As it happened: Stocks plummet on latest Iran war tensions; Neets crisis a ‘human tragedy’ May 28, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The US and Iran are back to exchanging fire in a major blow to hopes of peace in the Middle East. Tehran struck an American airbase overnight in its retaliation for the US striking a military site that it said “posed a threat to US forces [...]
Small cap tech firm quits LSE to cut costs in latest market blow May 27, 2026 Small-cap semiconductor firm Nanoco Group is quitting the London Stock Exchange in a bid to save £700,000 a year, in the latest setback for Britain’s struggling public markets. The Manchester-based tech business said the annual costs of maintaining its listing had become too burdensome for a company of its size, as it blamed weak liquidity [...]
Crude language is the least of BP’s Manifold problems May 27, 2026 Yesterday saw the ousting of BP chair Albert Manifold after less than one year in the role. According to various media reports, Manifold was “shouty” and “aggressive”, with a “volcanic temper”. But try as it might to escape crude language, BP’s board may soon suffer similar missives from its shareholders after another c-suite scandal left [...]
An Inspector Calls at Nationwide’s annual general meeting May 27, 2026 In 49 days An Inspector Calls at the Nationwide annual general meeting and in this week’s column Samuel Norman looks at what he could be asking. Also on the agenda… after annual report season, it’s time for Starling to go full throttle on Engine. Not since the keen-eyed Inspector Goole shattered the comfortable illusions of [...]
Poor investor communication is holding back Britain’s listed companies May 26, 2026 UK-listed companies are losing the confidence of retail investors, as shareholders complain of weak communication, poor transparency, and limited access to chief executives, according to new research from InvestorHub and ShareSoc. More than half of investors surveyed said transparency was missing from company communications, while almost half said listed businesses failed to provide sufficiently clear [...]
As it happened: Petrol prices surge to Iran war record as Kingfisher helps lift stocks higher May 26, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The City is returning from the Bank Holiday break to find the tensions in the Middle East continuing in a stalemate – or perhaps a further escalation than last week. After days of threats President Donald Trump has issued a strike on Iran, which he [...]
Shawbrook weighs Aldermore bid as Firstrand looks to offload challenger bank May 25, 2026 Shawbrook is reportedly weighing up a merger with rival Aldermore after its owner put the challenger bank up for sale. The lender, which debuted on the London Stock Exchange last year, is in the early stages of considering a takeover, according to Sky News’ Mark Kleinman. South Africa-based financial services group Firstrand, which bought Aldermore [...]
Oyster Shed: Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone helps pub chain Young’s to biggest day of takings in 200 years May 22, 2026 One of the Square Mile’s best-known watering holes has marked the biggest single day of takings of any venue owned by pub chain Young’s since it was founded nearly 200 years ago, City AM can reveal. And the Oyster Shed had a helping hand from one of the best-known names in UK television: Jeremy Clarkson, [...]
No, London’s economy hasn’t lost its lustre. Here’s why May 21, 2026 The FT has once again remembered to write about London, the city in which the paper was founded and where the lion’s share of its staff, and its readership, is based. Though it turns out the pink’un hasn’t many nice things to say. London’s economy has lost its lustre, the paper writes. Among the evidence [...]
‘We’ll keep acquiring’: Young’s sets sights on buying up dozens more London pubs May 21, 2026 One of London’s biggest pub chains has said it wants to buy up dozens more pubs after cheering the success of recent takeovers. Young’s, which currently operates around 280 pubs across the country, has set a medium-term target of expanding its estate to 350 pubs. The group has been on a major acquisition spree over [...]