Wall Street hits six-month low and Dow falls into correction as Trump ‘appears to lose his grip on markets’ – as it happened

The US stock market has dropped to its lowest level since last September, as analysts warn that president Trump may be losing his grip on the markets.The S&P 500 index has dropped by 0.8% today to 6,425 points, adding to Thursday’s 1.75% fall on the benchmark US stock market index.The tech-focused Nasdaq index is down 1%, also at a six-month low

Lloyds bank faces £66m court battle with car loan customers

Lloyds Banking Group is facing a court battle with 30,000 aggrieved car loan customers who are to abandon the City regulator’s official redress scheme amid fears it will shortchange consumers and favour lenders.The claims law firm Courmacs Legal is planning to file a £66m omnibus claim on behalf of borrowers who believe they were financially harmed by car loan contracts set up by Lloyds’ motor finance arm, Black Horse.The grievances are part of a much wider car loans commission scandal, in which drivers were overcharged for their loans due to unfair commission arrangements between lenders and car dealers.However, the omnibus case, which is expected to be filed in the coming weeks, means consumers are deciding to pre-emptively waive their rights to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) estimated £11bn compensation scheme, even before the final details are due to be set out on Monday. That is despite claims law firms such as Courmacs taking a 28% cut of any potential payout

Sony to hike PS5 prices by $100 as AI and Iran war push up memory chip costs

Sony is raising global prices of its PlayStation 5 consoles, including a $100 increase in the US, marking its second hike in less than a year as the entertainment giant grapples with rising costs of key components such as memory chips.The tech industry’s race to build out artificial intelligence infrastructure has pushed memory makers to favor higher-margin datacenter chips, tightening supply for consumer devices like the ones Sony sells.The updated US prices, effective 2 April, will put the standard PS5 at $649.99, up from $549.99

Wikipedia bans AI-generated content in its online encyclopedia

Wikipedia has banned the use of artificial intelligence in the generation or rewriting of content for its voluminous online encyclopedia.In a recent policy change, Wikipedia said that the use of large language models (or LLMs) “often violates” its core principles and will not be allowed. The English language version of Wikipedia has more than 7.1m articles.The use of AI has been a contentious issue among Wikipedia’s community of volunteer editors but a vote among the site’s editors supported the ban, according to 404 Media

Tiger Woods arrested on suspicion of DUI after rollover crash in Florida

Golf star Tiger Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a rollover crash in Florida on Friday afternoon, local authorities said.Martin County sheriff John Budensiek said Woods was driving a Land Rover that overturned after attempting to overtake a truck on a narrow two-lane road shortly before 2pm near Woods’s residence on Jupiter Island. The vehicle clipped a trailer, veered off and came to rest on its driver’s side after sliding along the roadway.The truck had been slowing to turn into a driveway when Woods approached at what the sheriff described as a “high rate of speed” on a road with a 30mph limit.Woods, who was alone in the vehicle, was able to exit through the passenger side

Defeat not an option for Saracens’ McCall in crunch Northampton clash

Prestigious Prem matches are scattered across the country on Saturday but none is more significant in the title race than Saracens’ date with Northampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.By the time Sarries and Saints run out for their evening kick-off in north London, Gloucester will have played Leicester at Villa Park, before Bristol meet Harlequins at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.More than 100,000 fans will attend those three matches alone but when it comes to the destiny of the Prem trophy, table-topping Northampton’s trip to Tottenham is the one to watch – and also promises the most fascinating duel between coaches.Sarries have won plenty under Mark McCall, the long-serving director of rugby who will step down in the summer. But after a frustratingly inconsistent season his side face a fight to make the playoffs, sitting sixth, eight points behind fourth-placed Exeter