Financial services suffer ‘rapid’ fall in business Economics Financial services are suffering from a “rapid” fall in business activity, new survey data has shown, pointing to investors’ struggles to revive a spluttering UK economy. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI)‘s figures suggested financial services companies experienced a decline in business volumes and profitability at the end of last year, hitting confidence across the [...]
FTSE 100 defence stocks boosted by Trump’s calls for military spending hike Markets Shares in top FTSE 100 defence stocks were boosted on Thursday morning, following President Trump’s push for a 50 per cent boost to the US military budget. BAE Systems shares shot up 6.7 per cent following the market open to highs not seen since October, while Babcock rose by more than 2.2 per cent. President [...]
House prices expected to rise in 2026 after December dip Property UK house prices slipped slightly in December, as affordability issues and the fallout from the Autumn Budget dampened buyer appetite, but industry figures expect the market to pick up in 2026. House prices fell 0.6 per cent in the final month of 2025, bringing prices down by a further £1,789, following a 0.1 per cent [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Supermarket shares fall in trolley wars; M&S rises amid cyber recovery January 8, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100’s rally came crashing down yesterday as steep losses across commodities dragged the index into the red. Whilst one shouldn’t fret too much with the index still holding firm above its latest milestone, Wednesday’s 0.7 per cent drop still wiped over 70 points [...]
Waterstones books Rothschild as IPO plans ramp up January 7, 2026 The owner of Waterstones is preparing to appoint Rothschild to advise its multibillion-pound flotation later this year, offering the clearest sign yet that London could turn the page on a dire run of form if it edges out New York for the listing. Elliott Management, which owns Waterstones and its US sister Barnes & Noble, [...]
Shell and BP shares sink as China slams ‘bully’ US over oil dispute January 7, 2026 Shares in FTSE 100 oil giants took a tumble on Wednesday as President Donald Trump ramped up the pressure on Venezuela to hand over oil. Shell had sunk near four per cent by midday to 2,644.7p whilst BP was down 3.5 per cent to 416.65p. The losses in the oil giants – which make up [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stock rally cools; Oil tumbles amid Trump tensions January 7, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The London stock market has opened on a dimmer mood with morning with both the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 trading into the red. The blue-chip index was hit by the falling price of oil with major stock losses across energy giants Shell and BP. [...]
UK still waiting on IPO revival as 2025 cohort offers glum returns January 6, 2026 The London stock market is still waiting for its IPO revival after debuts disappointed in 2025 despite major market pushes from the government and regulators. In the last year, the average return for new entrants to the London stock market was -3.3 per cent when comparing firm’s debut prices with year-end market closes. This marked [...]
Lloyds shares surge past 100p to 17-year high January 6, 2026 Shares in Lloyds Banking Group surged past 100p on Tuesday morning amidst a wider rally in the London stock market’s blue-chips. The FTSE 100 banking giant jumped over one per cent at the opening bell to 101.30p marking a 17-year High before parring back some gains to close 0.8 per cent higher at 100.75. Lloyds’ [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Next gets Christmas boost; JLR sales crash after cyber attack January 6, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. British defence stocks were taken for a ride on Monday after rising geopolitical tensions put heightened investor appetite. It was the City’s defence giants Babcock and BAE leading the FTSE 100 to start the week, alongside gold miners who were benefiting from the surging price [...]