As it happened: US jobs smash forecasts; Stocks in green amid cloudy US-Iran peace talks June 5, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Speculation around a peace deal between the US and Iran is continuing to leave markets struggling for direction as hopes of an official agreement face roadblocks. A current draft of a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US has ambiguities that have to be clarified, an adviser [...]
King Charles’ cleaner ups dividend after revenue surge June 4, 2026 The official cleaner for King Charles III has upped its dividend as the facilities management business said it was able to get its customer base to dig deeper into their wallets. FTSE 250 member Mitie, which was recently awarded a Royal Warrant by appointment by Charles for services to the Royal Household, is to issue [...]
As it happened: Stocks mixed as Trump warns takes ‘two to tango’ on Iran peace June 4, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Donald Trump has hinted a peace deal in the Middle East could come as soon as “over the weekend” in the latest back-and-forth of negotiations between the US and Iran. The President yesterday doubled down once more on his claim that Iran is set to [...]
Computacenter joins FTSE 100 in reshuffle as index builds tech exposure June 4, 2026 The latest quarterly reshuffle of the FTSE 100 has seen Computacenter, Investec and Aberdeen promoted to the top-tier index of the City’s most valuable companies, bringing a constituent with some direct exposure to the artificial intelligence boom to the City’s most famous benchmark. Computacenter’s rise from the FTSE 250 to blue-chip status looks somewhat like [...]
Investec shares rise amid takeover speculation June 3, 2026 Investec shares jumped in early Wednesday trading after the South African financial giant became subject to takeover speculation. Shares rose as much as 4.6 per cent before settling at 1.4 per cent, trading at 669.5p, following reports from M&A blog site Betaville that the bank may have attracted takeover interest, with it citing “people following [...]
‘Difficult year’ for discount retailer B&M as profits fall almost a half June 3, 2026 A series of updates from London-listed retailers has light on the battle for sales between online and traditional outlets, with household spending under pressure, writes Michael Hunter. FTSE 250 retailer B&M has revealed a drop of almost a half in annual profit in what it called a “difficult year”. It was the most eye-catching piece [...]
As it happened: Stocks jitter on stalling US-Iran talks; OECD unemployment warning June 3, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets are being pulled in countless directions from the conflicting information emerging around the conflict in the Middle East. The FTSE 100 managed to shrug off some of these jitters yesterday and secure a finish 0.3 per cent higher as the price of oil slipped. But this morning [...]
How Young’s is shrugging off hospitality gloom June 3, 2026 Like many of his Square Mile customers, Young’s boss Simon Dodd knows how to schmooze with booze. Three years ago, the listed pub chain exec invited rival Clive Watson, the founder of City Pub Group, for lunch at Smiths, the top-notch bar and grill atop Smithfield market, for a steak and a glass of wine. [...]
Surging military spending boosts London-listed defence sales June 2, 2026 Two London-listed manufacturing contractors are reaping the benefits of a surge in defence spending as the period of geopolitical turmoil boosts sales across the sector. FTSE AIM-listed firm Gooch & Housego’s saw its profits before tax surge by nearly 16 per cent in the first half of the financial year, up to £3.3bn, driven by [...]
As it happened: Stocks shrug off stalling Iran peace talks; OBR warns Reeves June 2, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets were rocked yesterday after reports emerged from Iranian state media that Tehran was pulling out of peace talks with the US. A proposal that included a 60-day cessation of violence and a play to re-open the Strait of Hormuz has hung in the balance [...]