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Gold prices have reached a historic high, surpassing the $3,000-per-ounce milestone due to rising global tensions and economic uncertainties triggered by President Trump's trade actions. As investors gravitate toward safer assets, analysts predict gold will continue its upward trajectory, potentially achieving an even higher price by the year's end.

Bernard Arnault, the 76-year-old chairman and CEO of luxury giant LVMH, is seeking to extend his leadership role at the company until he turns 85, despite concerns about the potential pitfalls of long-serving leaders. The vote on his proposal will take place at the company's annual general meeting in Paris next month.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Britain are repaying debt at levels more than 20 times higher than before the pandemic, prompting the Department for Business and Trade to launch a review into the supply of SME debt finance. The review aims to address concerns that a lack of competition among lenders is keeping loan prices high, hindering business expansion and contributing to Britain's ongoing productivity issues.

President Trump's second inauguration was initially met with optimism by Silicon Valley, but the tech sector has since experienced a significant downturn due to recession concerns, government job cuts, and trade policies. The combined market value of the "Magnificent Seven" tech giants has plummeted by $2.7 trillion, with Tesla being hit the hardest.

Berkeley Group, a major UK housebuilder, has warned that a potential new cladding tax could jeopardize its goal of delivering 1.5 million homes by 2029, adding to the industry's concerns about rising costs associated with unsafe cladding remediation. The company also reported a slight improvement in sales reservations over winter, but emphasized that sustained confidence depends on economic stability and interest rate cuts.