Interest rates set to be held as Bank backs ‘defensible strategy’ March 19, 2026 The Bank of England is set to hold interest rates at a crunch decision this afternoon as policymakers will opt for a “defensible strategy” in the face of uncertainty from the war in the Middle East. Markets have all but priced in a pause in interest rate cuts on Thursday, with most Monetary Policy Committee [...]
‘Panic mode’: FTSE 100 sinks as oil spikes on Iran’s energy threats March 18, 2026 Markets were thrown into “panic mode” on Wednesday as the surging price of oil rattled global equities. The price of Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – spiked as much as five per cent to $110 per barrel as energy facilities across the Gulf faced evacuation following the latest threats from Iran. The [...]
City AM Awards 2026: Meet the Finalists March 18, 2026 And the nominees are…. Personality of the Year Greg Jackson CBE The entrepreneur and CEO of Octopus Energy has become one of the UK’s most prominent business leaders, known for his straight talking and punchy views across a range of topics including UK entrepreneurship, the business environment, capital markets and, of course, energy. In August [...]
Diploma: Shares in FTSE 100 giant boom after profit upgrade March 18, 2026 Shares in specialist tech supplier Diploma boomed on Wednesday morning after the group slapped a hefty upgrade on its financial targets for 2026. The firm’s stock was up as much as 15 per cent on open to 5,771.06p. It came as the FTSE 100 giant said it expects revenue growth to come in at nine [...]
Nigel Farage Bitcoin firm turns to the public to raise cash – at double the price March 18, 2026 A Bitcoin business run by former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng which counts Nigel Farage as one of its biggest investors has turned to the public to raise cash. Stack BTC, which is listed on London’s Aquis stock market, is seeking to raise as much as £250,000 from retail investors via the issue of fresh shares. But [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Diploma leads stocks as pound ticks up; Oil dips March 18, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 index closed up 0.8 per cent higher on Tuesday at 10,403.60p. The gains were accompanied by a stronger performance from the pound, which finished up $1.334 by the time London markets closed, compared to $1.329 on Monday. Sterling and the City were [...]
Trustpilot shares rocket as profit soars past forecasts March 17, 2026 Shares in Trustpilot rocketed on Tuesday morning as the FTSE 250 firm posted profit that surged past market forecasts. The customer feedback platform delivered a near-tripling of pre-tax profit to £14.1m for 2025, which it put down to investment into AI. “We have seen a dramatic rise in the visibility of Trustpilot in AI models, [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks inch up; Gas prices surge after drone attacks March 17, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 closed up 0.5 per cent yesterday, settling at 10,317.69p led by a three per cent jump in Endeavour Mining. It came as global markets were brought some reprieve from declining oil prices. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil [...]
‘More needs to be done’ to help pension savers after salary sacrifice, says Standard life boss March 16, 2026 The boss of one of the UK’s largest pension providers has warned “more needs to be done” to help those saving for retirement after the government introduced a cap on salary sacrifice in the latest Budget. Andy Briggs, the chief executive of Standard Life, told City AM: “Obviously, we weren’t supportive of [salary sacrifice changes] [...]
‘Pressure point’: Oil prices spike as Trump turns up heat on Nato March 16, 2026 The price of oil spiked once more as trading for the new week began after Donald Trump ramped up pressure on his Nato peers to help get supply flowing. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, jumped 2.9 per cent as trading open after the weekend to near $106.12 a barrel, but later gave [...]