Wise denied US banking licence in blow to expansion plans July 24, 2026 Shares in Wise plunged on Friday after the firm was denied a US banking licence by regulators, setting back the payments giant in its biggest growth market just months after it switched its primary stock market listing to New York. The London-founded fintech said the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) had [...]
AI spending overshadows Alphabet and Tesla earnings July 23, 2026 Wall Street’s biggest tech companies delivered another round of strong earnings on Wednesday, but the primary focus for investors is the growing cost of the artificial intelligence race. Alphabet and Tesla beat revenue expectations, yet their shares fell in after-hours trading after both companies signalled another year of heavy spending on AI infrastructure. Google-owner Alphabet [...]
Fresh tech sell-off fears as investor chip frenzy cools July 13, 2026 Chipmaking stocks plunged in Seoul and New York on Monday as investors opted to cash out of SK Hynix following a blistering share price rally following its Nasdaq debut last week. The Kospi, Seoul’s blue-chip index, tumbled 8.9 per cent to 6,806.9 points, dragging it further from the 9,000 mark it was touching just under [...]
As it happened: Stocks rise as oil lower; Iran threatens ‘forceful response’ over Strait of Hormuz July 3, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The rate of traffic flowing through the Strait of Hormuz is gradually picking back up in a major boost to the oil market. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – held steady at near $72 per barrel on Friday morning. It marked a similar level [...]
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 [...]
Tesla casts long shadow over SpaceX’s bumpy market debut June 25, 2026 Tesla’s record-breaking returns for early investors have become something of a benchmark for SpaceX as Elon Musk’s latest company weathers a volatile start to life on the public markets. SpaceX shares have fallen more than 20 per cent from their post-IPO high after briefly pushing the company above a $2 trillion (£1.5 trillion) valuation in [...]
London’s heatwave is a boon for Lime bikes June 24, 2026 As temperatures climb across the capital and commuters look for ways to avoid stuffy Tube carriages, London’s heatwave is turning into a major boost for the micromobility industry. Lime, the Uber-backed e-bike giant preparing for a New York stock market listing, has seen demand surge as Londoners swap public transport for two wheels. During May’s [...]
As it happened: Stocks recover after markets rocked by tech-sell off; US claims ‘good foundations’ of Iran deal June 23, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets have shrugged off the latest developments in US-Iran peace with the FTSE 100 falling at open as London got swept up in the wider sell-off that rocked Asia and Wall Street overnight. This comes despite some progress in the Middle East, with Trump’s Vice President JD Vance [...]
SpaceX snaps up AI coding darling Cursor as valuation soars past Amazon June 16, 2026 Elon Musk’s SpaceX has overtaken Amazon to become the world’s fifth-largest listed company after a blistering post-IPO rally, as the newly public firm unveiled a $60bn (£45bn) takeover of AI coding start-up Cursor. Shares in Musk’s rocket and AI giant rose more than eight per cent in pre-market trading on Tuesday, extending a surge that [...]