Who is popular today?

Fed says it will start reducing the pace of asset purchases this year but interest rates still some way off; oil prices in longest losing streak since February 2020 due to demand fears 7.39am BST The annual pay of FTSE 100 chief executives fell during the pandemic but still equates to what a key worker would earn in a lifetime, according to a report that highlights the UK’s wage divide and the taxpayer support that has kept some companies afloat, reports my colleague Rob Davies.The bosses of companies in the blue-chip share index were paid £2.69m on average in 2020, the High Pay Centre said, with vaccine-maker AstraZeneca’s chief executive, Pascal Soriot, taking top spot thanks to a £15.45m deal. Related: Top chief execs ‘paid more in a year than a UK worker gets in a lifetime’ 7.36am BST Reuters is reporting that Toyota will reduce its global production for September by 40% from its previous plan, citing Japanese publication The Nikkei. The rapid spread of the Delta variant in southeast Asia has impacted the company’s ability to procure car parts. Continue reading...