As it happened: FTSE 100 wavers as weak housebuilding drives faster construction downturn September 4, 2026 Welcome back to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue chip index made a soft start on Friday morning, as investors brace for a US jobs report and digest the latest signs of a worsening downturn in the UK’s construction sector. Borrowing costs have eased slightly, after a global rout on government bonds threatened [...]
Services sector cuts jobs for nearly two years under cost pressures September 3, 2026 Employment in the UK’s services sector dropped for the 23rd consecutive month in August as businesses maintained hiring freezes and trimmed headcounts following cost pressures. S&P’s latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for the services industry – which is closely monitored by economists – revealed the sector has continued its longest continuous stretch of workforce reductions [...]
Healey facing £6bn hit as UK borrowing costs reach highest point since financial crisis September 1, 2026 UK borrowing costs have hit their highest level since the financial crisis as gilts were swept up in a mass rout across global bond markets. The UK government is set to pay a higher rate on debt interest as 10-year gilt yields, the benchmark for borrowing costs, were up by as much as 15 basis [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 slides as bound rout deepens; Oil jumps as Trump vows more strikes on Iran September 1, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The London market is returning from the Bank Holiday break to a fall as tensions in the Middle East are simmering over again leading to the price of oil moving higher. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – climbed over $91 per barrel on Tuesday, [...]
Business confidence climbs on consumer spending power August 28, 2026 Business confidence has risen to its highest level since March, as resilient consumers shrug off the impact of the Iran war and Budget-related speculation is kept to a minimum. According to the Lloyds Business Barometer, confidence among British firms rose four points in August to 53 per cent, the highest reading since the outbreak of [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 jumps as oil falls back; Warsh says ‘work to do’ on inflation August 28, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index extended gains on Friday after some pressures in the oil market eased off. Oil prices reared back up on Thursday night, reversing days of losses earlier in the week. The price of Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – jumped [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 falls but Nasdaq soars after Nvidia sales boom August 27, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue chip index suffered heavy losses on Thursday, as murky US inflation data overshadowed Nvidia’s sales triumph. While headline inflation fell back, the Fed’s preferred measure – the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE) – is still running hot at 3.7 per cent. Investors [...]
Fed chair Kevin Warsh faces Jackson Hole D-Day August 27, 2026 Kevin Warsh has opted for a less-is-more approach when communicating his feelings on interest rates and inflation. Ahead of his first set piece speech as Federal Reserve chair, investors want to hear more, writes Ali Lyon. When Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh steps up to the wood-panelled stage at this week’s Jackson Hole symposium, investors [...]
Trump’s tough stance on DEI costs Big Four giant Deloitte millions August 26, 2026 Deloitte has agreed to pay the US government $21.5m to settle allegations that it violated federal ‘equal opportunity’ requirements in its contracts, as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The US Justice Department claimed that from 2017 to the present, the Big Four giant had falsely said it had complied [...]
As it happened: Antofagasta leads FTSE 100 rally; oil falls as US-Iran deal ‘close’ August 26, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index slipped on Wednesday morning, dragged down by oil majors BP and Shell, before recovering later in the day to be level with Tuesday’s close. Brent crude – the international benchmark – fell by more than two per cent on Wednesday to $86 [...]