The price of Arabica (high-quality) coffee has shot up by 60% since the start of 2014. That's due to a drought in Brazil, which accounts for a third of overall production. The driest January and February for 30 years will squeeze output.
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'We face a £6m inheritance tax bill under Reeves's changes – it's sheer terror'Thousands of families fear they’ll have no option but to look at selling their firms in a fire sale to pay inheritance tax bills, due to Rachel Reeves’s changes to business property relief
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Millions of over 50s fear pension investment risk – how should you position your portfolio?To de-risk or not to de-risk, that is the question. Act too late and you could face irreversible losses. Move too early and miss out on significant gains that could transform your retirement.
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Chart of the week: hogs high on swine feverCharts The number of pigs in China, around 450 million, is set to shrink by a third by the end of 2019 as swine flu rages – meanwhile, US pork sales to China have hit a record high.
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Chart of the week: coffee comes off the boilCharts Coffee prices have tumbled to a 12-year low, thanks to a bumper crop in Brazil – the world’s largest producer – and a stronger US dollar.
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Chart of the week: cheese – the first casualty of the trade warCharts US cheese prices have crumbled thanks to a glut – the block cheddar cheese benchmark price settled at around $1.54 a pound
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Chart of the week: vanilla could soon be off the menuCharts Vanilla prices have rocketed to a record peak of more than $600 a kilo, after a cyclone in March dented supplies from Madagascar, which accounts for half of world output.
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Chart of the week: “shrinkflation” hits the chocolate marketCharts Toblerone, Quality Street and Creme Eggs have all been hit by “shrinkflation”, with customers getting less for more after the price of cocoa butter soared – up 40% this year alone.
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Chart of the week: bumper harvest hits truffle pricesCharts Heavy rains in the Tanaro river basin in Piedmont, northwest Italy, have led to a bumper harvest of Alba white truffles this year.
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Chart of the week: the rise of the garlic-hoardersCharts The wholesale price of garlic in China, which accounts for more than 80% of the world’s exports, has risen since 2015 as heavy rains damaged crops. Garlic hoarders and speculators have propelled prices to multi-year highs.
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Chart of the week: lobster prices are boiling overCharts Hipsters’ passion for lobster rolls has helped propel lobster prices to an 11-year high. Global lobster imports were 7% up year-on-year in the first quarter, with imports to the EU up 20%.
