Construction firms slash jobs after biggest-ever cost inflation rise April 8, 2026 Construction businesses cut jobs at a faster pace in March while the month-to-month inflation rise was the largest on record in a survey that has existed for 29 years. S&P Global said the difference in a reading for cost inflation between February and March was the largest it had ever recorded since data collection began [...]
The Debate: Should we scrap the ‘table tax’? April 8, 2026 Pavement licenses mean restaurants have to pay to put tables and chairs outside. Is that fair or is it a tax on enterprise?
Londonmaxxing could save the capital’s jobs market April 8, 2026 Can Londonmaxxing help revive the capital's flailing job market? Employment expert Kevin Fitzgerald thinks so.
Bank of England: Interest rate hike predictions cool as trader sentiment resets April 8, 2026 Fears of several interest rate hikes being made have eased as traders raved at the news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. Markets are now pricing in just one interest rate hike as the two-year gilt yield dropped to 4.1 per cent. The current interest rate is set at 3.75 per cent by the [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown users report issues as investors rush to markets April 8, 2026 The UK’s largest DIY investment platform saw users report issues in early morning trading, as investors were left in a state of fury and struggled to manage their portfolios after news of a ceasefire between the US and Iran sent stocks soaring. Users reported a spike in problems with the site upon the London Stock [...]
Shell and BP plummet after Trump declares ceasefire with Iran April 8, 2026 FTSE 100 oil stocks plunged in early morning trading as Brent prices fell after US President Donald Trump declared a two week ceasefire with Iran. Oil giant Shell suffered a 7.1 per cent slump, trading at 3,311.4 pence, bringing its rally over the course of the Iran war to a screeching halt. Rival BP recorded [...]
Barclays and Lloyds shares pop as FTSE 100 banks rally on ceasefire April 8, 2026 A whopping surge from Barclays and Lloyds led a rally across banking stocks on Wednesday morning as the City welcomed news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. Barclays soared eight per cent as trading in London kicked off, hitting highs of 438p, helping the firm claw back losses made since the start of the [...]
Close Brothers shares soar as bank ‘well positioned’ for £320m motor finance hit April 8, 2026 Close Brothers has insisted it is “well positioned” to absorb the financial hit from the City watchdog’s motor finance redress scheme but added to speculation another legal battle could be on the horizon. The FTSE 250 lender told markets on Wednesday morning that it estimates the cost of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) redress scheme [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Blue-chip stocks boom on Trump and Iran ceasefire April 8, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets are in line for a major boom this morning after Donald Trump confirmed a two-week ceasefire with Iran shortly ahead of his latest bomb threat deadline. Trump announced the two-week postponement by stating the US and Iran were “very far along” with a “definitive” [...]
A generation risks being put off university just when we need graduates most April 8, 2026 Current public debate, with headlines about student debt, graduate underemployment and a supposedly collapsing graduate jobs market risk the impression that university is no longer a worthwhile investment When Daniela Amodei, co-founder of world-leading AI firm Anthropic, was asked recently whether she regretted her English literature degree, her answer was unequivocal: no. In fact, she [...]