As it happened: WPP leads FTSE higher as market digests ‘do no harm’ Budget October 29, 2026 Welcome to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. It’s Thursday morning and stocks are set to rise on the market open. Investors will be picking through John Healey’s maiden Budget throughout the day, which pushed up shares in banks and gambling firms after they were spared worse tax raids. The FTSE 100 closed level on Wednesday [...]
AI startup Ravical bags £12m to power accountancy’s private equity boom October 29, 2026 AI startup Ravical, serving accounting and tax firms, has raised over £12m in its latest seed round as it positions itself as the tech infrastructure for the sector’s current wave of private equity roll-ups. The tech business secured £12.75m in a funding round led by European venture capital firm MMC, City AM can reveal, along [...]
Why consulting giants aren’t quaking at Anthropic’s new AI venture October 28, 2026 Consulting firms have long focused on advising clients on adopting new tech, but now the biggest AI giant seems to be keen to adopt advisory skills, as the consultancy sector continues to pivot, writes Maria Ward-Brennan Last week it was revealed that Anthropic, the company behind some of the world’s most advanced AI models, plans [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 slides as oil holds at $115; tech surges October 27, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 live blog. The FTSE 100 is sliding after a bruising session for heavyweight stocks, while tech continues to perform elsewhere. Brent crude is also trading above $115 per barrel as renewed diplomatic efforts in the Middle East raised hopes of preventing a wider escalation of the US-Iran [...]
Tech bosses warn Chancellor UK risks surrendering to foreign AI giants October 26, 2026 Britain risks becoming dangerously dependent on foreign tech giants unless the government develops a comprehensive strategy for its own AI, industry leaders have warned the Chancellor ahead of his Budget on Wednesday. UKAI, which represents more than 270 AI businesses, has urged John Healey to commit substantial funding to a national sovereign AI strategy, warning [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 up on defence boost; oil falls back as Trump weighs Iran deal October 26, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 live blog. The FTSE 100 has enjoyed a major rally on the back of booming defence stocks ahead of an expected investment from the government at the forthcoming Budget. This is also coming alongside a modest relax in oil prices on new diplomatic hopes in the Middle [...]
Anthropic partners with British private equity firm to launch consultancy arm October 23, 2026 Anthropic is launching a new AI consultancy business in Europe after partnering with London-based private equity firm Hg, according to reports. The company behind some of the world’s most advanced AI models is expected to launch its consultancy firm by the end of the year, the Financial Times reported, set to be based in London [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 slides as oil surges to five-month high October 23, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. It’s Friday morning and London’s blue-chip index is set for a flat open as pressures on markets persist. The price of a barrel of oil has surged to $114 per barrel, trading at its highest level in over five months. It follows escalating Houthi attacks on [...]
PHP cyber threat rocks internet as government and companies scramble to fend off attacks October 22, 2026 A cyber threat identified by tech researchers has left government bodies and multinationals as large as Amazon scrambling to build defences and stop hundreds of hacking attacks. The UK government announced that dozens of services had gone offline as a precautionary measure to fend off cyber threats exposed by vulnerabilities in programming languages. The Office [...]
Lawyers warned they carry the can for juniors using AI October 22, 2026 Lawyers have been warned they remain accountable for supervising AI use within their law firm, particularly when junior employees are operating the technology. The Law Society, an independent body that represents solicitors in England and Wales, issued new guidance on Wednesday setting out the appropriate use of AI in legal work, meaning lawyers cannot blame [...]