Aquis firm scraps failed Bitcoin treasury strategy after admitting ‘challenges’ Markets An Aquis-listed firm will no longer allow shareholders direct exposure to Bitcoin after admitting the strategy damaged its balance sheet. Vaultz Capital transitioned into a pure-play Bitcoin treasury company in mid-2025, raising funds to purchase the cryptocurrency and use it as its primary reserve asset over cash. While the move initially raised £13.6m, the stock [...]
Retail sales fall faster than expected ahead of Budget Retail Retail sales fell at a faster pace than expected in September, new figures have shown, as consumer confidence suffered a major drop ahead of the Budget. Total sales at retailers fell 0.4 per cent in September, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a bigger drop than the 0.1 per cent forecast by City [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks slide as oil surges to five-month high FTSE 100 Live Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. It’s Friday morning and London’s blue-chip index is set for a flat open as pressures on markets persist. The price of a barrel of oil has surged to $114 per barrel, trading at its highest level in over five months. It follows escalating Houthi attacks on [...]
LSEG pushes up profit forecast as it confirms $3.5bn Octus swoop October 22, 2026 LSEG has upped its profit forecast for a second time as the operator of the London Stock Exchange confirmed plans to take on credit data specialist Octus in a $3.5bn (£2.6bn) deal. The FTSE 100 firm said the deal to acquire the New York-based business “significantly expands LSEG’s fixed income offering”. “Public and private credit [...]
Barclays to axe 5,000 jobs by end of year after banking on AI savings October 22, 2026 Barclays will wield the axe on some 5,000 jobs in its global headcount as the firm ramps up its cost-cutting targets and leverages artificial intelligence. The FTSE 100 bank’s reductions will cover five per cent of the group’s global workforce and are expected to be mainly concentrated in support functions, including developers. “They’re across the [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 losses ease as oil higher after Saudi drone attack October 22, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. London’s blue-chip index is sliding this morning after a shaky week for trading. Oil pressures have climbed higher after a drone attack on Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oil field killed two people. The incident renewed tensions in the Middle East and heightened concerns over further disruptions to [...]
Bank of England set to overshadow Healey’s Budget with interest rate hike October 21, 2026 The Bank of England is expected to overshadow John Healey’s maiden Budget with a “done deal” interest rate hike aiming to tame soaring inflation while risking economic growth. Top City economists predict the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will raise the base rate at its November meeting, just one week after the Autumn Budget. [...]
Aim-listed tech company agrees huge takeover deal October 21, 2026 Ashtead Technology is set to become the latest company picked off the London Stock Exchange after agreeing to a £505m takeover by a New-York based private equity firm. Ember Infrastructure Management agreed to pay 615p per share in cash for the underwater technology firm. This represents a staggering 80.9 per cent premium on Ashtead’s closing [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 claws back losses; oil hovers as Iran-US talks stall October 21, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. London’s blue-chip index is looking to claw back losses made this week as investors weigh up the rising price of oil. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – surged above $110 per barrel on Wednesday, resuming its advance following mixed reports on diplomatic [...]
Barclays set for investment bank boost as Venkat’s overhaul in focus October 20, 2026 Barclays‘ investment bank could be in line for another major boost. But Samuel Norman takes a look at the progress investors will be wanting to hear on its latest strategy plans. When CS Venkatakrishnan laid out his sweeping restructuring of Barclays he promised a “simpler, better and more balanced” bank. Key to this was reducing [...]