M&S chair: Tax and employment costs holding back Britain July 7, 2026 Rising taxes and employment costs are holding businesses back from investing in Britain and helping it “prosper,” an M&S boss has said. Archie Norman, chairman of the retail giant and former chief executive of Asda, told shareholders on Tuesday that these “big regulatory headwinds” are “not making it easier to invest and prosper in Britain”. [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 rises to defy tech gloom; oil creeps up on fresh Iran tensions July 7, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Donald Trump warned the US will “finish the job” in Iran leaving investors unnerved as he renewed military threats following the funeral of Tehran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – traded above $72 per barrel on the news, but [...]
Everyman to open at Elephant & Castle as £500m regeneration gains pace July 7, 2026 Everyman is set to expand its presence in the capital with a new five-screen cinema at the £500m regeneration of Elephant and Castle. The up-market cinema chain has faced tough trading conditions in recent years but hopes to take a boost from the footfall expected at The Elephant, the redevelopment of the south London area. [...]
M&S to face shareholder grilling over cyber attack recovery July 6, 2026 Marks and Spencer is set to take a grilling from shareholders over whether it has made a meaningful recovery from the cyber attack which wiped out nearly a third of its profit. The FTSE 100 retailer will face investors at its annual general meeting on Tuesday, where it will expect to be quizzed on whether [...]
Ocado founder Steiner set to quit as boss after board coup July 6, 2026 Ocado chief executive Tim Steiner will quit the business he founded as part of a replacement plan masterminded by chairman Adam Warby. The FTSE 250 firm, which offers online shopping and warehouse automation services, said on Monday that Steiner will depart at the start of its 2028 financial year. Ocado’s share price fell nearly five [...]
As it happened: Stocks slide despite tech and data boost; Oil falls after OPEC+ ups output July 6, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets are dealing with a double dose of pressures to start of the new week as investors brace for a crucial earnings season in the artificial sector, whilst an increase of supply on the oil market weighs on prices. Over in Asia, stock markets slipped following a week [...]
World Cup boost fails to land UK services sector on front foot July 3, 2026 A World Cup boost failed to drag the UK’s services sector to growth last month after it recorded its fastest rate of decline in three-and-a-half years as businesses braced for the Andy Burnham coronation. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global showed a reading of 48.8 in June, falling from 49.3 in May. [...]
As it happened: Stocks rise as oil lower; Iran threatens ‘forceful response’ over Strait of Hormuz July 3, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The rate of traffic flowing through the Strait of Hormuz is gradually picking back up in a major boost to the oil market. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – held steady at near $72 per barrel on Friday morning. It marked a similar level [...]
Currys launches £50m buyback as it shrugs off market slowdown July 2, 2026 Currys said it would launch a £50m share buyback after it posted a jump in profit and shrugged off a wider market slowdown by expanding its offerings and cutting its cost base through redundancies. The tech retailer said its UK and Ireland revenue ticked up three per cent to £5.4bn and “outperformed the market” following [...]
As it happened: Stocks rally after US jobs report; Oil tumbles to pre-Iran war levels July 2, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The peace relief rally across markets ground to a halt yesterday as investors were rocked by new tensions in the Middle East that threatened all-out war re-emerging between the US and Iran. Negotiations were handed a blow as Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Qatar [...]