Retail sales jump as third-warmest May on record sends Brits to the high street June 19, 2026 UK retail sales climbed in May, as consumers flocked back to the high street amid the heatwave and showed sustained demand for new electronic products. Retail sales volumes are estimated to have increased by 1.2 per cent in May, following a 1 per cent fall in April as fears over the Iran war caused Brits [...]
As it happened: Stocks sink after Fed and Bank of England opt for hawkish hold; Oil price tumbles June 18, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Interest rates were left unchanged at 3.75 per cent in Bank of England’s monetary policy committee meeting today as rate-setters wait to find out whether the Iran war peace deal holds up. The Bank’s decision followed Thursday’s inflation data, which stayed below undershot expectations after coming at 2.8 [...]
House prices jump as property market ‘treads water in rough conditions’ June 17, 2026 House prices jumped by 0.7 per cent in April, in signs that the property market is “trading water in rough conditions” as the Iran war spikes mortgage rates. The average UK house price rose to £270,000 from March to April, marking 3.8 per cent year-on-year growth, according to new government statistics. But property experts have [...]
As it happened: Stocks rally as Trump touts Iran deal at G7 summit; Oil lowest since early-March June 16, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Global leaders are gathering today in France for the G7 summit as markets digest the latest developments in the US-Iran peace deal. Relief spread across global markets yesterday after the US and Iran were confirmed to have sealed a deal to stop the fighting in the Middle East [...]
Activist investor pushing for M&C Saatchi break-up builds stake June 16, 2026 A notorious activist investment firm has added to its stake in M&C Saatchi in a move that brings it a step closer to orchestrating a break-up of one of Britain’s best-known advertising companies. Harwood Capital now owns more than eight per cent of the eponymous agency founded by advertising tycoons Maurice and Charles in 1995, [...]
‘Nothing is straightforward’: Market analysts warn of US-Iran deal complications June 15, 2026 Top market analysts warned on Monday that “nothing is straight forward” as euphoria spread across European equities after a confirmed peace deal between the US and Iran. Stock markets opened in the green as investors returned to a risk-on mentality after Pakistan announced an agreement between the two nations and Donald Trump declared the oil [...]
Asian stocks reach record highs on tech euphoria and US-Iran peace deal June 15, 2026 Stocks across Asia surged during Monday trading, as market euphoria from SpaceX’s IPO on Friday combined with relief over the US-Iran peace deal sent investors back into the stock market, pushing indexes to record highs. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rocketed over five per cent in the first 90 minutes of trading, surpassing the 69,000 mark to [...]
House price slump blamed on World Cup and heatwave June 15, 2026 House prices made a surprise drop in June because Brits are too busy watching the World Cup to move home, Rightmove has said. The average UK house price dropped by 0.6 per cent to £376,191 this month, according to the property portal, marking the biggest June fall in 14 years. Rightmove said this “unusual” slump [...]
Flying at Heathrow will cost ‘significantly more’ due to third runway bid June 12, 2026 Heathrow’s bid for a third runway will “significantly” push up the cost of flying from the UK’s biggest airport, a leading aviation expert has warned. The airport’s expansion will “inevitably” push up ticket fares because it is set to be allowed to hike the fees it charges to airports, Alton Aviation’s Ronan Murphy told City [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 rises as easing Iran tensions offset GDP blow; SpaceX set for blast off June 12, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Global equity investors are bracing for Musk’s record-breaking market debut SpaceX is set to begin trading on Nasdaq today after Elon Musk’s rocket, satellite and AI empire pulled off the largest IPO in market history. The company raised $75bn after pricing shares at $135, giving it a $1.77 [...]