Shareholder backlash pushes up low-ball London takeover bids August 11, 2026 Top shareholders of London-listed firms are pushing back on takeover bids this year amid concerns buyers are capitalising on low valuations to pick up companies on the cheap. Foreign buyers have targeted companies across the London Stock Exchange this year including FTSE 100 firms Schroders, Intertek and Beazley. Retail investment firm AJ Bell said it [...]
As it happened: Intel, Arm shares slide; Oil climbs higher August 10, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil is starting the new week higher and making its third consecutive session for gains after optimism for a peace deal between the US and Iran stalled over the weekend and uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz persisted. Donald Trump has said the US is “low-keying it” with Iran, [...]
JD assembles Ikea chair after rocky period for retailer August 7, 2026 The former boss of Ikea has been named as JD Sport’s new chair following a tumultuous period for the retailer. Peter Agnefjäll, who spent more than two decades at the Swedish home furnishing brand, is set to succeed Darren Shapland as the chair of JD from the beginning of September. Shapland was appointed to the [...]
As it happened: Stocks rise despite new tensions in Strait of Hormuz; Oil price climbs August 7, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. New tensions in the Strait of Hormuz this morning are leaving markets on edge and handing a blow to earlier optimism around a peace deal between the US and Iran. Oil is moving higher, reversing some of the drawback from the beginning of this week, after an attack [...]
‘Hard work ahead’: Diageo shares soar as Drastic Dave’s cost savings lift investor spirits August 6, 2026 Diageo shares jumped as much as eight per cent on Thursday after the London drinks giant vowed to deliver as much as $850m (£631m) in cost savings, as new boss Dave Lewis vowed to turn around the firm’s fortunes. The FTSE 100 owner of Guinness, Johnnie Walker and Tanqueray reported a three per cent dip [...]
Wizz Air profit wiped out by rising fuel prices August 6, 2026 Soaring jet fuel prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East led to a sharp drop in Wizz Air’s profit. The increased fuel costs and “extreme volatility” from the war in Iran caused the budget airline to swing to a €198.2m net loss, a significant shift from its €38.4m gains the prior year. The [...]
Admiral profit slides as boss eyes push into EV insurance August 6, 2026 Admiral suffered a drop in profit as the insurance giant was weighed down by lower earned premiums in its UK car business. The group’s profit before tax fell by 18 per cent to £429.2m in the first half of the year, while turnover remained flat at £3.11bn. Milena Mondini, group chief executive, told City AM [...]
WPP slashes jobs as revenue continues to fall August 6, 2026 Embattled advertiser WPP slashed jobs in the first half of the year as its revenue continued to fall. The London-listed media group cut another 1,267 employees in the first half, around 1.3 per cent of its total staffing. Across the 12 months to June, WPP has now slashed its total workforce by 6.4 per cent [...]
As it happened: Stocks fall into red as oil fluctuates over Middle East developments August 6, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil prices have fluctuated around the $80 mark over the last 24 hours following mixed developments coming out of the Middle East. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – was heading towards $79 per barrel on Thursday morning, holding up a near 10 per cent [...]
Investors ‘may be less than impressed’ by John Healey’s £9bn borrowing plans August 5, 2026 Investors may be “less than impressed” by John Healey’s plans to increase borrowing by £9bn a year to take stakes in assets such as infrastructure, analysts have warned. On Tuesday evening, it was reported that the new Chancellor and Treasury ministers were working on a proposal to deploy billions in the direction of infrastructure, housing [...]