From jet fuel to fertiliser – economic pain is heading West April 6, 2026 A quiet Easter Sunday was abruptly punctured when US President Donald Trump unleashed a brutal, expletive-filled ultimatum to the Iranian regime. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Tuesday will be power plant day, and bridge day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. “There will be nothing like it!!! Open the f***in’ strait [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Dow Jones joins City in red; Oil soars on Iran war fears April 2, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. After a dose of optimism hit markets on Wednesday, that looks to all be eradicated come this morning. In a 19-minute long address to the nation, Donald Trump vowed to “finish the job” in Iran and warned the country would be hit “extremely hard” in [...]
Bank of England: UK economy risks ‘large and overlapping’ shocks April 1, 2026 The Bank of England has issued a major warning that the financial system is facing increasing risks of “large, frequent and potentially overlapping shocks” amid the volatility from the Middle East war‘ and ongoing market risks’s impact on energy and global markets. In the latest meeting of the central bank’s Financial Policy Committee top officials [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks boom as Trump signals end to Iran war; Starmer eyes closer ties to EU April 1, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. President Trump has made his clearest indication yet that the war in Iran might soon come to a close, saying the US will “leave” Iran in “two to three weeks” when they are certain the regime will not be able to build a nuclear weapon [...]
Forget ‘price gouging’ – this is where competition is really failing April 1, 2026 Rachel Reeves is scapegoating supermarkets for rising oil prices while ignoring algorithms that can learn ant-competitive pricing strategies, says Paul Ormerod The government is desperately trying to convince the public that it is doing something about the potential economic crisis which is unfolding. The public finances are a severe constraint on its ability to throw [...]
FTSE 100 suffers worst month since Covid as Iran war rages on April 1, 2026 The FTSE 100 suffered its worst month since the coronavirus in March, after the United States’ war in the Middle East sparked a historic market reaction that has seen government borrowing costs sprial and oil prices subjected to their largest single-month jump on record. Despite a relief rally on Tuesday, London’s blue-chip index fell more [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks inch up; Fuel shortage fears hit airlines; Unilever nears food deal March 31, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil prices are on track for its biggest monthly gain on record for March following the outbreak of war in Iran. It comes as the war in Iran continues to cause ripples through the market, with Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices [...]
Why high oil prices could plunge world into recession by the summer March 30, 2026 The world economy is heading for a “rare” recession in the middle of this year as a prolonged war seems likely amid the prospect of US troops heading to the Middle East. Economists have warned that activity will fall in the middle of the year if oil prices surge to $150 per barrel and remain [...]
US gearing up for ‘weeks of ground operations’ in Iran March 29, 2026 The US military is reportedly gearing up for “weeks of ground operations” in Iran in a move that will destroy optimism garnered over the last week that a peace deal could be on the horizon. Sources at the Pentagon have told the Washington Post that the potential operations would not amount to a full invasion, [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks slip; Justeat caught in CMA crackdown on reviews March 27, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Another pause has been slapped on Donald Trump’s pledge to “obliterate” Iranian power plants, should the nation not re-open the Strait of Hormuz. The President took to social media last night and said talks between the US and Iran were “ongoing” and “going very well,” [...]