‘Pressure point’: Oil prices spike as Trump turns up heat on Nato March 16, 2026 The price of oil spiked once more as trading for the new week began after Donald Trump ramped up pressure on his Nato peers to help get supply flowing. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, jumped 2.9 per cent as trading open after the weekend to near $106.12 a barrel, but later gave [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jump, Oil spikes, fresh Thames Water rescue deal March 16, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. This morning Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose 1.8 per cent to $104.98 per barrel during early trading in Asia. It follows President Trump stating he is unwilling to make a deal with Iran and his energy secretary warning the war will [...]
Manufacturers warn of ‘fragile footing’ as Iran war threatens to hike costs March 16, 2026 UK manufacturing has started the year on “fragile footing,” with its economic standing likely to worsen due to the conflict in the Middle East, the sector’s industry has warned. A new report from Make UK revealed the sector is set to grow by just shy one one per cent in 2026, a modest rebound after [...]
Drill in Britain’s biggest oil field or risk energy crisis, Make UK tells Ed Miliband March 13, 2026 Drilling at Britain’s biggest undeveloped oil field must urgently be approved to avert a looming energy crisis, the UK’s manufacturers’ lobby group has told Ed Miliband. Make UK, which represents thousands of manufacturers from food producers to steelmakers, said the energy secretary must give the green light to production at Rosebank in the North Sea [...]
Businesses ‘yearning for stability’ says UK bank chief March 13, 2026 Businesses are “yearning” for stability, according to a top banking chief executive, as the turmoil in the Middle East threatens to upend the global economy. Ian Corfield, the boss of London-listed Secure Trust Bank, told City AM: “I think the reality is that even before things kicked off a month ago, obviously nerves were increasing. [...]
Oil crisis to ‘push UK into recession’ after growth flatlines March 13, 2026 Fears that the ongoing crisis in the Middle East will plunge the UK into a recession have been amplified after fresh figures revealed the economy flatlined in January. The price of oil closed above $100 for the first time since 2022 last night as interventions from the global energy body failed to calm markets amid [...]
Miliband and Reeves to meet petrol retailers as fuel costs spike March 13, 2026 Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has said the government “will not tolerate” energy firms profiteering from the rising price of oil amid the war in Iran. Oil prices climbed back above $100 a barrel on Thursday despite the International Energy Agency (IEA) saying on Wednesday that it would release a record 400 million barrels of oil [...]
‘Taxed to a standstill’ – UK economy grinds to a halt with no growth in January March 13, 2026 The UK economy saw zero growth in the first month of the year – before global markets were rocked by the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have handed a major blow to Rachel Reeves with the economy flat in January, compared to the 0.2 [...]
Ed Davey should leave Dubai tax exiles alone March 13, 2026 Ed Davey’s calls for American-style citizenship taxes on British expats in Dubai to pay for their military protection is completely unjustified, argues Charles Amos Last week Ed Davey challenged Keir Starmer to introduce American-style citizenship taxation on Brits who have fled to Dubai, but who now allegedly ask for military protection. His argument is simply [...]
Global trade runs on trust – that’s why insurance is important in a time of war March 13, 2026 The Iran conflict could be devastating, but while risks evolve and routes shift, trade continues to find a way, says Benoit Urbin As expected, the latest military escalation involving the United States, Israel and Iran has reintroduced uncertainty into global markets. Energy markets have already come under upward pressure due to the risk of supply [...]