London becomes activist capital of Europe as investors pressure firms over AI plans July 1, 2026 London has become the shareholder activist capital of Europe as boardrooms feel the heat of interventions from outspoken investors. The UK’s capital markets were the subject of a staggering 57 per cent of all European campaign activity in the first half of the year, fresh data has found, crossing the 50 per cent threshold for [...]
Half time: London market lags as rivals across the Atlantic hit fresh highs July 1, 2026 London’s main stock market index ended the first half of 2026 within touching distance of a record high set earlier in the year, but remained off the pace set by its rival in New York. The FTSE 100’s positive-but-relatively-limited run for the period summed up a feeling of measured optimism. While it made overall gains, [...]
As it happened: Stocks fall as US and Iran clash over Strait of Hormuz; Fed chair says inflation risk is easing July 1, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil prices are holding steady above $73 per barrel after days of heightened tensions between the US and Iran ahead of peace talks in Qatar. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – posted its biggest quarterly decline since 2020 for the second quarter of the [...]
Nscale and ElevenLabs power £41bn AI boom as Britain cements unicorn crown July 1, 2026 Britain’s AI sector has more than tripled in value in just a year, with fast-growing firms including Nscale and ElevenLabs now worth a combined £41bn as the UK strengthens its position as Europe’s leading startup hub. New research from the Hurun UK Unicorn Index shows the country’s nine AI unicorns have surged to a combined [...]
Rolls-Royce and BAE shares fired up on Starmer defence investment plan June 30, 2026 London-listed defence stocks including Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems shot higher on Tuesday as investors backed the main beneficiaries of Keir Starmer’s £15bn expansion in military spending. The outgoing prime minister unveiled the government’s long-awaited Defence Investment Plan in a speech in Berkshire. He appeared alongside the Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis. The [...]
‘Ultrasound cakes’ help fuel sales surge at London-listed Cake Box June 30, 2026 A surge in demand for ‘ultrasound cake’ has helped drive record sales at one of the UK’s biggest bakeries. Cake Box, which operates hundreds of stores across the UK, posted a 9.3 per cent rise in organic turnover to £45.9m for the year to end March as the firm set its sights on opening dozens [...]
Uranium miner plots London float as father-and-son team reopen abandoned site in northern Italy June 30, 2026 A firm planning to mine uranium in northern Italy has drawn up plans for a London float as it seeks to capitalise on renewed interest in nuclear technology. Reveille Resources, which will be operated by Ippolito Ingo Cattaneo alongside his father, Andrea Cattaneo, are preparing to join London’s small-cap Aquis exchange as soon as this [...]
Exclusive: Santander’s Ebury eyes £100m Lumon takeover June 30, 2026 Ebury is weighing a takeover of foreign exchange firm Lumon as it looks to accelerate its expansion ahead of an initial public offering, City AM can reveal. London-based Ebury, which is majority-owned by Santander, is currently in talks with Pollen Street over a potential bid for Lumon that could value the company at north of [...]
‘Sh*tloads to come’: London takeover spree set to accelerate June 29, 2026 At a gathering of some of London’s top bankers in the City of London last week, the mood was one of uncertainty. On the one hand, London’s dealmakers are not in want of work. In the past two weeks alone Easyjet has opened the door to an approach from American private equity firm Castlelake, Ramsdens [...]
As it happened: Supreme Court blocks Trump sacking; Andy Burnham vows ‘greater public control’; Comcast spin-off June 29, 2026 Good afternoon from the City AM liveblog team. News of a major spin-off deal in the media sector is providing the main talking point during the New York trading day, helping lift stocks up after the tech sector weighed on the market over the previous session. Sky owner Comcast’s announcement that it will set up [...]