Don’t expect a big pay rise next year, your weekly shop is getting pricier, and more trending news

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You may be expecting a big pay rise next year, but your employer likely isn’t planning on it. Half of UK workers are counting on a pay increase in 2018 and expecting, on average, a 4% bump, according to a survey by Fidelity International. Young people are feeling especially optimistic about their salary prospects. Meanwhile, managers are only banking on an average 2.8% rise. The UK will be one of the worst places for real wage increases next year. For a genuine bump, consider moving to Asia.

Meanwhile, inflation is hitting British consumers hardest at the grocer’s with food prices increasing 4.1% in the past year, the fastest rate since 2013. It’s particularly bad on vegetables (+5.7%) and coffee, tea and chocolate (+8.5%). The overall inflation rate held steady at 3% in November, the joint highest since 2012, with lower fuel bills compensating for food prices. That’s both good news — it’s slightly below expectations — and bad: hikes in food prices are toughest on poor families, and with wage increases not keeping up, real income is actually declining for many households.

Say goodbye to Charles Darwin. The Bank of England said the old ￡10 note featuring the scientist will expire on 1 March 2018. The BoE will continue to exchange it for the new Jane Austen legal tender after that date.

Tesco got the regulator’s green light for its ￡3.6bn acquisition of wholesaler Booker Group, which owns convenience chains such as Londis and Budgens. The Competition and Markets Authority did not demand any concession, despite Tesco already being the market leader with a 28% share. Now shareholders must approve the deal, and some among Booker’s may be hard to convince.

Does 8-4 beat the 9-5? Two-thirds of British workers say they’d rather come into work earlier and leave earlier too, according to a YouGov survey. One in 10 would even be happy to come in at 7 am if it meant leaving mid-afternoon. Unsurprisingly, younger workers were less keen. But for most, anything goes to avoid rush hour in public transit...

Idea of the Day: When it comes to feedback, be careful not to fall into the kindness trap, says Bloomberg anchor Betty Liu. “Being nice might feel good, but it’s counterproductive,” Liu says.

“It’s human nature to want to be liked so people — even bosses — tend to tell employees how great they are when they don’t mean it. Rather than helping your employee, you’re actually doing something very cruel: You’re keeping them in the dark about what they need to do to improve.”

When would you rather start work? Share your thoughts on this and all of today’s top stories in the comments.

— Isabelle Roughol / Share this using #DailyRundown