FTSE 100 Live: Diploma leads stocks as pound ticks up; Oil dips March 18, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 index closed up 0.8 per cent higher on Tuesday at 10,403.60p. The gains were accompanied by a stronger performance from the pound, which finished up $1.334 by the time London markets closed, compared to $1.329 on Monday. Sterling and the City were [...]
Trustpilot shares rocket as profit soars past forecasts March 17, 2026 Shares in Trustpilot rocketed on Tuesday morning as the FTSE 250 firm posted profit that surged past market forecasts. The customer feedback platform delivered a near-tripling of pre-tax profit to £14.1m for 2025, which it put down to investment into AI. “We have seen a dramatic rise in the visibility of Trustpilot in AI models, [...]
Wickes profit doubles as DIY firm bets on solar March 17, 2026 Home improvement retailer Wickes has doubled its profit as the firm positions itself to become a leader in solar panel installation. The firm took revenue of £1.6bn, up six per cent, and pre-tax profit grew from £23m to £49m, in the year to December 2025. Wickes was promoted to the FTSE 250 last year, as [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks inch up; Gas prices surge after drone attacks March 17, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 closed up 0.5 per cent yesterday, settling at 10,317.69p led by a three per cent jump in Endeavour Mining. It came as global markets were brought some reprieve from declining oil prices. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jump, Oil spikes, fresh Thames Water rescue deal March 16, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. This morning Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose 1.8 per cent to $104.98 per barrel during early trading in Asia. It follows President Trump stating he is unwilling to make a deal with Iran and his energy secretary warning the war will [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks fall as oil rocks markets; Reeves struck by flat economy March 13, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Fresh figures this morning have shown the UK economy was flat in the first month of the year. It marked a blow to the government’s growth agenda but this will likely be viewed as a small blow ahead of global economies being thrown into turmoil [...]
Savills shares slide as Middle East war shakes property market March 12, 2026 Shares in property giant Savills slid eight per cent as the Iran war shakes the confidence of the UK’s property market. The FTSE 250 firm’s share price fell by 7.98 per cent on Thursday to 922p, leaving the stock down six per cent in the year so far. Adam Vettesse, market analyst at eToro said [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks drop as oil returns to near $100 after tankers attacked March 12, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The price of oil shot back above triple digits this morning, rising as much as nine per cent in Asian trading following the news two tankers were struck in the Gulf. An Iraqi news agency broke the news that 38 crew members have been rescued [...]
Wizz Air pounced on by short sellers as Iran war knocks profits March 11, 2026 Budget airline Wizz Air has been hit by a flurry of short-selling after it issued a profit warning over disruption caused by the Iran war, making it the UK’s most shorted company. The Hungarian airline, which is listed on the FTSE 250, had 9.59 per cent short interest last month but this has soared to [...]
Balfour Beatty shares soar as firm bets on UK energy and defence March 11, 2026 Balfour Beatty shares jumped after the construction firm posted surging profit as it doubles down on bets on UK energy, transport and defence infrastructure. Profit at the FTSE 250 firm grew 51 per cent to £323m in the year to December 2025, as revenue climbed 7.5 per cent to £10.8bn and its order book reached [...]