Sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars have overtaken petrol-only registrations for the first time, in a month that also saw China’s big three exporters capture one in seven of all new cars sold in the UK.

June’s figures mark a watershed for the British motor trade. After a spring of record pump prices and with electric car prices falling in an increasingly crowded marketplace, registrations of zero-emission electric vehicles rose 35 per cent to almost 63,950, giving battery-powered cars 30 per cent of the market.

Plug-in hybrids, which run primarily on battery power with a petrol engine in reserve, added a further 26,702 sales, up 25 per cent year on year, for a 12.5 per cent share. Between them, the two plug-in categories comfortably outsold pure petrol cars, whose 84,541 registrations pushed their market share below 40 per cent for the first time, to 39.7 per cent.

The balance was made up of self-charging hybrids, on 14 per cent, and diesel, which continues its chronic decline in the wake of environmental and regulatory clampdowns, at just 3.8 per cent of new sales, according to industry figures compiled by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

The month’s other defining trend was the pace at which Chinese manufacturers are winning British buyers across every fuel type, with pricing that undercuts the legacy carmakers. In a market of more than 213,000 registrations, up 11.4 per cent, the three biggest Chinese exporters sold over 30,000 vehicles between them, taking more than 14 per cent of the market.

MG, the heritage British marque now owned by Shanghai Automotive, claimed 4.9 per cent, outselling Toyota, the world’s biggest carmaker, as well as Korean rivals Kia and Hyundai. Chery, which recently signed a deal to build some of its models at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, took 6.4 per cent across its Jaecoo and Omoda brands. BYD, China’s largest carmaker, accounted for just shy of 3 per cent.

Many in the trade believe a tipping point has been reached, with electrified vehicles now mainstream and increasingly available on the used market, even if plug-in motoring remains less convenient for the two in five motorists unable to charge cheaply at home. Public charging costs and infrastructure, tracked by Zapmap, remain the key barrier for households without a driveway.

Nick Williams, managing director of the transport business at Lloyds Banking Group, said the affordability picture had shifted markedly over the past year.

“Used electric cars are now generally cheaper than their petrol equivalents and the second-hand market grew by around a third in the first quarter,” he said. “For households that can’t justify a new electric car at list price, the growing pool of used stock is a route in.”

That echoes record used electric car sales in the first quarter, when second-hand EV transactions rose by nearly a third.

“The other visible shift is on running costs,” Williams added, “with pump prices having swung by more than 20p a litre and home charging tariffs having stayed broadly stable.”

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The S&P 500 ​and Nasdaq ended sharply higher on Monday, with Broadcom and other chip stocks rallying as investors bought shares in companies related to artificial intelligence that are expected to drive a strong second-quarter earnings season.

Broadcom jumped after the chipmaker and Apple agreed to extend a deal through 2031 to develop and supply ‌a range of ⁠custom chips.

The ⁠S&P 500 information technology sector index climbed, while the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor index gained after two straight sessions of losses.

“This is a market that’s leaving a ​lot of people out. If you’re not in certain tech names, if you’re not in semiconductors, then you’re basically missing the entire rally,” said ​Jake Dollarhide, chief executive officer of Longbow Asset Management in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “I think it’s a very tenuous rally. There is a risk, particularly if the Fed continues to see higher interest rates for longer.”

Taking advantage of massive investor demand for AI-related chip stocks, ​South Korea’s SK Hynix was set to debut on the Nasdaq later this ⁠week.

Microsoft shares ‌fell after the tech heavyweight said it was cutting about 2.1% of its workforce, or roughly ​4,800 jobs.
“What the market ​is saying is Microsoft can’t afford all of its CapEx and there’s not a clear ⁠return on invested capital yet. Therefore, laying off people in lieu of moderating ​CapEx spend is perceived as a negative,” said Thomas Hayes, chairman at Great Hill Capital LLC.In ​economic data, the Institute for Supply Management said its non-manufacturing purchasing managers index edged down to 54.0 last month, matching expectations.

According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained 55.10 points, or 0.74%, to end at 7,538.34 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 288.49 points, or 1.12%, to 26,121.16. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 159.68 points, or 0.29%, to 53,053.59.

With Monday’s gains, the S&P 500 is up about 10% in 2026, and the Nasdaq has added about 12%.

With major U.S. companies set to ‌begin reporting quarterly earnings in the next few days, investors have high expectations.

Analysts expect S&P 500 companies to increase their earnings by an aggregate 24% year-over-year in the second quarter, according to LSEG I/B/E/S. Tech ​sector earnings are ​projected to jump around 65%.

Delta Air ⁠Lines and PepsiCo are set to report results later in the week. Following a cooler-than-expected jobs report last week, traders see a 25% chance of a 25-basis-point rate hike at the central bank’s July 29 meeting, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.

Hawkish bets had ​risen after last month’s Fed meeting, the first under new Chair Kevin Warsh. The minutes are due on Wednesday.

Fed Governor Christopher Waller said on Monday that forward guidance can be a “valuable tool” that speeds up the impact of monetary policy under the right circumstances, but can become problematic when used inflexibly.

Shares of O’Reilly Automotive tumbled after Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that the auto parts retailer sent a cash offer to buy Genuine Parts. Genuine Parts also fell.

The Trump administration on Friday laid out a sweeping deregulatory plan to eliminate over 700 rules across federal agencies.

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) released its 2026 regulatory plan which covered 702 deregulatory actions, an increase from 482 in the 2025 regulatory plan released by the Trump administration.

OIRA is part of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the agency indicated this year’s unified regulatory agenda aims to rollback rules impeding economic growth.

“The North Star of this Regulatory Plan is improving the lives of Americans. At its core, this document outlines how the Trump Administration is promoting economic growth, jobs, and affordability,” said Mark Paoletta, general counsel performing the duties of the OIRA administrator.

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Paoletta added that OIRA estimates the 2026 regulatory plan will lead to a significant increase in regulatory cost savings above the record set last year.

“The President’s bold deregulatory efforts yielded $211.8 billion in cost savings for Americans in Fiscal Year 2025 – a level of regulatory savings never before achieved in American history,” Paoletta explained. “Yet Fiscal Year 2026 will go far beyond even that number with a record-setting $1.5 trillion in projected cost savings.”

POLESTAR BANNED FROM US MARKET UNDER RULE TARGETING CHINA-LINKED CONNECTED VEHICLES

The 2026 regulatory plan includes a wide range of rules changes across federal agencies. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signaled it will reconsider Biden-era pollution standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles, as well as repealing carbon pollution standards that affect power plants powered by fossil fuels.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) said that it will propose a new rule covering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that includes new requirements for retailers aimed at deterring fraud and abuse within the program.

USDA also plans to revise work requirements for able-bodied adults enrolled in SNAP, along with revising the definition of eligible foods within the program to align with the administration’s nutrition goals. Food safety inspections are also to be modernized under a proposed rule that would include the removal of outdated inspection procedures.

WHITE HOUSE LAYS OUT FIXES FOR HOUSING AFFORDABILITY PROBLEM

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which oversees export controls and looks to support national security and the defense industrial base, will implement a new framework for safely spreading U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) technology around the world.

BIS also plans to reduce export controls on drones that are provided to certain U.S. partners and allies, as well as including copper in the administration’s national security tariff regime.

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TUCSON, Ariz. — A prominent crime scene investigator has publicly criticized the handling of the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, calling the probe “so botched” due to what she describes as a lack of communication and unity between the victim’s family and law enforcement agencies involved in the case.

Crime scene expert Sheryl McCollum said the investigation has suffered from a disconnect between the Guthrie family and the law enforcement agencies leading the case, noting that Savannah Guthrie and her relatives have never appeared jointly with the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department to deliver a unified public statement. McCollum’s comments add to a growing chorus of criticism directed at the investigation, which has now stretched more than five months without a named suspect or an arrest.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen alive around 9:45 p.m. on January 31, when a family member dropped her off at her Tucson home following a family dinner. She was reported missing the following day, and investigators later discovered blood near the front doorstep of her residence, along with personal effects left inside the house, details that led authorities to treat the case as a kidnapping from early in the investigation.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, the lead official overseeing the local response to the case, has pushed back against suggestions that law enforcement is dismissing important leads or operating without coordination between agencies. Nanos has said that every piece of communication related to the case is being handled with significant care, and Savannah Guthrie has separately issued a statement expressing gratitude to both the FBI’s Phoenix field office and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office for what she described as their “tireless work” to help bring her mother home.

Even so, Nanos himself has become a focal point of public criticism as the case has dragged on. Questions have circulated for months over whether the investigation was mishandled from its earliest stages, with some observers pointing to Nanos’ decision to release the crime scene relatively quickly after Guthrie’s disappearance and to his limited direct experience with homicide and ransom investigations prior to taking on this case. Backlash intensified further after revelations emerged regarding Nanos’ professional history, including his 1982 resignation from the El Paso Police Department in Texas, which reportedly came amid a dispute with a supervisor over vehicle towing procedures. Nanos’ attorney responded to renewed scrutiny over that history with a lengthy written statement to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, stating that Nanos was never formally suspended during his subsequent four decades of service with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, though he acknowledged Nanos had been suspended more than 40 years earlier while employed in El Paso. The statement also addressed confusion during a deposition in which Nanos reportedly did not understand a question related to discipline at a separate agency not governed by Arizona’s Peace Officers’ Bill of Rights.

Public reaction to the revelations about Nanos’ history has been largely critical, with social media users expressing frustration over the sheriff’s continued role leading the investigation. Commentary circulating online has included characterizations describing the case as mishandled from the outset, reflecting a broader pattern of public skepticism toward the pace and transparency of the investigation as it has unfolded over recent months.

Alongside the criticism of the investigation’s leadership, the case has also produced its first criminal conviction tied to the flood of ransom communications the Guthrie family has received since Nancy’s disappearance. In early July, a California man, Derrick Callella, 42, pleaded guilty in federal court to two felony charges, including transmitting a ransom demand across state lines and using a telecommunications device to threaten or harass, in connection with a false ransom message sent to the family. Prosecutors said Callella tested positive for drugs at the time of his court appearance, and he is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10, facing a term of five years of probation under the terms of his plea agreement.

The FBI has confirmed receiving several ransom notes over the course of the investigation, acknowledging that while some have been determined to be illegitimate extortion attempts unrelated to Guthrie’s actual disappearance, others remain under active investigation as potentially genuine communications from those responsible for her abduction. That distinction has added complexity to an already difficult case, as investigators work to separate credible leads from opportunistic hoaxes like the one that led to Callella’s guilty plea.

According to McCollum, the investigation’s forward path continues to focus on several key areas, including efforts to trace the digital origins of ransom letters that have not been publicly released, monitoring tips submitted by the public, and coordinating searches that may extend across state or national borders. She has also pointed to what she described as inexperienced leadership and significant forensic processing backlogs as ongoing obstacles slowing the investigation’s progress, in addition to the continued absence of any named suspect more than five months into the case.

Despite the mounting criticism directed at the pace and management of the investigation, both the Guthrie family and local law enforcement officials have continued to publicly emphasize their appreciation for the resources devoted to the case. A combined reward of $1.1 million remains available for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s safe return, and authorities continue to urge anyone with relevant information to come forward through the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s tip line or the FBI’s national tip line.

As of this report, no suspect has been publicly identified in connection with Guthrie’s disappearance, and investigators have not disclosed a timeline for when DNA evidence recovered from the scene, including a hair sample previously referenced in the investigation, might yield further leads. The case remains active, with the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department continuing to coordinate their response even as public scrutiny over the handling of the investigation shows no signs of easing.

Katie Boulter has long been one of the most recognizable names in British tennis, and her profile only grew this week following an emotional first-round exit at Wimbledon. Here are ten facts to know about the British No. 1, from her career highlights to her recent tournament results.

1. She was born and raised in Leicestershire. Katie Charlotte Boulter was born on August 1, 1996, in Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire, England. She began playing tennis at age five and went on to represent Great Britain internationally by the time she was just eight years old.

2. She overcame a serious health diagnosis as a teenager. Boulter was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome as a teenager, a condition that significantly affected her early development as a professional athlete. She has since spoken about the challenges of battling the illness while working to break into the top 100 of the WTA rankings, a milestone she eventually achieved despite the setback.

3. She holds a career-high singles ranking of No. 23. Boulter reached a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 23 on November 4, 2024, cementing her status as Britain’s top-ranked female player for much of the past several years. She has also reached a best doubles ranking of No. 225, achieved as recently as June 8, 2026.

4. She has won four WTA singles titles. Boulter has claimed four WTA Tour singles titles over the course of her career, including two victories at the Lexus Nottingham Open on home soil, a title at the WTA 500 event in San Diego in 2024, and most recently a fourth career title at the Ostrava Open in 2026, where she defeated Tamara Korpatsch in the final by a score of 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

5. She made history as the first British woman to win a WTA title in years. Boulter’s first WTA singles title, won on home soil at Nottingham in 2023, marked a significant milestone for British women’s tennis at the time, coming shortly after she had also become the first British woman since Emma Raducanu to capture a WTA title.

6. She had a breakout run at Queen’s Club before Wimbledon. Ahead of this year’s Wimbledon Championships, Boulter entered the grass-court season as a wildcard at the Queen’s Club Championships, where she defeated eighth seed Leylah Fernandez and Jaqueline Cristian to reach the quarterfinals. She then recorded the best win by ranking of her career, upsetting world No. 2 and top seed Elena Rybakina, before her run was ultimately ended in the semifinals by lucky loser Donna Vekic.

7. Her 2026 grass-court form did not carry over to Wimbledon. Despite her strong showing at Queen’s Club, Boulter lost in the first round of Wimbledon this week to Italian qualifier Tyra Grant, who entered the tournament ranked 112 places below Boulter at world No. 172. Grant dominated with her first serve throughout the 6-4, 6-2 win on No. 3 Court, never allowing Boulter to establish rhythm during the match. The result came just two weeks after Boulter also suffered a lengthy three-hour, twelve-minute first-round loss to Fernandez at the Bad Homburg Open.

8. She was candid about her disappointment following the loss. Speaking to reporters after her Wimbledon exit, Boulter did not shy away from expressing her frustration with the result. “Yeah, disappointing day. Not a good day at the office,” she told reporters, while also crediting her opponent’s performance. “I have to give credit to her, as well. She’s a young girl who’s swinging, playing some fearless tennis.” Boulter added that she believed her level throughout the year had continued moving in the right direction despite the setback, saying, “I think as a whole, I’m moving in the right direction. I am.”

9. She recently changed coaches. In November 2025, Boulter announced she had ended her three-year partnership with coach Biljana Veselinovic. She subsequently hired Michael Joyce as her new coach, with the change officially announced on January 2, 2026, as Boulter looked to build on her previous career-best results heading into the new season.

10. She has personal ties to another prominent Australian tennis player. Beyond her own career, Boulter is known to be engaged to Australian tennis player Alex de Minaur, with the couple frequently appearing together at major tournaments, including previous editions of Wimbledon. Off the court, Boulter has also spoken about her support for Leicester City Football Club and her interests in fashion, shopping and cooking, rounding out a public profile that extends beyond her achievements on the tennis court.

Boulter’s early exit from this year’s Wimbledon continues a difficult pattern for British players at their home Grand Slam, following the pre-tournament withdrawals of Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu and the early exits of players including Cameron Norrie and Harriet Dart. With Boulter having been considered one of Britain’s best chances at a deep run in the women’s singles draw this year, her loss leaves fellow Briton Katie Swan, who advanced to the second round for just the second time in her career, as one of the remaining hopes to carry British interest forward in the tournament.

Despite the disappointing result, Boulter has continued to emphasize the progress she has made over the course of the season, pointing to her run to the semifinals at Queen’s Club as evidence that her game remains on an upward trajectory even after a difficult week at the All England Club. With her fourth WTA title already secured earlier this year in Ostrava and her ranking continuing to reflect steady improvement, Boulter appears likely to remain one of the most closely watched British players on tour as the season progresses toward its hard-court swing later this year.