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Stock markets in the UK and across Europe have rallied after Donald Trump won the US presidential election race.

US stocks markets hit record highs this afternoon (6 November) after the historic result, which is being labelled as the “great comeback in political history”.

Markets jumped more than 3% at the news – opening at 42,221.88 before hitting a record 43,514.85.

The US dollar also surged, while the FTSE 100 jumped by 1.5% when markets opened on Wednesday.

It stayed 1.2% higher when the  was declared that Donald Trump had won the election.

In Europe, initial rises have started to subside due to threats of high tariffs from the incoming Trump administration.

Some economists have warned Trump’s tariff plans would come as a “shock” to the UK economy.

Richard de Lisle, manager of the VT De Lisle America Fund, who has more than 40 years’ experience investing in the US, said: “Donald Trump’s victory is expected to be better for the stock market than for the bond market because of his liberalism.

“It is estimated that Trump’s economic plans would add a cumulative $7.8 trillion to the national debt over his term, as he cuts taxes and increases deficit spending.

“Such measures are likely to maintain current government infrastructure spending plans, sustain consumption and keep the US economy strong.

“Combined with his fierce threats of tariffs, these measures should benefit domestically focused manufacturers and industrials.

“Trump is also likely to break with Presidential impartiality and proactively encourage the Fed to press ahead with interest rate cuts despite big spending plans.

“This combination could keep the economy going while stoking slightly higher inflation, which would be good for commodity related companies that can pass on their costs.

“Finally, Trump’s rhetoric around both protectionism and de-regulation will be positive for smaller companies that have more US revenue exposure and that are advantaged by reduced regulatory burdens, allowing them to grow faster.”

FEBREZE have caused a stink by reducing the size of their air fresheners – and charging customers the same amount.

Virtually half of the popular Air Mist spray has evaporated from the cans, as it becomes the latest victim of supermarket ‘shrinkflation’.

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The aerosol, which comes in a variety of scents such as Cotton Fresh and Pet Heavy Duty, has been reduced from 300ml to 185ml.

But despite the 39 per cent reduction, Tesco were spotted advertising the two products with the same £2.50 price tag.

It means that hard-hit consumers are forking out more than £13.50 per litre, compared to just £8.33 before.

After sniffing out the mammoth reduction, Jon Silk fumed on social media: “Febreze, what’s with the shrinkflation? 

“300ml in a can from last year and only 185ml this year! What’s the likelihood that the price has dropped by 40%? 

“And all the extra packaging involved in having smaller cans? What a waste of packaging!

Another said: “Even Febreze has discreetly made their spray bottles smaller by making them thinner. 

“They look the same but when you still have an old one and put them side by side you notice the “slimming”. The price has not gone down!”

Whilst a third added: “Oh look, another shrinkflation rip off!”

Tesco confirmed that manufacturers Proctor and Gamble had discontinued the original 300ml product. 

And a spokesperson for Procter and Gamble said: “This year, we improved our Febreze Air Mist product.

“This has given shoppers the same number of sprays but now with 2X longer freshness vs the previous formula.

“Thanks to these improvements in formula, propellant and bottle design, the Febreze Air Mist now uses 20% less packaging.”

What is shrinkflation?

Shrinkflation is when manufacturers shrink the size or quantity of a product while keeping the price the same.

This means that consumers will be paying more per given amount.

It is a form of hidden inflation and can go unnoticed by customers.

But companies run the risk of turning customers away from a product or brand if they do notice they are getting less for the same price.

The “shrink” in shrinkflation relates to the change in product size, while the -flation part refers to inflation – the rise in the price level, according to Investopedia.

What causes shrinkflation?

Companies will often engage in shrinkflation when their production costs begin to rise.

When key materials or labor shoot up in price, the cost to manufacture goods rises as well.

This can cause a heavy hit to profit margins and may force the company to simply shrink their products rather than increase the sticker price.

One of the best ways to notice shrinkflation is by spotting a redesign on the packaging or a new slogan.

This may means the company has made a change and that change may just be the size of the product.

The price of cocoa, for example, will impact companies producing candy bars.

Rather than increase the price of their product, the company may choose to reduce the size to keep competitive with other companies.

Mars Inc took this path in 2017, shrinking its range of Maltesers, M&Ms, and Minstrels in the United Kingdom by 15%, according to powderbulksolids.com.

Adviser Services Holdings (ASHL) has sold its national advice business – LYNC Wealth Management – to Seven Investment Management (7IM).

ASHL operates both an independent and restricted advice network, Sense and Lyncombe, with a combined £9bn of assets under advice and over 450 advisers.

In 2023, ASHL began acquiring financial advice firms under the LYNC Wealth Management umbrella, with the aim of offering an exit for advisers wishing to sell their business.

LYNC has bought seven nationwide firms that collectively manage £500m of assets under advice, with plans to acquire several more firms in the coming months.

LYNC will become an appointed representative of the ASHL-owned Lyncombe network.

Additionally, LYNC will not be changing its leadership team “ensuring stability for all clients and stakeholders”.

ASHL said this transaction allows its focus to remain “firmly on its core mission, supporting the advice firms within its networks”.

ASHL chief executive Michael Couzens said: “This transaction marks a significant milestone for ASHL, enabling us to build on our success in supporting financial advisory businesses across the UK, which has served us so well since our earliest days.

“With the financial backing of the wider 7IM group, LYNC Wealth Management is poised for further growth through acquisitions and partnerships with financial advisory firms across the UK. We are excited for the future and look forward to ASHL’s continued partnership with LYNC Wealth Management as it enters this new phase.”

The transaction is subject to regulatory notifications and approval.

Earlier in November, 7IM acquired Rockhold Asset Management to expand its investment proposition.

The acquisition, which is also subject to regulatory approval, will take 7IM’s assets under management to around £27bn.

Rockhold Asset Management was launched in 2022 by the ASHL Group and now manages around £2bn of clients’ assets.

QUALITY Street was accused of ruining Christmas after fans rumbled they’d shrunk the size of the legendary Purple One.

The festive chocolate selection box cut the size of the beloved hazelnut snack by more than a tenth, sparking fury among customers.

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Sweetmakers Nestle previously sparked controversy by changing the caramel treat from its Brazil nut-shaped design to a circular swirl.

But fans also noticed the change in size, with one even weighing both sweets to work out the scale of the “shrinkflation”.

Previously, the chocolate clocked in at 9.6 grams, while this year’s was only 8.4g – the same as a 12 per cent reduction.

Quality Street lover Rebecca Gracey fumed online: “Half of the appeal of Quality Street is/was aesthetic.

“Changing the shape and size of much loved favourites is sacrilege.

“I’ve never forgiven Nestlè for changing the diamond of fudge into a most uninteresting shape.

“However, the final straw was changing the shiny cellophane and foil wrappers to dull waxed paper.

“I have not purchased them since that abomination.”

On Facebook, Karen Harrison added: “Had some Quality Street last night and noticed the purple ones were now round and felt they were smaller.”

Nestle previously said the change, originally introduced as a trial, was to make sure the iconic sweets would still be “the same great-tasting Purple One”.

The choccy giant failed to disclose the fact the chocolate had actually decreased in size until they were asked by The Sun.

A spokeswoman admitted: “The new shaped The Purple One sweets are slightly lighter than the previous shaped sweets, but the net weight of the tub remains the same.

“This means people are still getting the same amount of delicious Quality Street product they know and love – just in a slightly different format.”

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