‘Panic mode’: FTSE 100 sinks as oil spikes on Iran’s energy threats March 18, 2026 Markets were thrown into “panic mode” on Wednesday as the surging price of oil rattled global equities. The price of Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – spiked as much as five per cent to $110 per barrel as energy facilities across the Gulf faced evacuation following the latest threats from Iran. The [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Diploma leads stocks as pound ticks up; Oil dips March 18, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 index closed up 0.8 per cent higher on Tuesday at 10,403.60p. The gains were accompanied by a stronger performance from the pound, which finished up $1.334 by the time London markets closed, compared to $1.329 on Monday. Sterling and the City were [...]
State handouts for oil are no way to help the poorest March 18, 2026 If government steps in whenever there is a so-called crisis then people will stop saving for a rainy day in the false belief government will always be there to supply them with an umbrella, says Charles Amos This week Keir Starmer announced a £53m support package for vulnerable people who use oil as their main [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks inch up; Gas prices surge after drone attacks March 17, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 closed up 0.5 per cent yesterday, settling at 10,317.69p led by a three per cent jump in Endeavour Mining. It came as global markets were brought some reprieve from declining oil prices. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil [...]
Why this oil shock isn’t like the last one March 17, 2026 The new surge in oil prices will be shaped more by political responses than by monetary policy, due to a crucial shift in the economic backdrop from the tight labor markets of 2022 to the current looser conditions, says Helen Thomas This week, six major central banks meet in quick succession, including the big four: [...]
Domestic oil and gas are Britain’s best defence in the global energy crisis March 17, 2026 The conflict in Iran has highlighted the fragility of global supply chains and the necessity of energy self sufficiency, says Martin Copeland It has been just over two weeks since the US and Israel commenced military action in Iran, with acute consequences for energy, international trade and potentially the global economy. Normally, about 20 per [...]
‘No one expects’ Bank of England to cut interest rates, says former MPC member March 17, 2026 A former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has said that “no one expects a cut” to interest rates amidst deepening conflict in the Middle East. Prof Jonathan Haskel, who is also a member of City AM’s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee, told BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme he believes a rates [...]
‘Pressure point’: Oil prices spike as Trump turns up heat on Nato March 16, 2026 The price of oil spiked once more as trading for the new week began after Donald Trump ramped up pressure on his Nato peers to help get supply flowing. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, jumped 2.9 per cent as trading open after the weekend to near $106.12 a barrel, but later gave [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jump, Oil spikes, fresh Thames Water rescue deal March 16, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. This morning Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose 1.8 per cent to $104.98 per barrel during early trading in Asia. It follows President Trump stating he is unwilling to make a deal with Iran and his energy secretary warning the war will [...]
Drill in Britain’s biggest oil field or risk energy crisis, Make UK tells Ed Miliband March 13, 2026 Drilling at Britain’s biggest undeveloped oil field must urgently be approved to avert a looming energy crisis, the UK’s manufacturers’ lobby group has told Ed Miliband. Make UK, which represents thousands of manufacturers from food producers to steelmakers, said the energy secretary must give the green light to production at Rosebank in the North Sea [...]