FTSE 100 Live: Stocks flat as US-Iran talks stall; OECD says UK unemployment to surge Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets are being pulled in countless directions from the conflicting information emerging around the conflict in the Middle East. The FTSE 100 managed to shrug off some of these jitters yesterday and secure a finish 0.3 per cent higher as the price of oil slipped. [...]
Borrowing costs fall as interest rate hike fears ease Economics Government borrowing costs fell sharply on Tuesday, after a dovish speech from Bank of England governor and revived hopes of a Middle East peace deal led traders to pare back bets on central bank interest rate hikes. Gilts rebounded across the curve, outperforming their European peers. The UK’s two-year and 10-year government bonds fell as [...]
As it happened: Stocks shrug off stalling Iran peace talks; OBR warns Reeves Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets were rocked yesterday after reports emerged from Iranian state media that Tehran was pulling out of peace talks with the US. A proposal that included a 60-day cessation of violence and a play to re-open the Strait of Hormuz has hung in the balance [...]
The world can’t keep consuming more than it produces June 2, 2026 Commodity markets have proved remarkable resilient, but there is no financial engineering solution that can replace missing barrels of oil, says Helen Thomas Commodity markets have spent the past three months performing an extraordinary balancing act. Despite one of the most significant disruptions to global energy flows in decades, the global economy has continued to [...]
Easyjet fires back at ‘highly opportunistic timing’ as Castlelake weighs takeover bid June 1, 2026 Easyjet has fired back at speculation of a takeover, after reports emerged that private credit firm Castlelake was weighing a bid. The budget airline said it notes the “highly opportunistic timing” of a potential offer as it asserted its share price is “temporarily depressed due to the current situation in the Middle East and its [...]
House prices will fall by two per cent this year – the most since the financial crisis June 1, 2026 House prices will fall by two per cent for the first time since the financial crisis this year, according to Savills, which warned mortgage hikes as a result of the Iran war had “fundamentally changed the outlook for the housing market”. The property giant was forced to revise down its property price forecast for 2026 [...]
Natwest and Barclays sweeten mortgage costs as Iran peace hopes ease interest rate fears May 29, 2026 Natwest and Barclays have become the latest lenders to sweeten up their mortgage deals, as hopes remain high that a peace deal will be reached in the Middle East that would bring calm to the interest rate environment. Both lenders have unveiled reductions in mortgage rates, with Barclays cutting its rates across the board by [...]
As it happened: Stocks rise on Iran peace hopes; Asda and Ocado deal May 29, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. After investors kicked into sell-off mode on Thursday amidst spiking tensions as the US and Iran exchanged strikes, attention is quickly turning back to hopes of a peace deal this morning. US and Iranian negotiators are reported to have reached an agreement on a 60-day [...]
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 [...]
As it happened: US-Iran peace hopes sends oil lower; Brits handed energy price cap blow May 27, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Global markets were able to take the new developments in the Middle East in their stride on Tuesday amid hopes a peace deal was on the horizon. The FTSE 100 ended the day in the green and despite some choppy trading oil prices eased. This [...]