‘Chance of 2026 recession’ despite interest rate cut – follow live Markets Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The Bank of England has handed Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Labour government a highly-desired Christmas present today. The central bank confirmed a chop to interest rates falling to 3.75 per cent – the lowest in nearly three years. It comes after inflation undershot expectations on Wednesday providing [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Unilever demerger; House prices hit record high Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The Autumn Budget started nearly an hour earlier than expected on 26 November after the fiscal watchdog leaked its forecasts for the UK and with it all the Labour government’s economic policy for the next year. But start as you mean to end rings true [...]
Dunelm shares plummet despite ‘successful year’ Retail Dunelm’s share price dropped more 10 per cent to 1,114p on Tuesday after profit growth slowed, despite reporting a rise in sales and market share gains. City broker Peel Hunt said the company’s “operational grip shone through”, with numbers as expected. “Outgoing CEO Nick Wilkinson hands over a business in great shape, demonstrating increased relevance [...]
Bellway: Issues with government planning reforms cause delays August 12, 2025 Housebuilder Bellway has said local councils have found it difficult to adapt to the government’s changes to the UK planning system, causing delays in the building process. The government recently announced an overhaul of Britain’s clunky planning system, promising to unleash “seismic change” on the country’s construction process. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has [...]
Diageo: Profit at FTSE 100 giant tumbles despite Guinness growth August 5, 2025 Profit at FTSE 100 giant Diageo has fallen far short of expectations as high costs hammer the drinks giant. Net sales fell 0.1 per cent to $20.24bn (£15.24bn), Diageo told markets this morning, below analysts’ expectations of 1.4 per cent. It expects next year’s organic sales growth to be flat, and for organic operating profit [...]
Taylor Wimpey: Construction jumps but cladding costs wipe out profit July 30, 2025 Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey posted a double-digit rise in housing completions, but a £222.2m hit from fixing combustible cladding pushed the company to a half-year loss. Shares fell nearly five per cent in early morning trades. The number of houses built in the first half of 2025 totalled 5,264, up from 4,728 last year, the company [...]
Reckitt: Consumer goods giant upgrades outlook July 24, 2025 Reckitt Benckiser has upgraded its expected revenue for its core brands this year, following the implementation of a significant simplification drive last year. The FTSE 100 giant now expects like for like net revenue growth to above be above four per cent in ‘Core Reckitt’ brands – which include Dettol, Nurofen and Lysol – this [...]
Compass: Catering giant buys Vermaat Groep in £1.3bn deal July 22, 2025 Compass has agreed to acquire European food services business Vermaat Groep for €1.5bn (£1.3bn). Shares in the hospitality giant rose by more than five per cent in early trades. Vermaat, which is a market leader in the Netherlands, will give Compass a “unique opportunity” for sustainable growth in Europe, the catering company told markets this [...]
Reckitt sells majority stake in Air Wick and Cillit Bang arm July 18, 2025 Reckitt Benckiser has agreed to sell its Essential Home business to private equity investor Advent International for $4.8bn (£3.6bn). Essential Home includes the brands Air Wick, Calgon, Woolite and Cillit Bang. The FTSE 100 giant, which will retain a 30 per cent equity stake in the business, has been reshaping its business to focus on “11 high-growth, high-margin [...]
Ocado shares spike as grocer boosted by £750m M&S joint venture gain July 17, 2025 Online grocer Ocado has reported significant growth in the first half of 2025, while stating its major goal is to turn cash-flow positive next year. Its share price spiked more than 13 per cent in early trades. Ocado told markets this morning that revenue rose 13.2 per cent to £674m, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation [...]