the company. The acquisition advances Juniper’s long-term objective of building a portfolio of large, high-quality hotels in India’s most compelling business and leisure destinations.

“At Juniper, our growth journey has always been guided by a simple principle: grow with purpose and create value for the long term. Novotel Imagicaa represents the kind of asset we look for. It is an established hospitality property with scale, a strong destination proposition, and multiple demand generators,” said Arun Kumar Saraf, Chairman & Managing Director, Juniper Hotels.

“Our upcoming developments will significantly expand the company’s scale. We remain focused on owning the ‘Right Assets’ in the right markets, large, capable of generating diversified revenue streams across rooms, F&B, MICE, serviced apartments, commercial spaces and other hospitality offerings. We intend to pursue this growth with capital discipline, strong internal cash generation and a healthy balance sheet, and selectively evaluate acquisition opportunities where we see a compelling strategic fit,” Saraf further said.

The company also highlighted that this transaction offers several strategic advantages such as the acquisition will result in the addition of an established, operating 287-key hotel expected to generate stable cash flows from day one, without any lead time of greenfield development.

It will help in strategic presence in the Mumbai–Pune corridor catering to leisure, social, and MICE segments; will give potential to add incremental banqueting and ballroom capacity immediately to strengthen its social and MICE, from the adjacent Imagicaa parks and an opportunity to rebrand into the upper-upscale segment and drive higher revenue over the long term.

Also Read | Hyatt-owner Juniper Hotels to double portfolio to 4,000 rooms, earmarks ₹1,930 crore

The diversified demand generators resulting in multiple revenue streams across leisure, social, MICE, and weekend travel; and the opportunity to leverage Juniper’s asset management and hospitality expertise to drive long-term value creation.

Juniper Hotels share price movement

In the last one month, the stock of Juniper Hotels went up 12.97%. In the current calendar year and in the last one year, the stock was down 13.37% and 26.59% respectively.

Disclosure: This article has been written by Surbhi Khanna, who is not a SEBI-registered Research Analyst or an investment advisor . Surbhi Khanna does not hold any financial interest in Economic Times as of the date of publication. The views/recommendations mentioned in this article, wherever applicable, are those of the respective SEBI-registered Research Analyst/brokerage and have been reproduced/reported with due attribution. They should not be construed as the views or recommendations of the EconomicTimes Digital or the journalist. Readers are advised to consider the original research report and make their investment decisions based on their own assessment.

But while many buyers focus on choosing the right make and model, they often overlook the small financial decisions that can quietly add thousands of dollars to the overall cost.

The good news is that overpaying isn’t inevitable. By spending a little extra time researching prices, comparing new car loans, and understanding where unnecessary costs can creep in, you can enjoy your next vehicle knowing you’ve secured far better value for your money.

Buying smart isn’t about finding the absolute cheapest option. It’s about understanding the total cost of ownership and making informed choices before signing any contracts.

Research Before Visiting a Dealership

Walking into a dealership without preparation puts you at a disadvantage.

Before you begin negotiating, research:

• Typical market prices
• Available promotions
• Vehicle reviews
• Running costs
• Common optional extras

Knowing what similar vehicles are selling for gives you greater confidence when discussing pricing and makes it easier to recognise a genuinely competitive offer.

Separate the Vehicle Price From the Finance

One of the most common mistakes buyers make is negotiating only around the monthly repayment.

Instead, focus first on agreeing to the purchase price of the vehicle before discussing finance or trade-ins. Combining everything into one negotiation makes it much harder to determine exactly what you’re paying for each part of the transaction.

Keeping these discussions separate gives you a clearer picture of the overall deal.

Don’t Assume Every Optional Extra Is Worth It

Dealerships often offer additional products designed to protect or enhance your vehicle.

These may include:

• Extended warranties
• Paint protection
• Fabric protection
• Window tinting
• Accessory packages

Some buyers genuinely benefit from these extras, while others end up paying for products they neither need nor use. Taking time to research each option independently can prevent unnecessary spending.

Compare More Than One Finance Offer

Convenience shouldn’t be the only reason for choosing a finance provider.

Different lenders may offer varying interest rates, fees, repayment flexibility, and loan features. Comparing several options allows you to understand which offer represents the best overall value rather than simply accepting the first proposal.

Even a modest improvement in your interest rate can produce significant savings over the life of the loan.

Consider the Total Cost of Ownership

The purchase price is only the beginning.

You’ll also need to budget for:

• Insurance
• Registration
• Fuel or electricity
• Scheduled servicing
• Replacement tyres
• Unexpected repairs after the warranty expires

Choosing a vehicle with lower ongoing ownership costs may save considerably more than negotiating a slightly lower purchase price.

Don’t Stretch Your Budget Too Far

It’s easy to become tempted by higher trim levels or additional features once you’re sitting in the showroom.

Before upgrading, ask yourself whether those extras will genuinely improve your daily driving experience or whether they’re simply increasing your repayments.

Buying slightly below your maximum budget often leaves room for life’s unexpected expenses without reducing your enjoyment of the vehicle.

Time Your Purchase Carefully

Many buyers don’t realise that timing can influence pricing.

Dealerships may be more willing to negotiate during:

• End-of-month sales periods
• End-of-financial-year promotions
• Model changeovers
• Clearance events

While there’s never a guarantee, shopping during these periods can sometimes result in better pricing or added incentives.

Take Your Time Before Signing

Excitement can sometimes lead people to make rushed financial decisions.

Before signing any paperwork, review every figure carefully and don’t hesitate to ask questions if something isn’t clear. Reading the contract thoroughly may reveal fees, conditions, or optional products that weren’t fully discussed during negotiations.

Taking a little extra time now can prevent expensive surprises later.

Smart Buyers Focus on Value

Avoiding overpayment isn’t about negotiating every last dollar or delaying your purchase indefinitely. It’s about understanding where costs come from, comparing your options carefully, and making decisions based on long-term value rather than short-term excitement.

When you combine careful research, sensible budgeting, thoughtful finance comparisons, and patience throughout the buying process, you’ll be far more likely to enjoy your new vehicle knowing you’ve made a financially sound decision that will continue to pay off for years to come.