Will Alphabet’s century bond start a new trend? A brief history February 11, 2026 This week Google owner Alphabet raised £1bn in a highly unusual century bond, in a sign of the extreme lengths tech firms are willing to go to to meet the ballooning capital costs of investment in AI. The 100 year sterling note formed part of a $32bn debt raise for Alphabet, following similar moves from [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Heathrow traffic record; Homebuilders call for help February 11, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Yesterday the FTSE 100 retreated on a slew of miserable corporate news. Leading the blue-chip index’s downturn was BP, which announced it would suspend its share buyback programme and increase cost-cutting goals as it looks to reverse its fortunes in the next financial year. The [...]
Money Supermarket shares tumble to 13-year low on AI fears February 10, 2026 Shares in Money Supermarket have tumbled to their lowest in 13 years on renewed anxieties that advances in AI are eating into the value of price comparison sites. The FTSE 250 stock sunk as much as 13 per cent by mid-morning on Tuesday, before paring back losses later in the afternoon. Mony Group shares closed [...]
FTSE 100 Live: BP tumbles on buyback suspension, Barclays profit boost February 10, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. It was a rocky day for bond markets on Monday as political jitters rippled through the City. The 10-year gilt yield – a key benchmark for the government – rose as much as 10 basis points to 4.62 per cent following news that Scottish Labour [...]
Downing Street resignations trigger bond market jitters February 9, 2026 Nervousness rippled through UK bond markets on Monday after a series of Downing Street resignations concentrated minds on the uncertain future of prime minister Sir Keir Starmer. The 10-year gilt yield – a key benchmark for the government – jumped as much as 10 basis points to 4.62 per cent in the early afternoon following [...]
FCA to publish London share trading data to defend UK public markets February 9, 2026 The City watchdog is planning to start collecting and publishing all available data on share-trading in an attempt to show that liquidity in UK public markets is not as bad as it is often thought. The plans will act as a stopgap until the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issues its ‘consolidated tape’ of trading data [...]
Asian markets surge after Takaichi secures historic election victory February 9, 2026 Japanese stocks surged to a record high on Monday, while wider Asian markets also experienced a boost, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party secured a historic election victory. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secured 316 out of 465 seats in Sunday’s election, winning a two-thirds super majority. In response, the Nikkei 225 rocketed [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Natwest shares fall after deal; Political jitters in bond market February 9, 2026 Good morning and welcome to the City AM liveblog. Markets will have a lot to catch up on this morning after the latest escalation in political dramas over the weekend. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff announced his exit from government amid mounting pressure over the appointment of Peter Mandelson to US ambassador. [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Starmer unease rattles markets; Big tech sell-off February 6, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Speculation over Keir Starmer’s future has unleashed a fresh round of market unease as investors dumped the pound, UK equities and long-dated government bonds amid rising political uncertainty. The gulf in price between the UK’s short- and long-term debt – known as the yield curve – reached [...]
Bank of England raises alarm on unemployment as interest rates unchanged February 5, 2026 The Bank of England has held interest rates but policymakers warned that the spiralling unemployment rate and weak growth was weighing down on price growth. In its decision on Thursday, the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee voted 5-4 to leave interest rates at 3.75 per cent. But economists warned that unemployment could jump higher over the [...]