FTSE 100 Live: Stocks fall as oil takes hit; YouTube, BBC strike deal Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. How big of a win was yesterday for Rachel Reeves? The economy grew 0.3 per cent in November – faster than expected – as Jaguar Land Rover roared back to life following a costly cyberattack that halted supply chains across the UK. But while this [...]
Why does no one want to buy Costa Coffee? Business The coffee’s gone cold and the milk has soured for the once dominant high street staple Costa, as owner Coca-Cola struggles to find a buyer to take the chain off its hands. The US beverage giant suspended talks with remaining bidders earlier this week, blaming the decision on low offers, bringing the months-long auction process [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gold surges amid Trump tensions; JLR leads growth rebound Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Rachel Reeves’ report card for 2025 has received another dim review with fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing growth came in at a sluggish 0.1 per cent in the three months to November 2025. This was led by a modest rebound [...]
Could this be the weirdest London IPO in 2026? January 15, 2026 What do you think the weirdest London IPO of the year could be? Take a moment to think about it. And now, let me tell you why you’re wrong. I have the answer. It’s a firm called Hybrid Air Vehicles, a company that makes airships. Yes, airships. If you thought – as I did – [...]
‘Downfall’: Home REIT faces SFO probe into suspected bribery and fraud January 14, 2026 The UK’s top financial crime unit has unveiled a major probe into the past management of Home REIT after identifying as much as £300m in suspected fraud and bribery. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said it has carried out raids and arrests into the former London-listed social housing company, including searches at homes in Altrincham, [...]
Coca-Cola abandons Costa Coffee sale plans as Asda owner bids low January 14, 2026 US beverage giant Coca-Cola has reportedly scrapped plans to sell the world’s second-largest coffee chain after offers from private equity firms came in below expectations. The company brought talks with remaining bidders for Costa Coffee to a halt in December, ending an auction process which had lasted several months, according to the Financial Times. Sources [...]
FTSE 100 Live: BP’s $5bn hit; Prudential taps ex-HSBC chair January 14, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Investors were taking a back seat to risk on Tuesday after President Donald Trump’s latest salvo on the Federal Reserve rocked global markets. The US Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into the Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, as Trump escalated his crusade against the central bank’s [...]
FTSE 100 Live: UBS to get new boss; Premier Inn leaseback deal January 13, 2026 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. What’s an easy way to tell apart a developed country from a less developed one? One straightforward yardstick is the behaviour of state institutions and their relationship to government. If they are well run, they are operated by professionals independently from the executive. Or – the executive [...]
London homeowners most likely to make a loss upon selling their home January 12, 2026 London homeowners are most likely to make a loss upon selling their house as prices in the capital continue to drop. In 2025, nearly 15 per cent of Londoners sold their home for less than they bought it, the highest proportion in England and Wales, according to analysis from real estate agent Hamptons, well above [...]
Venezuela is ‘uninvestable’ as Trump unnerves market analysts January 10, 2026 Venezuela is “uninvestable” and requires sweeping reforms before oil giants can support US ambitions, a top chief executive has warned Donald Trump, in a warning that comes amid growing concerns the president is set to rattle markets and hit global economies. ExxonMobil boss Darren Woods appeared to distance the company from the president’s ambitions to [...]