FTSE 100 Live: BT-Verizon deal; Stocks wobble as US and Iran renew talks; Burnham lays out plans for government
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks fall as Trump ramps up pressure; Unemployment at four-year high January 20, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Thousands more Brits exited the jobs market in November as the estimated number of payrolled employees fell by 33,000. New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 years and hit 5.1 per cent in September [...]
Starmer is right to play it cool with Trump January 20, 2026 There was a time, really not that long ago, when Davos concerned itself mostly with feel-good sessions on sustainability, inclusive growth, the promise of net zero and various other progressive causes. Who can forget Bono chatting away on stage with Rwanda’s president on the importance of transparency and good governance? Or 2020’s inspiring theme of [...]
Trump tariffs: EU ‘has tools at disposal’ to hit back amid Greenland spat January 19, 2026 The European Union has pledged it has the “tools” to hit back at the US after President Trump’s latest trade offensive amid the deepening Greenland crisis. In a daily briefing the European Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson and trade lead, Olof Gill, said “should the threatened tariffs be imposed, the European Union has tools at its disposal [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gold soars as Trump’s tariffs threaten trade war January 19, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. It might be a new year but it’s the same issues controlling the global markets. The FTSE 100 closed last week one per cent higher than it started at 10,235.29p. But this came around 24 hours prior to President Donald Trump’s fresh tariff attack on [...]
Triumph: Profit almost wiped out at iconic motorcycles maker January 5, 2026 Profit at iconic motorcycles maker Triumph has almost been wiped out thanks to US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and the cost-of-living crisis. The Derbyshire-headquartered business, which is owned by billionaire John Bloor, has posted a pre-tax profit of £2.2m for the year to 30 June, 2025. That figure is down significantly from the pre-tax [...]
Activity in UK’s embattled manufacturing sector hits 15-month high January 2, 2026 The UK’s embattled manufacturing sector took another small step towards recovery at the end of 2025 thanks to an influx of new orders. The latest UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) from S&P Global UK hit a 15-month high as the industry continued to grow for the second consecutive month. The PMI reading hit 50.6, up [...]
UK consumers cut spending amid wider economic nerves December 30, 2025 UK consumers’ debit and credit card spending slumped in 2025 for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic as wider economic nerves knocked confidence. Card spending fell 0.2 per cent in the last 12 months, according to Barclays, a sharp contrast to the 1.6 per cent growth recorded in 2024. Just a quarter of British [...]
Gold notches new high as Trump escalates Venezuela threats December 23, 2025 Gold has returned to its record-breaking routine this week as escalating geopolitical tensions and falling interest rates sent the metal to new highs. The yellow metal was closing in on $4,500 on Tuesday morning, reaching highs of $4,497 in early trading. On Monday, the price of an ounce of gold crossed the $4,400 mark for [...]
Strix Group boss exits and dividend axed after share price plunges November 26, 2025 The boss of Strix Group, a key player in safety controls for appliances, has departed following a plummet in the firm’s share price as macroeconomic pressures weighed. Mark Bartlett will step down from his role at Strix after nearly two decades at the company, one of which was spent in the top job. Shares were [...]
Santander: UK businesses shift away from China as tensions flare November 18, 2025 UK businesses are moving away from China as risks mount amid flaring geopolitical tensions. Over half of firms are taking steps to bring their supply chains closer to home, with one in five having already relocated their network closer to the UK. The moves come amid questions over China’s dominance in the supply chain, with [...]