By James Sillars, business reporter

A fairly tepid but positive start for shares in London this morning.

The FTSE 100 was 0.3% up at 8,196 in early deals.

Industrial stocks led the way after a quiet morning for companies reporting on their progress.

Sentiment will be driven later by reaction to the latest US employment report.

An above-forecast number for net new hiring would be likely to spark further market concern that the prospects for an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve are even further away.

The Fed is concerned by headline inflation numbers in the world's biggest economy and strong figures for new jobs and wages could prove spooky for equity investors.

Elsewhere, oil prices remain on course to end the week sharply lower.

Brent crude is trading at $83 a barrel - down from $88 levels seen on Monday.

It's mostly a consequence of easing tensions in the Middle East and, if sustained, could help fuel pump costs come down a bit in the coming weeks.

It can be hard to balance getting nutritious foods that make you feel good without spending a lot.

In this series, we try to find the healthiest options in the supermarket for the best value - and have enlisted the help of Sunna Van Kampen, founder of Tonic Health, who went viral on social media for reviewing food in the search of healthier choices.

The series does not aim to identify the outright healthiest option, but to help you get better nutritional value for as little money as possible.

Today, we're looking at the breakfast staple - cereal. 

A sugar trap?

"Protein and good fats are what fill you up and satiate you to get your day going," Sunna says.

"Cereal unfortunately is a sugar and carb-heavy start which causes your blood sugar to spike and as a result you feel hungry way before lunch time."

A glance at the nutrition labels and you'll see the problem. 

"Some popular brands contain 35% sugar or up to 12g of sugar per 30g serving - that's already half of the daily recommended intake for children," Sunna says. 

That's before accounting for the fact that most people double up on recommended portion sizes. 

"According to research the average bowl weighs 73g rather than 30g suggested portion size - that means your child could be having their daily sugar quota for breakfast before school," Sunna says.

Healthier cereal choices

"The key to healthier cereal bowls is to ensure minimal sugar and maximum fibre - which is where options like Weetabix come to the forefront as a better option - at 4.2% sugar and 10% fibre," Sunna says. 

Among the main brands, this is hard to beat.

Frosties and Crunchy Nut don't fare well at 35% and 37% sugar respectively. Cornflakes at 8% and Coco Pops at 17% are better - but still high.

Alternative breakfasts

Greek yogurt: "High in protein and packed with probiotics, Greek yogurt is my breakfast go to. Top it with some fresh berries and a sprinkle of seeds for an antioxidant boost."

Porridge: "Oats are a great breakfast staple, offering a good dose of fibre, but context matters.

"It's great before a run or the gym but if you are just sitting at your desk all day it will spike your blood sugar and may be best to add more protein and fats to it. 

"Try adding peanut butter or protein powder for a more filling breakfast with more stable blood sugar."

Eggs: "Boiled, poached, or scrambled, eggs are a protein-rich option that can keep you fuelled till lunch. Pair them with sourdough toast and you have possibly the most well-rounded value breakfast."

"Switching to these alternatives can drastically cut down your sugar intake and increase your energy levels."

The money

We know cereal is a value-for-money and easy breakfast option, but let's have a closer look at the numbers. 

If we take the average cereal bowl at 73g, a cost per bowl looks like 50p for Crunchy Nut cereal and about 25p for the 250ml of milk that goes with it. 

"So, your daily breakfast is costing you 75p per day or £273.75 per year for the privilege of 9.3kg of sugar per year," Sunna says. 

In contrast, a typical medium free-range egg is 25p. 

Put three on a slice of sourdough (15p per slice) and an optimal breakfast has only cost you 90p a day or £328.5 a year. 

"So, you can swap over 18g of sugar every morning for over 18g of protein for just £54.75 extra per year," Sunna says. 

"A health investment, well worth the money."

However, if you want to stick with cereal - supermarket own-label brands are usually 60% cheaper than branded versions. 

Read more from this series... 

With the mortgage market proving more volatile than expected this year, and rates rising again, we're launching a feature providing an overview of the market at the end of each week - and outlining the best deals.

The independent experts at Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will be here every Friday. Commentary this week comes from their finance expert Rachel Springall, who has focused on the first-time buyer market...

Fixed-rate mortgages are once again on the rise, with many of the UK's biggest high-street lenders upping rates this week, including Santander, Halifax, Nationwide and NatWest. Lenders have been reacting to growing speculation that interest rates will remain higher for longer. 

Economists predict that the Bank of England will hold interest rates next Thursday but might cut base rate in the summer. Week on week, the overall average two- and five-year fixed rates rose to 5.91% and 5.49%.

This week the lowest two-year fix for first-time buyers with a 5% deposit comes from Loughborough Building Society, priced at 5.49%, which comes with a free valuation incentive and carries a £999 product fee.

First-time buyers with a 10% deposit will find the lowest two-year fixed rate offered by Clydesdale Bank, priced at 5.19%, which does not carry any incentives and charges a £1,499 product fee.

Those new buyers with a 5% deposit who want to fix for longer will find the lowest five-year fixed mortgage comes from The Co-operative Bank this week. Priced at 5.21%, this deal carries a £999 fee but borrowers get £250 in cashback and a free-valuation incentive.

Borrowers with a 10% deposit who wish to fix for five-years will find Clydesdale Bank offering the lowest rate this week priced at 4.64%, which charges a £1,499 fee but does not carry any incentives. 

As a first-time buyer, it's possible you have exhausted your savings on building up a 5% deposit and will use surplus cash to cover removal costs and legal fees. 

If you are looking to save on the upfront cost of your loan, then a Best Buy mortgage could be the most cost-effective choice.

This week one of the top packages on a two-year fixed mortgage comes from Coventry Building Society priced at 5.74% and HSBC priced at 5.79%, both of which come with a free valuation, but HSBC will also pay you £750 as cashback and Coventry Building Society will pay £500 in cashback.

A five-year fixed mortgage may be more appealing for you to guarantee your monthly repayments for longer. 

HSBC has a deal priced at 5.30% which carries a free valuation and £1,000 cashback, but if you want a lower rate, then Coventry Building Society is priced at 5.27%, and offers a free valuation and £500 cashback.

If you live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland you don't have to pay for your NHS prescriptions - but in England they now cost £9.90 after a 25p rise this week.

Fee-free options remain in place for some, such as those who are pregnant, have certain disabilities, students or the elderly.

But if you're not exempt, there are still some means of cutting the costs of treatments.

Prepayment certificates

Prescription prepayment certificates (PPC) cover NHS prescriptions over a given time period, no matter how many medicines you need.

There are two options: A three-month PPC (£32.05), which will start to save you money if you buy four or more prescriptions in that period, or a 12-month PPC (£114.50), which pays off if you buy 12 or more in a year.

Ask for a larger prescription

Doctors may agree to prescribe a longer course of medicine - such as two months' worth instead of one, halving the cost.

Just ask the question - they might say yes, especially if there's no danger of overuse.

Menopause medication

The NHS offers a particular PPC for hormone replacement therapy.

It lasts for 12 months and costs £19.80.

Women can use the PCC as many times as they need within the year.

You might not need a prescription

For some ailments, there are over-the-counter options sold cheaper than their prescribed alternative. You can ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Pint-sized bottles of wine will be allowed on UK shelves from autumn under new post-Brexit trade rules - although doubts have been raised over their demand.

Seven changes to pre-packaged wine sizes are due to come into force on 19 September.

The move to introduce the 568ml size of wine, to sit alongside 200ml and 500ml measures already available, was announced in December and hailed by ministers as a Brexit "freedom".

Pint bottles of Champagne were sold in the UK before Britain joined the European Common Market and were on shelves until 1973.

Read more here...

JD Sports has told head office staff they must return to the office at least four days a week.

The new amendment to the hybrid working policy will be effective from 1 July and will impact employees at the retail chain's head office in Bury, Retail Gazette reports.

However, the chain will still allow flexibly depending on individual roles.

Pubs could stay open late during the Euros this summer, according to The Sun.

Home Secretary James Cleverly hinted he was looking into extending pub opening hours for the tournament on The Sun show Never Mind The Ballots.

He said: "I will certainly look into it."

We've been bringing you news of plenty of bank switch deals offering free cash these past few months, but Virgin Money has a different kind of incentive for switchers - a 12% interest rate. 

People who switch to its M Account, M Plus Account or Club M Account will be able to get bonus interest rates of 10% gross/10.47% AER (fixed). 

This is on top of the 2% gross/2.02% AER (variable) interest rate already offered on current account balances up to £1,000 - meaning customers can get an interest rate of 12%. 

No other savings accounts offer interest rates this high, and the bonus applies for a year.

TikTok will restore millions of songs to its app after settling a royalty dispute with Universal Music Group. 

Users had been unable to make videos featuring songs from the likes of Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande due to a row over how much TikTok was paying. 

The fight had led to Universal withdrawing music from some of the world's most famous singers. 

The dispute appears to have been settled as the companies announced "improved remuneration" for artists.

More than 10,500 black cab drivers in London have launched a £250m legal case against Uber. 

They accuse the app of breaking the capital's taxi booking rules and deliberately misleading authorities to secure a licence. 

Transport for London (TfL) rules state drivers cannot take bookings directly from customers and must instead use a centralised system. 

The drivers, who are being advised by law firm Mishcon de Reya, argue they have faced unfair competition from Uber and that it knowingly broke these rules. 

Uber has denied these allegations and said the claims are unfounded.

The company has faced numerous challenges in London, including refusals from TfL to renew its licence which were later successfully appealed. 

Billie Eilish fans are complaining about "outrageous" ticket prices for her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour.

The 22-year-old singer unveiled an 81-date tour programme this week, sending fans rushing to secure tickets.

But some expressed disbelief on social media at the prices.

"I know I moan about this all the time, but look at the price of Billie Eilish tickets," one fan called Marianne wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of seated tickets priced at £398.50. 

"Something seriously needs to be done about ticket prices, it's f*****g outrageous!" 

Another complained they had paid less for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, which was also criticised for high ticket prices.

A fan called Liv tagged Eilish, Live Nation and Ticketmaster, writing: "Are you ok? £145 for standing tickets is atrocious."

Thousands of people who receive government benefits, including Universal Credit, will be paid as early as tomorrow.

This is because there's a bank holiday coming up on 6 May which will affect benefits paid by both the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC (they don't pay benefits on bank holidays).

A statement on the government website reads: "If your payment date is on a weekend or a bank holiday you'll usually be paid on the working day before. This may be different for tax credits and child benefit."

Here are the 11 different government benefits that are expected to be paid early:

• Universal credit;
• State Pension;
• Pension Credit;
• Disability Living Allowance;
• Attendance Allowance;
• Carer's Allowance;
• Child Benefit;
• Income Support;
• Jobseekers Allowance;
• Personal Independence Payment;
• Tax credits (such as Working Tax Credit)

Will your benefit payment change?

No, you'll be paid the same amount you usually receive.

Benefits are usually paid straight into your bank, building society or credit account.

If you earn significantly more or less than your partner, how do you split payments for things like housing, food, household essentials, entertainment and holidays? 

Do you both pay equally, do you split costs according to income, or do you have another method? 

Get in touch with an outline of your situation in the box above or:

• Email news@skynews.com with the subject line "Money blog"
• WhatsApp us here.