As it happened: Intel, Arm shares slide; Oil climbs higher August 10, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil is starting the new week higher and making its third consecutive session for gains after optimism for a peace deal between the US and Iran stalled over the weekend and uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz persisted. Donald Trump has said the US is “low-keying it” with Iran, [...]
JD assembles Ikea chair after rocky period for retailer August 7, 2026 The former boss of Ikea has been named as JD Sport’s new chair following a tumultuous period for the retailer. Peter Agnefjäll, who spent more than two decades at the Swedish home furnishing brand, is set to succeed Darren Shapland as the chair of JD from the beginning of September. Shapland was appointed to the [...]
As it happened: Stocks rise despite new tensions in Strait of Hormuz; Oil price climbs August 7, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. New tensions in the Strait of Hormuz this morning are leaving markets on edge and handing a blow to earlier optimism around a peace deal between the US and Iran. Oil is moving higher, reversing some of the drawback from the beginning of this week, after an attack [...]
Admiral profit slides as boss eyes push into EV insurance August 6, 2026 Admiral suffered a drop in profit as the insurance giant was weighed down by lower earned premiums in its UK car business. The group’s profit before tax fell by 18 per cent to £429.2m in the first half of the year, while turnover remained flat at £3.11bn. Milena Mondini, group chief executive, told City AM [...]
Quilter toasts record inflows as financial advice push pays off August 6, 2026 Quilter has posted record net inflows as the wealth management firm toasts the success of capturing customers seeking financial advice. Total assets under administration and management (AUMA) jumped 25 per cent to £157.4bn in the first half of the year. The hike was driven by a 32 per cent increase in core net inflows to [...]
WPP slashes jobs as revenue continues to fall August 6, 2026 Embattled advertiser WPP slashed jobs in the first half of the year as its revenue continued to fall. The London-listed media group cut another 1,267 employees in the first half, around 1.3 per cent of its total staffing. Across the 12 months to June, WPP has now slashed its total workforce by 6.4 per cent [...]
As it happened: Stocks fall into red as oil fluctuates over Middle East developments August 6, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil prices have fluctuated around the $80 mark over the last 24 hours following mixed developments coming out of the Middle East. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – was heading towards $79 per barrel on Thursday morning, holding up a near 10 per cent [...]
FTSE 100 Beazley profit plunges as war roils insurance market August 5, 2026 FTSE 100 insurer Beazley said war and rising global risks were hitting the insurance market as it revealed that its profit more than halved in the first half of 2026. The insurer reported a pre-tax profit of $237.7m (£176.6m) for the first half of 2026, a 53 per cent fall from the $502.5m reported in [...]
Next hikes targets as heatwave boosts sales August 5, 2026 Next has upgraded its profit targets for the year after breezing past second quarter expectations, putting its shareholders in line for a bumper payday. The FTSE 100 retail giant hiked its pre-tax profit expectations for 2026 to £1.24bn, around £25m higher than previously estimates. If achieved the figure would mark 7.3 per cent growth on [...]
As it happened: Stocks rise as oil fluctuates after Red Sea attack; US-Iran deal ‘being circulated’ August 5, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil prices have snapped a losing streak following Yemen’s Houthis said they had attacked a Saudi vessel in the Red Sea. Brent crude drew back above the $80 per barrel mark on Wednesday morning on the news, but prices were still down for the week by around 10 [...]