UK manufacturing at four-year high but costs rise at pandemic pace May 1, 2026 The UK manufacturing sector broke to a four-year record in April but the constraints triggered by the Iran war threatened to upend growth prospects. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global put the industry’s reading at 53.7 – its best since May 2022. This marked its sixth consecutive month above the neutral 50.0 [...]
United Utilities taps shareholders for £800m as it unveils investment plans April 30, 2026 One of UK’s largest listed water company United Utilities is making a submission to the regulator to increase its investment capacity in a bid to fuel expansion plans. The FTSE 100 firm is calling for Ofwat to lift its AMP8 budget, the five year investment period running until 2030, to £11.5bn from £9bn, to match [...]
Vertu Motors lands multi-million payout from JLR cyber-attack April 30, 2026 Vertu Motors has landed a multi-million pound payout after suffering from the disruption caused by a cyber-attack at Jaguar Landrover. The AIM-listed car dealership said it was able to agree a £3.9m business interruption claim from its insurers after the attack “disrupted JLR vehicle supply, parts availability and connected systems used by JLR franchised retailers.” [...]
Standard Chartered registers $190m charge on Iran war April 30, 2026 Standard Chartered’s impairment charges jumped in the first quarter as the bank set aside a hefty sum to cover volatility in the Middle East. The FTSE 100 giant booked $296m in credit impairment charges, with $190m of this coming from “precautionary management overlays” related to the war in Iran. The Asian-focused bank’s activity in the [...]
Trans-Atlantic bid for DCC sends £5bn energy firm to top of FTSE 100 April 29, 2026 London-listed sales and distribution services group DCC became the target of a new trans-Atlantic bid for a top-tier FTSE 100 firm on Wednesday, sending its shares soaring. The Dublin-based firm received an offer from famed US private equity house Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, which linked up with Energy Capital Partners. DCC said it had received [...]
St James’s Place shares slide as Iran war damages inflows April 29, 2026 St James’s Place saw a sharp decline in its share price during early morning trading on Wednesday, as Iran war volatility damaged inflows and funds under management. The FTSE 100 wealth manager saw shares tumble 5.2 per cent to 1,187p, with shares down 14.8 per cent this year to date. The group reported a 9.4 [...]
Airtel eyes fintech IPO spin off in $10bn boost for London market April 28, 2026 British telecommunications giant Airtel is mulling listing its mobile money business on the London Stock Market in what could be one of the largest public debuts on a European exchange in years. Airtel Money – a digital commerce service that allows users to store money, transfer funds and buy mobile data – is said to [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks dip as oil edges higher; BP posts profit boom April 28, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil returned to a three-week high comfortably over the $105 mark on Monday and those gains look set to continue today. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – edged over $110 on Tuesday morning as it once again appeared peace talks in [...]
Power Probe launches dividend bonanza after growth surge April 27, 2026 One of the newest members of AIM is gearing up for a dividend bonanza just months after its London IPO. North Carolina-based Power Probe, which makes power tools for the motor industry and debuted on AIM in December, raising $15m (£11.1m), declared an initial dividend of 1.6per share on Monday. The firm, founded in California [...]
Space investment trust taps retail investors for spending splurge April 27, 2026 An investment trust focusing on commercial space opportunities will raise £350m from retail investors in a bid to capitalise on the booming space technology market. Seraphim Space, the world’s first listed fund to specialise in backing space ventures, said it was launching one of the largest share issuances in British investment history to broaden access [...]