Here are the stories making the business headlines in Scotland and across the UK this morning.

Pay growth slows but still outpaces rising prices

Wage growth slowed again in the British jobs market but is still outpacing price rises, official figures show.

Pay, excluding bonuses, grew by 6.2% in the last three months of 2023 compared with the same period a year before, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

After taking price rises into account, pay went up by 1.9%.

But the statistics watchdog has said it could not guarantee the reliability of jobs market data.

Mike Ashley tightens grip on retail empire

Mike Ashley is tightening his grip on his retail empire Frasers Group as share buybacks help consolidate the billionaire’s control over the company.

Frasers on Monday announced a fresh buyback, with plans to purchase £80m worth of its own shares.

It is the latest in a series of stock repurchases, intended to reward investors by putting money in the pockets of those who want to sell large chunks of their holdings.

Frasers has launched five separate share buybacks in the past year alone.

Deliveroo and Uber Eats riders strike on Valentine's Day

Takeaway delivery drivers are planning to strike on Valentine's Day to demand better pay and improved working conditions.

The action, impacting four food apps including Deliveroo and Uber Eats, is thought to involve as many as 3,000 drivers and riders on Wednesday between 17:00 and 22:00 GMT.

One cyclist taking part told the BBC their pay was "absolutely ridiculous".

Deliveroo said its riders "always earn at least the national living wage".

Bitcoin hits $50,000 level for first time since 2021

Bitcoin has returned to the $50,000 level for the first time since December 2021, riding on the coat tails of a wider rally for US stocks.

The world's largest cryptocurrency, which hit one-month highs last Friday, maintained its momentum on Monday by rising almost 5%.

Rivals, such as ether, saw similar percentage moves.

Analysts credited several factors for recent crypto gains, saying that wider market sentiment was benefiting from growing expectations of central bank interest rate cuts.

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