As it happened: FTSE 100 dives as oil prices surge past $100 in blow to inflation September 9, 2026 Welcome back to City AM’s FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index fell on Wednesday as oil prices reared up yet again, reaching six-week highs. Speaking late on Tuesday, Andrew Bailey caused fresh speculation that the Bank of England could hike interest rates when he said that risks to inflation remain “on the upside”. The [...]
Revolut US licence win ‘strengthens pre-IPO story’ September 9, 2026 Revolut’s conditional approval for a US banking licence has been hailed as a “consequential” step in the fintech’s march towards a long-awaited public debut. The digital bank landed approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for its American national bank charter last week, clearing a major hurdle to launch its operations [...]
Investors fret as UK fintech chief bows out September 9, 2026 Lisa Jacobs has overseen a tumultuous time at the helm of London-listed fintech Funding Circle. After she announced plans for her exit, Samuel Norman takes a look at Jacobs’ tenure in this week’s column. As she announced plans to bow out from fintech firm Funding Circle on Tuesday, Lisa Jacobs was desperate to play down [...]
Value of UK deals rockets as buyers pounce on FTSE 100 firms September 9, 2026 The value of UK merger and acquisitions more than doubled in the first half of 2026 as foreign buyers capitalised on sluggish valuations to pick off some of Britain’s most valuable companies. Takeovers worth some £124bn were struck in the first six months of the year, up 107 per cent year-on-year from £60bn in the [...]
Bailey warns on inflation risks as Iran war roils UK economy September 8, 2026 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has warned inflationary pressures are still buffeting the UK economy and energy prices could rise further next year if the war in Iran continues. Speaking to MPs on Tuesday, the Bank chief said inflation risks were “to the upside” and energy prices “could be higher still” due to the [...]
UK poised to pay highest borrowing costs since 1998 September 8, 2026 The UK is set to pay the highest yield on new debt in nearly 30 years in a sign of the growing economic pressures facing the Chancellor John Healey as he draws up his first Budget. The Debt Management Office is marketing a 30-year bond at 0.75 basis points over the yield of the government’s [...]
Five lenders hike mortgage prices as interest rate threat looms September 8, 2026 Five lenders hiked the price on their mortgage deals to kick off the week as the threat of the Bank of England increasing interest rates looms over the UK economy. Barclays has raised its rates on a fleet of products by nearly 0.2 per cent, with its two-year fixed rate rising to 5.53 per cent [...]
Investors dump UK stocks as Budget rumours compound caution September 8, 2026 UK equity funds have been hit with another month of outflows after investors dumped stocks in favour of cash and bonds. Investors withdrew a net £601m from UK stock funds during August, driving a broader £315m net outflow across global equity strategies. The retreat marks the fourth consecutive month of net selling globally and the [...]
Funding Circle boss bows out as fintech lifts profit forecast September 8, 2026 The boss of small business lender Funding Circle has laid out plans for her departure as the fintech lifted its profit forecast for the year ahead. Lisa Jacobs, who has led the firm since 2022, will step down as chief executive by “no later than September 2027,” the firm said on Tuesday. The fintech chief [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 waivers; oil nears $100 on new Hormuz sanctions September 8, 2026 Welcome back to City AM’s FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index slipped on Tuesday morning, as investors weighed fresh tensions in the Middle East which boosted London’s oil majors but dragged on other members. Oil prices continued to march upwards. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – gained another 1.5 per [...]