FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jump; oil dips below $100 as Trump says Iran deal close Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Brent crude dipped below $100 at Wednesday lunchtime after Donald Trump has hailed “great progress” towards a “final agreement” with Iran, prompting a rally in the FTSE, Asian markets and Wall Street. In a sudden reversal late last night, President Trump said he will pause [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gilt yields surge over Starmer fears; Intel, Pinterest shares rocket Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Gilt yields have risen to their highest rate in nearly thirty years, as markets weigh up the prospect of an ousted Keir Starmer and lurch to a more left-wing government that might follow. The yield on 30-year government bonds rose 11 basis points on Tuesday [...]
RWS to acquire UK AI platform in £40m deal Business Global AI solutions company RWS Holdings has reached an agreement to acquire UK based AI company Obviously in a bumper £40m deal as it looks to pivot to become a “technology-first business”. AIM-listed RWS agreed to buy the AI platform for an initial cash offer of £16.5m, with an earn-out consideration of up to £23.5m, [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks drop amid US-Iran war mixed messaging; House prices up May 1, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets are scrambling for some messaging this morning as tensions around the Iran war drag on. Donald Trump faced a deadline for today whether to formally end the war in Iran or make the case to the US Congress for extending it. But an official [...]
Bank of England Live: Interest rates held as hawks warn of ‘highly uncertain’ energy prices April 30, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has today decided to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent in a hawkish display. In last month’s decision, the Bank held rates in a unanimous decision. Afterwards, short-term gilt yields, which reflect government borrowing costs, sharply rose as traders priced [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks drop as oil holds firm over $110; UK growth slashed April 29, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil prices are holding firm tipping over the $110 mark, bringing the cost of a barrel closer to the highs of $118 it peaked at earlier in the Iran war. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – advanced another one per cent on [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks dip as oil edges higher; BP posts profit boom April 28, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil returned to a three-week high comfortably over the $105 mark on Monday and those gains look set to continue today. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – edged over $110 on Tuesday morning as it once again appeared peace talks in [...]
London named share buyback capital of the world April 27, 2026 The UK has jumped up the leader board to be named the share buyback capital of the world, as companies looked to capitalise on low valuations and improved investor sentiment. Nearly 60 per cent of UK large cap companies bought their stock back in bulk in the last 12 months, according to the latest research [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks dip as oil prices surge to three-week high April 27, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. There’s set to be little relief in markets this morning as investors return from the weekend to oil hitting a three-week high. The price of Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – rose two per cent to over $107 on Monday morning. [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks drop as Trump in ‘no rush’ to end Iran war; Retail sales jump on fuel rush April 24, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Donald Trump has slapped another extension on ceasefires in the Middle East following Wednesday’s intervention, where a previous deadline was set to expire. Just days ago, Trump said he was extending the ceasefire indefinitely as the deadline for strikes on Iranian power plants drew nearer. [...]