Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Taxpayer bill revealed for £15 a day driving charge idea in Aberdeen
A controversial report which suggested charging Aberdeen drivers £15 each day to use the city’s roads cost the taxpayer £88,000, the P&J can reveal.
Government agency Transport Scotland spent the five-figure sum on consultancy firm AECOM for the paper even though the SNP quickly distanced itself from the proposals.
The research, published last month, suggested radical measures were needed to bring down private car usage by 20% over the next six years.
Private sector pay rises drive up UK wage growth
Wage growth continued to rise in the UK, driven by strong pay rises in the private sector, official figures show.
Regular pay increased by 5.6% on average between September and November, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), compared with the same period the year before.
However, private sector earnings growth was stronger at 6%, compared with a rise of 4.1% in the public sector.
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Global chief executives rank UK second biggest market for investment
Global chief executives have ranked the UK the second most important market for international investment, beaten only by America.
The UK rose two places in the annual global CEO survey by PwC, the accounting and consulting firm. It is the highest position secured by Britain in the 28-year history of the survey.
Despite fears about the fiscal strength of the UK economy, 14% of the global bosses surveyed by PwC said Britain would receive the greatest proportion of planned international capital expenditure.
Cidermaker wins appeal in 'lookalike' dispute
Cider producer Thatchers has successfully won an appeal in a long-running trademark battle with supermarket chain Aldi.
The Somerset company sued the supermarket chain in 2022 over claims Aldi had "copycatted" its Cloudy Lemon Cider in "taste and appearance". Thatchers claimed Aldi's Taurus drink, released in 2022, had been "riding on the coat-tails" of Thatchers' reputation.
Last January the High Court in London dismissed Thatchers' case, but the latest hearing has led to a judge ruling in Thatchers' favour. Aldi has said it will appeal.