OBR warns inflation could exceed three per cent if Iran crisis continues Economics Inflation is set to jump back up above three per cent if the rise in oil prices is sustained, a government watchdog has warned, amid fears the energy crisis in the Middle East could drag on. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)’s David Miles said the current rise in oil and gas prices would add [...]
Persimmon: Housebuilder posts profit as property market ‘recovers’ Property Housebuilder Persimmon toasted rising profit and house completions, buoyed by a property market which it says is recovering from last year’s Budget slowdown. Persimmon notched rising profit before tax in the year to December 2025, up 11 per cent to £397m, and built 11,905 homes, up 12 per cent from the year before. Investors rewarded [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks soar and oil dips as Trump says war is ‘very complete’ Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. It was a day of whiplash for global markets as they kicked off the new week. Stock markets from Europe to Asia and Wall Street sunk into the red on open as the price of oil rose at the fastest rate in six-years. Brent crude, [...]
Cold wind of reality exposes Britain’s myths…and mistakes March 10, 2026 Crises reveal, and the illuminating effects of the latest Middle East war should leave us shuddering and ashamed. The nature of Keir Starmer’s government has been revealed; obsessing over the finer points of international law when our principal ally asked for our help. Starmer’s position has been exposed, too, with briefings suggesting he was more [...]
Oil shock will be felt well beyond energy markets March 10, 2026 Energy shocks rarely remain confined to energy markets. They propagate through bond markets, fiscal balances and inflation expectations, says Helen Thomas As Winston Churchill once warned: “The statesman who yields to war fever must realise that once the signal is given he is no longer the master of policy, but the slave of unforeseeable and [...]
From start-up to scale-up: shifting the focus to support for female entrepreneurs March 10, 2026 As part of our partnership with Scale and the Women Who Scale initiative, City AM sat down with Sam Smith, the former chief executive of FinnCap, to discuss one of the key challenges holding back female start-up founders and what can be done to help female-led scaleups. While the spotlight often shines on the funding [...]
UK growth downgraded as firms measure hit from Iran turmoil March 9, 2026 The UK economy will suffer from sluggish growth this year, a leading industry body has warned, with further tax rises on the horizon remaining as a “risk”. Business chiefs have warned that the services sector is set to keep the UK economy afloat this year, with contractions expected to come across construction and manufacturing. The [...]
Reeves warns oil price shock to fuel higher inflation for Brits March 9, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has warned that a recent spike in oil prices will translate into higher inflation in the UK, with her economic approach centring on calls for the US, Israel and Iran to de-escalate the conflict in the Middle East. In a statement to MPs, Reeves said she called on G7 finance minister, which [...]
Kwasi Kwarteng: Labour ‘at risk’ without more tax rises amid bond jitters March 9, 2026 The government risks being plunged into crisis unless it prepares for another bruising round of tax hikes to cover sharp rises in energy subsidies, former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has warned. In an interview with City AM, Kwarteng said taxes could be put up as soon as November if the government pushes ahead with proposals for [...]
‘Terrifying’: Iran threatens $200 oil price if US-Israel strikes continue March 9, 2026 A spokesman for the Iranian military has given a chilling warning that the cost of a barrel of oil could rocket to $200 if the war with Israel and the US continues. The price of oil has continued to surge amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, which have triggered strikes on production sites and [...]