As it happened: Stocks rally as defence shares surge on John Healey as Chancellor July 21, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. It’s Tuesday and the markets have been adjusting to the first full day of Andy Burnham’s Labour government. Burnham shocked Westminster and the City on Monday evening when he appointed John Healey as his Chancellor, just weeks after he had resigned in protest as defence secretary. [...]
Ryanair profit tumbles as jet fuel prices soar July 20, 2026 Ryanair shed more than a third of its profit as rising jet fuel prices triggered by the Iran war began to take effect. The budget airline had previously insulated itself from rising fuel prices by fixing its energy costs on hedged contracts. But Ryanair said the cost of the 20 per cent of its jet [...]
Iran war woes cause jump in London-listed profit warnings July 20, 2026 The rising energy costs and fragile consumer confidence caused by the Iran war have driven a jump in the number of profit warnings issued by London-listed firms. UK-listed companies issued 59 profit warnings in the first half of this year, up from 55 last year, with more than half of these being blamed on policy [...]
Temporary inflation slowdown set to boost Burnham July 19, 2026 Inflation is expected to have eased last month in a welcome but temporary boost for Andy Burnham’s incoming government. The headline rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation is tipped to have eased from 2.8 per cent in May to 2.6 per cent in June, according to some economists. The latest rate of inflation will [...]
Burberry revival gets a boost from China and US sales July 17, 2026 Burberry has recorded a lift in sales across all its fashion lines for the first time in three years as a resurgence in the US and China helped ease a slowdown in spending brought on by the Iran war. The London-listed fashion label posted a five per cent rise in overall revenue in the three [...]
IMF warns Bank of England against cutting interest rates July 17, 2026 The Bank of England must keep interest rates on hold for as long as risks from the Iran war persist, the International Monetary Fund has said. In its annual temperature check of Britain’s economic outlook, the fund warned rate setters to keep monetary policy “sufficiently restrictive” to avoid sparking a painful bout of inflation that [...]
Crest Nicholson shares slump as lender talks drag on July 16, 2026 Crest Nicholson shares dropped after the housebuilder posted a £35m loss and told investors it is still locked in talks with its lenders. The London-listed firm had delayed the publication of its results in the hopes of seeking emergency permission from its creditors to loosen the terms of its debt, but said on Thursday that [...]
UK borrowing costs soar as Iran ceasefire collapses July 14, 2026 The UK’s borrowing costs have sailed past five per cent for only the third time since the onset of the Iran war, in a headache for Andy Burnham just days before he enters Downing Street. The yield on the UK’s 10-year government bond – the benchmark for a country’s long-term ability to borrow – climbed [...]
Trump reinstates US blockade of Strait of Hormuz July 13, 2026 Donald Trump said the United States has restored its blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz and would demand a 20 per cent fee on all other cargo transiting the shipping lane. In a further breakdown of relations with Iran, the President said the US Navy would stop “Iran’s ships entering or leaving” [...]
London-listed firm cheers surge in demand for ‘dog wash machines’ July 13, 2026 Europe’s biggest photobooth operator has expanded into user-operated dog washing machines in a bid to recover from an Iran war hit to profit. ME Group, which operates laundry machines and photo booths across the UK and Europe, said it is rolling out hundreds of dog wash machines in a bid to drive growth. The FTSE [...]