Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Net zero is driving up energy prices, admits Bank of England official
Net zero policies are sharply driving up energy costs, the Bank of England has admitted, as officials battle to bring living costs back under control.
Sarah Breeden, the Bank’s deputy governor, said households and businesses were paying more for energy because of so-called carbon permits, which require power plants to pay for each tonne of carbon dioxide they emit.
These permits accounted for nearly half the cost of fuel bought by gas-fired power plants last year, Ms Breeden said, which was passed on to consumers.
Musk’s X pays Farage £5,400 for posts that go viral
Reform MPs including Nigel Farage have made thousands of pounds from posting on Elon Musk’s social media company X, official filings show.
Mr Farage, Lee Anderson and Rupert Lowe have all been paid personally by the social media site in the past year, even before Mr Musk was linked with a $100m (£81m) donation to Reform.
The three politicians received payments from X after agreeing to “monetise” their accounts, through a feature that allows users to cash in on posts that go viral.
Read the full story here.
Aberdeenshire bar with its own micro-brewery hits market for £460,000
In Aberchirder, a coaching inn has been put up for sale this week at £460,000.
The New Inn is being marketed by ASG Commercial, as the current owners eye retirement.
The 18th century property features a pub, two letting suites and a three-bedroom owner’s accommodation. It also recently added its own micro-brewery on site.
Read the full story in the P&J.
M&S Christmas cheer hit by uncertain outlook for UK
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has warned about uncertainty ahead for the UK economy, overshadowing a strong Christmas for the retailer.
The company said it is facing "higher costs" from taxes such as National Insurance while "outlook for economic growth, inflation and interest rates is uncertain".
Meanwhile, Tesco confirmed that larger National Insurance contributions announced in the autumn Budget will add £250million per year to its business costs.
Click here for the full story.
Boeing and Google each give $1m for Trump inauguration
US aviation giant Boeing has told BBC News it is donating $1million (£812,600) to an inauguration fund for President-elect Donald Trump.
Google has also confirmed that it has made a similar donation as the two firms join a growing list of major American companies contributing to the fund.
The list also includes oil producer Chevron and technology giants Meta, Amazon and Uber.