As it happened: Stocks rise; oil falls after Trump pauses Iran strikes July 27, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. It’s Monday and the FTSE 100 has made a positive start to the week, gaining more than 70 points on the market open after oil prices began to fall from last week’s two-month highs. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, slipped to $90.58 in early trading [...]
Bank of England to hold interest rates as oil price surge threatens UK economy July 26, 2026 The Bank of England is expected to hold interest rates in a split vote on Thursday yet a surge in oil prices could complicate the crucial decision. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged at 3.75 per cent. Analysts believe that two members, Huw Pill and Megan Greene, could [...]
‘Extremely dangerous’: AI warfare much bigger threat than LLM model advances, experts warn July 25, 2026 The growing use of AI in warfare poses a much bigger threat to the future of the UK than the latest advances in frontier AI models, experts have told City AM. Nicholas Fairfax and Max Rangeley, co-editors of The Artificial Intelligence Revolution, said the ability of small actors to use AI to develop immensely powerful [...]
Top investment bank: Starmer and Reeves left UK ‘no better off than they found it’ July 24, 2026 Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves failed to leave the economy in a better position than they found it, according to top investment bank, which said the administration’s fixation on “luxury beliefs” kneecapped its number one mission to revive Britain’s flagging growth. In a research note on Friday, Panmure Liberum said the former Prime Minister and [...]
HSBC sells Singapore insurance arm to Allianz in £1.6bn deal July 24, 2026 FTSE 100 HSBC has agreed to sell its health and life insurance business to German insurance giant Allianz for $2.1bn (£1.6bn) as it refocuses its strategy on Singapore’s wealth management. The banking giant agreed to sell its Singapore business to Allianz in a transaction that is expected to be completed in the first half of [...]
As it happened: Stocks jump as oil drops below $100; Trump in tariff blitz July 24, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. Stocks jumped on Friday after oil eased back after reaching two-month highs on Thursday. The benchmark price of Brent crude oil slipped 4.1 per cent on Friday to $96.63 per barrel. Prices had surged to $100 following attacks by the Houthis, an Iran-backed militia based in Yemen, on [...]
Here’s how to fix London listings July 23, 2026 We need a whole of government effort to halt Britain’s companies falling prey to overseas bids, says Andrew Griffith Mitie’s takeover by rival facilities management group OCS marks the London Stock Exchange’s eleventh £1bn takeover so far this year. That’s before the Prologis bid for Segro. The cry will go up about the London Stock [...]
Burnham accused of gutting tech department’s ‘biggest strength’ July 23, 2026 Andy Burnham’s decision to abolish the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will split up the teams it was created to bring together, according to its former top civil servant. A leaked internal government document shows AI, digital and science responsibilities being divided between three departments as ministers begin dismantling DSIT less than three [...]
‘Businesses are not cash machines’ – Badenoch calls on Burnham to rule out tax rises July 23, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has called on Andy Burnham to rule out tax rises as the new Prime Minister has made a series of small unfunded promises. The Tory leader said Burnham seemed “like a nice guy” and had a “sense of humour” yet she ridiculed the Prime Minister’s early flurry of policies. In her speech overlooking [...]
Roasting heat putting Brits off roasts, warns Toby Carvery owner July 23, 2026 The sweltering summer heat has put Brits off their roasts, one of the UK’s biggest pub companies has warned, after the country set a fresh June temperature record. The owner of Toby Carvery, which offers year-round roast dinners and has more than 100 sites across the country, reported a 2.4 per cent drop in food [...]