Business
Donald Trump threatens extra 10% tariff for ‘anti-American’ Brics policies, as trade war deadline approaches – business live | Business
Donald Trump threatens extra 10% tariff for “anti-American” Brics policies
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets, and the world economy.
Donald Trump has targeted the BRICS group of developing nations in the latest salvo of his ongoing trade war, as the deadline to agree deals before the president’s 90-day tariff pause looms.
Trump has warned overnight that he will impose a new 10% tariff on any country that aligns itself with the BRICS group, claiming they are “anti-American”.
Writing on his Truth Social site, Trump declared:
Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Trump’s attack comes after the Brics group — which was originally made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa but now includes other nations — met in Brazil at the weekend.
Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, told the meeting in Rio de Janeiro that BRICS was the heir to the “Non-Aligned Movement” – the bloc of countries who declined to ally with either side in the Cold War.
Lula criticised the move (driven by Trump) towards increased spending on the military rather than on international development, pointing out: “It is always easier to invest in war than in peace”.
He told leaders they were witnessing “the unparalleled collapse of multilateralism”, before warning:
“If international governance does not reflect the new multipolar reality of the 21st century, it is up to BRICS to help bring it up to date.”
The BRICS group also condemned US and Israeli attacks on Iran and urged “just and lasting” solutions to conflicts across the Middle East.
All of which appears to have stirred Trump into another tariff threat.
There’s also confusion this morning about the status of the original ‘liberation day’ tariffs which Trump announced at the start of April, and then paused for 90 days after the markets slumped.
The president told reporters on Sunday that his administration plans to start sending letters later today to US trade partners dictating new tariffs.
But there’s confusion about when these levies would kick in. Trump implied they would start on Wednesday, saying “I think we’ll have most countries done by July 9, yeah. Either a letter or a deal.”
But commerce secretary Howard Lutnick then weighed in to explain:
“But they go into effect on August 1. Tariffs go into effect August 1, but the president is setting the rates and the deals right now.”
Trump has subsequently posted that “TARIFF Letters, and/or Deals” will be delivered from 12:00 PM (Eastern)“ today, (that’s 5pm BST)
The agenda
Key events
Tesla shares drop after Musk launches America Party
Over in Frankfurt, shares in Tesla are sliding as the row between Elon Musk and Donald Trump escalates.
Telsa have fallen 3% in early trading, an indication that they could fall Wall Street when trading resumes, as investors react to Musk’s plan to launch a new US political party called the America Party.
Trump called the idea “ridiculous”, and claimed Musk had gone completely ‘off the rails’.
Veteran tech analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush said Musk was Tesla’s “biggest asset” and his decision to dive deeper into politics could hurt the car maker’s share price.
Ives wrote:
“Tesla needs Musk as CEO and its biggest asset and not heading down the political route yet again…while at the same time getting on Trump’s bad side.
“It would also not shock us if the Tesla board gets involved at some point given the political nature of this endeavour depending on how far Musk takes it.”
FTSE 100 opens slightly lower as Shell slides
London’s stock market has slipped very slightly at the start of trading.
The FTSE 100 index of blue-chip shares has dropped by 9 points, or 0.1%.
Shell are the top faller, down 1.8%, after lowering its forecast for gas output and natural gas production this morning, and predicting that trading and optimisation at its integrated gas division in the last quarter will be significantly lower than in Q1.
Standard Chartered (+1.4%), the Asia-Pacific focused bank, are the top riser.
UK house prices flat in June, Halifax reports
UK house prices stagnated last month, new data from lender Halifax shows.
Halifax reports that house prices were effectively unchanged month-on-month in June with the average price of a property sold coming in at £296,665, compared to £296,782 in May.
This pulled the annual rate of house price inflation down to 2.5% from 2.6% in May.
Northern Ireland has by far the strongest annual price growth in the UK, with prices up by +9.6% over the past year.
But, growth was much more subdued in the South West of England, and London, with prices rising by just +0.5% and +0.6% respectively.
Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages at Halifax, said the UK housing market “remained steady in June”, adding:
“The market’s resilience continues to stand out and, after a brief slowdown following the spring stamp duty changes, mortgage approvals and property transactions have both picked up, with more buyers returning to the market. That’s being helped by a few key factors: wages are still rising, which is easing some of the pressure on affordability, and interest rates have stabilised in recent months, giving people more confidence to plan ahead.
Bryden pointed out that affordability is still stretched, particularly for those coming to the end of fixed-rate deals, explaining:
The economic backdrop also remains uncertain; while inflation has eased, it’s still above target, and there are signs the jobs market may be softening.
According to @HalifaxBank average house price growth was flat in June making the average property price now £296,665, down £117 on May’s efforts. Moving forward increased flex around mortgage lending and two rate cuts has the lender expectant of a more buoyant market towards the… pic.twitter.com/jdCqNEjyGt
— Emma Fildes (@emmafildes) July 7, 2025
Most Asia-Pacific markets are in the red today.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index has dropped by 0.55%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is down 0.4%, Australia’s S&P/ASX is off 0.15%, and India’s Sensex has slipped by 0.1%
Jim Reid, market strategist at Deutsche Bank, says:
“Asian equity markets are a little nervous this morning, perhaps on Trump’s BRICs comments.”
Some BRICS currencies have also dipped this morning.
South Africa’s rand has fallen 1%, to 17.75/$ from 17.57/$ on Friday night.
India’s rupee has slipped by 0.5% against the dollar, to 85.8 rupees/$ down from 85.3925/$ at the end of last week.
China’s yuan has slipped by 0.1%, while Brazil’s real and Russia’s rouble are both flat.
Many currencies are slipping against the US dollar this morning, as traders await news of the tariff ‘deals and letters’ which Donald Trump says he will issue later today.
The euro has slipped by 0.15% against the dollar to $1.176, not too far from the near-four-year high touched last week.
The Australian dollar has lost 0.7%, while New Zealand’s dollar has dropped by 0.95%.
The British pound is also weakening a little, down 0.35% at just over $1.36.
So far, only the UK, China and Vietnam have reached any kind of trade agreements with the US in the last 90 days….
Donald Trump threatens extra 10% tariff for “anti-American” Brics policies
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets, and the world economy.
Donald Trump has targeted the BRICS group of developing nations in the latest salvo of his ongoing trade war, as the deadline to agree deals before the president’s 90-day tariff pause looms.
Trump has warned overnight that he will impose a new 10% tariff on any country that aligns itself with the BRICS group, claiming they are “anti-American”.
Writing on his Truth Social site, Trump declared:
Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Trump’s attack comes after the Brics group — which was originally made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa but now includes other nations — met in Brazil at the weekend.
Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, told the meeting in Rio de Janeiro that BRICS was the heir to the “Non-Aligned Movement” – the bloc of countries who declined to ally with either side in the Cold War.
Lula criticised the move (driven by Trump) towards increased spending on the military rather than on international development, pointing out: “It is always easier to invest in war than in peace”.
He told leaders they were witnessing “the unparalleled collapse of multilateralism”, before warning:
“If international governance does not reflect the new multipolar reality of the 21st century, it is up to BRICS to help bring it up to date.”
The BRICS group also condemned US and Israeli attacks on Iran and urged “just and lasting” solutions to conflicts across the Middle East.
All of which appears to have stirred Trump into another tariff threat.
There’s also confusion this morning about the status of the original ‘liberation day’ tariffs which Trump announced at the start of April, and then paused for 90 days after the markets slumped.
The president told reporters on Sunday that his administration plans to start sending letters later today to US trade partners dictating new tariffs.
But there’s confusion about when these levies would kick in. Trump implied they would start on Wednesday, saying “I think we’ll have most countries done by July 9, yeah. Either a letter or a deal.”
But commerce secretary Howard Lutnick then weighed in to explain:
“But they go into effect on August 1. Tariffs go into effect August 1, but the president is setting the rates and the deals right now.”
Trump has subsequently posted that “TARIFF Letters, and/or Deals” will be delivered from 12:00 PM (Eastern)“ today, (that’s 5pm BST)
The agenda
Business
Capgemini acquires India-based WNS for $3.3 billion to boost AI business services – Firstpost
Capgemini expects the deal to be closed by the end of 2025 and be immediately accretive to its revenue and operating margin
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France’s Capgemini has agreed to buy technology outsourcing firm WNS for $3.3 billion in cash to expand the range of AI tools it offers for companies, the IT services group said on Monday.
The deal equips Capgemini to create a consulting business service focused on helping companies improve their processes and cost efficiency with the use of artificial intelligence, namely generative AI and agentic AI, which it expects to attract significant investments.
The purchase price translating to $76.50 per WNS share represents a 17% premium compared to their last closing price on July 3 and does not include WNS’s financial debt, Capgemini said.
Its interest in India-based WNS, whose services include business process outsourcing and data analytics, was first reported by Reuters in April.
“WNS brings … its high growth, margin accretive and resilient Digital Business Process Services … while further increasing our exposure to the US market,” Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat said in a press statement.
WNS’s customers include large organizations such as Coca-Cola, T-Mobile and United Airlines.
On a conference call with media and analysts, Ezzat said the acquisition would immediately create cross-selling opportunities between the two companies, mainly in the U.S. and Britain.
Capgemini expects the deal to be closed by the end of 2025 and be immediately accretive to its revenue and operating margin.
However, its shares fell around 5% following the news, the biggest losers on Europe’s benchmark STOXX 600 index as of 1024 GMT, with Morgan Stanley analysts saying the deal would limit its balance sheet flexibility while not having a major impact on financials.
Some investors are also concerned that Gen AI could impact the typically staff-intensive business process outsourcing (BPO) market, which could bite into Capgemini’s revenues and expose it to new competition, the analysts said in a research note.
“We expect investors to be able to see the opportunity that could come from disrupting BPO with Gen AI but think some evidence will be needed to convince the market WNS is the right vehicle,” they added.
Business
Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education launches the AI Leadership Programme in collaboration with Emeritus
The programme explores future-focused AI strategies and frameworks to foster innovation, accelerate organisational growth and build resilience.
CAMBRIDGE, England, July 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education announces the launch of its four-month Cambridge AI Leadership Programme. This programme equips leaders with both strategic insights and practical knowledge to harness AI for business transformation. Launched in collaboration with Emeritus, a global leader in making high-quality education accessible and affordable, enrolment is now open for a September 2025 start.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries, and organisations are eager to understand and leverage its full potential to enhance efficiency, drive innovation and stay competitive. According to Forbes, 68% of employers consider AI to be crucial for future success. However, many AI projects fail due to a lack of strategic leadership and integration. The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme helps participants navigate the complexities of AI adoption, identify scalable opportunities and build a strategic roadmap for successful implementation.
Through a blend of in-person and online learning modules, participants will develop an understanding of AI concepts, applications and best practices to enhance decision-making skills as well as examine digital transformation and ethical AI governance. They will engage directly with world-renowned Cambridge faculty, industry experts and global peers while immersing themselves in the rich Cambridge ecosystem. By the end of the programme, participants will be prepared to implement AI strategies that deliver operational excellence and long-term organisational success.
“AI is a transformative force reshaping business strategy, decision-making and leadership. Senior executives must not only understand AI but also use it to drive business goals, efficiency and new revenue opportunities,” says Professor David Stillwell, Co-Academic Programme Director. “The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme offers a strategic road map, equipping leaders with the skills and mindset to integrate AI into their organisations and lead in an AI-driven world.”
“The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme empowers decision-makers to harness AI in ways that align with their organisation’s goals and prepare for the future,” says Vesselin Popov, Co-Academic Programme Director. “Through a comprehensive learning experience, participants gain strategic insights and practical knowledge to drive transformation, strengthen decision-making and navigate technological shifts with confidence.”
The programme is designed for senior leaders looking to lead transformation, unlock new revenue opportunities and integrate AI technologies into business operations effectively. It bridges the critical gap between technology and business strategy, preparing leaders to achieve AI-driven business goals.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education to help senior leaders deepen their understanding of AI’s strategic applications and build foresight to balance innovation while managing risk,” says Mike Malefakis, President of University Partnerships at Emeritus. “Through blended learning, the Cambridge AI Leadership Programme enables participants to leverage AI tools and strategies for business optimisation and growth.”
The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme starts on 22 September 2025. For more information and to apply, please visit the programme website.
About Cambridge Judge Business School
Cambridge Judge Business School leverages the power of academia for real-world impact to transform individuals, organisations and society. Since 1990, Cambridge Judge has forged a reputation as a centre of rigorous thinking and high-impact transformative education, situated within one of the world’s most prestigious research universities and in the heart of the Cambridge Cluster, the most successful technology entrepreneurship cluster in Europe. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, Cambridge Judge placed first in the Times Higher Education rankings for Business and Management Studies in the United Kingdom. Ninety-four per cent of Cambridge’s overall REF submissions were rated as “world leading” or “internationally excellent”, demonstrating the major global impact that Cambridge Judge researchers are making on society. Cambridge Judge pursues innovation through interdisciplinary insight, entrepreneurial spirit and collaboration. Cutting-edge research is rooted in real-world challenges, and students and clients are encouraged to ask excellent questions to create real-world change. Undergraduate, graduate and executive programmes attract innovators, creative thinkers, thoughtful and collaborative problem-solvers as well as current and future leaders, drawn from a huge diversity of backgrounds and countries.
About Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education
Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education offers a wide range of open-enrolment and customised programmes that will test, challenge, encourage and inspire you. We will help you embrace the knowledge and skills you need – to grow in confidence and to evolve and adapt. Get ready to lead purposefully, manage effectively and innovate in an increasingly complex future.
About Emeritus
Emeritus is committed to teaching the skills of the future by making high-quality education accessible and affordable to individuals, organisations and governments worldwide. It does so by collaborating with more than 80 top-tier universities across the United States, Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, India and China. Emeritus’s short courses, degree programmes, professional certificates and senior executive programmes help individuals learn new skills and transform their lives, companies and organisations. Its unique model of state-of-the-art technology, curriculum innovation and hands-on instruction from senior faculty, mentors and coaches has educated more than 350,000 individuals across more than 80 countries. For more information, please visit https://emeritus.org.
SOURCE Emeritus
Business
Capgemini falls as WNS deal raises questions over AI’s business impact — TradingView News
** Shares in French IT services firm Capgemini CAP fall more than 5% to their lowest price since late April, after it agreed to buy WNS WNS for $3.3 billion of cash
** Analysts from Morgan Stanley say investors are concerned over the impact of Gen AI on the business process outsourcing (BPO) market that Capgemini wants to develop into
** “The bear case is that new technology would shift BPO from a people intensive business to one which is much more highly automated and managed by software and not people” – MS
** This could mean reduction of BPO revenues and exposure of incumbent vendors to competition from new entrants, MS adds
** “We expect investors to be able to see the opportunity that could come from disrupting BPO with Gen AI but think some evidence will be needed to convince the market WNS is the right vehicle,” MS says
** The analysts add WNS is not large enough to be transformational to Capgemini’s financials, while the deal is using up its balance sheet firepower for a couple of years
** Capgemini’s shares are at the bottom of Europe’s benchmark STOXX 600 index SXXP
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