Gilt traders fear Labour electoral losses May 4, 2026 A widespread defeat for Labour in Thursday’s regional elections could trigger a “swing to the left politically” investors have warned, putting further pressure on government borrowing costs that are already at their highest levels since the financial crisis. Polling has suggested Labour is set to lose over 1,000 seats to other parties, including leftwing Green [...]
Trump turmoil sends oil prices back toward multi-year peak May 4, 2026 Iran hits back at president’s ‘Operation Freedom’ pledge for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz; Brent up over 5 per cent to $114 a barrel The main international oil price surged back toward multi-year highs on Monday, as US President Donald Trump’s pledge to get tanker traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz was [...]
After Santander’s TSB takeover – who are the top players in UK banking? May 1, 2026 Santander shocked the City last years after beating out its rivals to snap up TSB Bank. Now with the takeover complete, who are the major players in the sector? The near £3bn mega-merger of Santander and TSB has finally reached completion. And with it, Spanish-owned Santander is set to significantly beef up its UK presence [...]
UK manufacturing at four-year high but costs rise at pandemic pace May 1, 2026 The UK manufacturing sector broke to a four-year record in April but the constraints triggered by the Iran war threatened to upend growth prospects. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global put the industry’s reading at 53.7 – its best since May 2022. This marked its sixth consecutive month above the neutral 50.0 [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks drop amid US-Iran war mixed messaging; House prices up May 1, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets are scrambling for some messaging this morning as tensions around the Iran war drag on. Donald Trump faced a deadline for today whether to formally end the war in Iran or make the case to the US Congress for extending it. But an official [...]
Lloyds shares upgraded to ‘Buy’ after interest rates tailwind April 30, 2026 Analysts at UBS slapped a ‘Buy’ rating on shares in Lloyds Banking Group as the financial services giant looks to receive a bump to its bottom line from the elevated interest rate path. Jason Napier, analyst at UBS, said: “Given the tailwinds from rate hedges… we see strong future momentum in profits as a relatively [...]
Oil price rockets to wartime high as Trump eyes fresh military action in Iran April 30, 2026 Brent oil surged to a new high during early-morning Thursday trading after reports that US president Donald Trump is set to receive a briefing on new military operations in Iran, raising fears over an end to the fragile ceasefire between the two nations. The global benchmark surged as much as 7.1 per cent this morning, [...]
Standard Chartered registers $190m charge on Iran war April 30, 2026 Standard Chartered’s impairment charges jumped in the first quarter as the bank set aside a hefty sum to cover volatility in the Middle East. The FTSE 100 giant booked $296m in credit impairment charges, with $190m of this coming from “precautionary management overlays” related to the war in Iran. The Asian-focused bank’s activity in the [...]
Bank of England Live: Interest rates held as hawks warn of ‘highly uncertain’ energy prices April 30, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has today decided to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent in a hawkish display. In last month’s decision, the Bank held rates in a unanimous decision. Afterwards, short-term gilt yields, which reflect government borrowing costs, sharply rose as traders priced [...]
Trans-Atlantic bid for DCC sends £5bn energy firm to top of FTSE 100 April 29, 2026 London-listed sales and distribution services group DCC became the target of a new trans-Atlantic bid for a top-tier FTSE 100 firm on Wednesday, sending its shares soaring. The Dublin-based firm received an offer from famed US private equity house Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, which linked up with Energy Capital Partners. DCC said it had received [...]