FTSE 100 Live: Gilt yields surge over Starmer fears; Intel, Pinterest shares rocket May 5, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Gilt yields have risen to their highest rate in nearly thirty years, as markets weigh up the prospect of an ousted Keir Starmer and lurch to a more left-wing government that might follow. The yield on 30-year government bonds rose 11 basis points on Tuesday [...]
London hotel occupancy slides as Iran war wreaks travel havoc May 4, 2026 International travel chaos caused by the Iran war is beginning to hit London’s hotels, fresh data has found. The occupancy of London’s hotels fell year on year in March, according to audit firm RSM.Hotel experts attribute the decline to a fall in tourism. Luxury London hotels enjoy a huge amount of custom from Middle Eastern [...]
Wizz air urges Brits to ‘book with confidence’ despite rising fuel fears May 3, 2026 Wizz Air has moved to reassure passengers its summer schedule will run as planned, as concerns mount over potential flight disruption linked to the Middle East conflict. The budget carrier said its operations remain “fully stable and unaffected”, despite warnings from ministers that jet fuel shortages could impact travel during the peak holiday season. A [...]
Petrol retailers vindicated after Reeves ‘profiteering’ claims May 1, 2026 Petrol retailers have been vindicated of “price gouging”, pouring cold water on the government’s accusations of profiteering from the war in Iran. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that higher fuel prices in the UK were caused by the rising cost of oil, rather than by retailers expanding their margins to profit from the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks drop amid US-Iran war mixed messaging; House prices up May 1, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets are scrambling for some messaging this morning as tensions around the Iran war drag on. Donald Trump faced a deadline for today whether to formally end the war in Iran or make the case to the US Congress for extending it. But an official [...]
Persimmon: Housebuilder sounds alarm over building cost inflation April 30, 2026 Leading housebuilder Persimmon has sounded the alarm over rising supply costs due to the Iran war as demand begins to soften. The housebuilder, one of the UK’s largest, said on Thursday it is beginning to see inflation in its supply chain, which it said could impact its finances as soon as the second half of [...]
Brits booking holidays last minute over Iran war fears, says Jet2 April 29, 2026 Budget airline Jet2 said Brits are leaving holiday bookings until the very last minute as the Iran war threatens to wreak havoc on summer tourism plans. The UK’s third-largest package holiday provider said on Wednesday: “Since commencement of the conflict in the Middle East, the booking profile has become increasingly close to departure.” But the [...]
Barclays shares slide as sour loan provisions balloon to £823m April 28, 2026 Barclays made a mammoth reservation for bad loans in the first quarter led by the hostilities in the global market and a single name charge in its investment banking division. The blue-chip lender set aside £823m for potential loan losses, up from £643m in the same period last year, in a stark sign the firm [...]
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 [...]
FTSE 100 banks £16bn payday to face economic reality check April 27, 2026 Provisions for sour loans threaten to take a bite out of profit growth as Barclays kicks off FTSE 100 banks earnings season next week whilst economic tensions loom over the wider financial industry. UK banks will give a snapshot of the gathering tensions in the economy next week as the nation’s top lenders update the [...]