City investors raise alarm on Burnham’s Chancellor pick Markets Andy Burnham’s bid to return to parliament poses a risk to financial markets, City analysts have warned, as his next pick as Chancellor could heavily sway traders’ views. City analysts have said they will be closely watching out for developments on Friday as results from the Makerfield by-election emerge in the early hours of the [...]
SpaceX IPO could get wave of Brits back into equity markets, Peel Hunt boss says Markets The success of the trillion-dollar SpaceX IPO could help drive a wave of fresh interest into investing in the stock market, the boss of one of London’s biggest brokers has said. The float, which raised a whopping $75bn (£56bn), included millions of shares allocated to UK retail investors thought to be worth around £271m, with [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 relief rally runs out of steam as BP and Shell weigh; Oil hits three-month low Markets Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Market sentiment is starting the new week on a positive note after Pakistan said an official peace deal between the US and Iran would be signed this Friday in Switzerland. Asian equities were sent soaring on the news after over a 100 days of uncertainty gripped global markets, [...]
Government borrowing costs soar as Iran war drags on April 28, 2026 The government’s borrowing costs have risen to their joint highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, after a sharp jump in the oil price prompted a sell-off in UK debt because of concerns over inflation. The yield on the 10-year gilt – the main benchmark for any government’s long-term ability to borrow – climbed back [...]
It’ll take more than a squirrel to revive share ownership: cut stamp duty April 28, 2026 The government can’t promote investing in stocks and shares with one hand while taxing it with the other, says Steven Fine There is something faintly surreal about the government launching Savvy the Squirrel to encourage people to invest in shares while taking a record haul in tax from those who already do. The latest public [...]
Chip makers and defence contractors power profit upgrade for London tech stock Renishaw April 20, 2026 London-listed engineer Renishaw upped its profit guidance on Monday, sending its shares to the top of the FTSE 250, helped by demand from defence contractors and chipmakers. The Gloucestershire-based precision tech firm is known for its precision equipment used in the lithography process of making microprocessors. On Monday, it pointed to “a substantial expansion” of [...]
Bank of England could cut interest rates ‘if war ends’ April 15, 2026 The Bank of England could cut interest rates this year if the war in Iran ends and the Strait of Hormuz opens up within weeks, an economist at a City broker has said. Peel Hunt’s chief economist Kallum Pickering’s current assumption is that the Bank makes two interest rate cuts at the end of this [...]
London’s top 2025 listings tumble in blow to IPO revival hopes April 7, 2026 London’s biggest listings in 2025 have all tumbled since the start of the year, dealing a blow to hopes of a revival in the capital’s lacklustre IPO market. The five biggest floats from last year slumped by an average of 26 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, according to a City AM analysis, [...]
London IPO market may yet recover in 2026, Peel Hunt says March 19, 2026 The London IPO market could still see a revival before the end of the year, according to City broker Peel Hunt, as a number of blue chip firms wait patiently for geopolitical tensions to die down before firing the starting gun on their own floats. Brian Hanratty, head of equity capital markets at Peel Hunt, [...]
Iran war: Independent pubs face ‘devastating’ energy costs March 17, 2026 Independent pubs could be left vulnerable to spikes in energy costs caused by the Iran war, while their larger competitors enjoy the security of fixed energy deals. Landlords across the UK could face “devastating” costs if energy prices continue to rise, trade body UKHospitality has warned. Blockages to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping [...]