FTSE 100 Live: Stocks down on election day; oil back below $100 as Iran deal hangs in balance May 7, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. It’s local election day in the UK and Keir Starmer’s premiership is hanging in the balance as his Labour Party prepares to take a drubbing in council boroughs across the country. Gilt yields rose at their fastest rate earlier this week as the market prepares [...]
This accidental Finnish defence startup can teach the UK some lessons May 7, 2026 The UK is home to some of the world's most significant defence companies, but also its most inefficient procurement systems, writes Eliot Wilson.
Why democracy needs the rich May 7, 2026 A new book argues that, in a democracy, an intellectual class that holds homogeneous, anti-capitalist views demands a counterweight of the wealthy contributing to politics, says Rainer Zitelmann In 2021 and 2022, a representative survey on attitudes toward the market economy and capitalism was conducted in 34 countries. Among other things, respondents were presented with [...]
The City AM Awards: Three cheers for these business heroes May 7, 2026 A little over 20 years ago, as City AM prepared to hit the streets for the very first time, the team was clear that a bit of positivity needed to be baked into its founding ethos. This has never meant shying away from difficult conversations or sanitising the news agenda, but it has meant that [...]
Revealed: The 2026 City AM Awards Winners May 7, 2026 Around 500 guests enjoyed a night of celebration at London’s Guildhall on Wednesday 6 May where the winners of the 2026 City AM Awards were crowned. From 60 finalists across 12 categories, the judges chose their champions. Personality of the Year Greg Jackson CBE The entrepreneur and CEO of Octopus Energy has become one of [...]
‘Frightening’: Middle-earning grads could end up paying nearly triple the student loan they took out May 6, 2026 Graduates earning a middle income are the most likely to end up paying the most for their student loans, as UK grads continue to buckle under mounting uni debt. Those starting their careers or salaries ranging from roughly £45,000 to £50,000 can end up repaying more than other graduates, according to analysis from Rathbones, as [...]
Businesses cut jobs for 19 consecutive months yet ‘growth holds up’ May 6, 2026 Businesses have now cut jobs for 19 consecutive months as researchers warned that higher payroll costs and productivity gains have forced employers in the services sector to rethink hiring plans. Results from S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) suggested that lower staffing numbers across the UK’s dominant services sector have been recorded in each month [...]
Kospi breaks 7,000 mark as Samsung becomes trillion-dollar company May 6, 2026 South Korea’s bluechip index soared to record highs during Wednesday trading, after a rally in semiconductor stocks propelled it past the 7,000 mark. The index surged 6.4 per cent to 7,384.5 points after strong gains from heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Samsung Electronics rocketed 14.4 per cent to 266,000 KRW (£134.7), with its performance [...]
Exclusive: OBR calculations suggest Reeves set for borrowing spree May 6, 2026 The Office for Budget Responsibility’s own calculations on the impact of a war in the Middle East suggest that Rachel Reeves is set to oversee a surge in borrowing, City AM has found. Sir Keir Starmer and Reeves have said that the government’s focus on “stability” has added protections to public finances and helped the [...]
Santander to axe TSB from British high street ending 215 year run May 6, 2026 Santander plans to erase the TSB brand from Britain’s high streets after more than two centuries, just one week after completing its takeover over the UK lender. The Spanish bank is gearing up to drop the brand and run the combined business as Santander UK, once the integration of the two businesses is complete, according [...]