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” [...]
Workers’ rights laws couldn’t come at a worse time for businesses April 8, 2026 The government’s Employment Rights agenda is becoming a reality, and the timing could scarcely be worse. As the first provisions of the Employment Rights Act come into force, Britain’s economic outlook is darkening rapidly. Growth is faltering under the weight of an energy shock, inflation is stirring again and businesses are staring down a period [...]
Barclays’ high street U-turn exposes a divide in British banking April 8, 2026 Bank have ditched the high street over the last decade but is a comeback on the horizon? Samuel Norman explores the changes in this week’s column. In Westminster, the news cycle is never short of drama over U-turns. Subtle tweaks or direct bait-and-switches on policy are batted away by government spokespeople as mere “pivots” as [...]
Jet fuel crisis sparks rush for travel insurance as airlines warn of Summer cancellations April 7, 2026 Interest in travel insurance has spiked over the last month after airline bosses warned of cancelled flights amid shortages of jet fuel due to the ongoing energy crisis. Thousands of flights have been cancelled, and more cuts are planned, as global airlines struggle with surging fuel costs and supply issues caused by the war in [...]
Stagflation to batter UK economy as growth grinds to halt April 7, 2026 The UK economy is set to suffer from stagflation over the coming months as growth across the services sector ground to a halt in March, researchers have indicated. The war in the Middle East has brought output growth to its slowest level since last April while input price inflation hit its highest level since the [...]
JP Morgan to build Canary Wharf’s tallest tower – if there is a tax incentive April 7, 2026 JP Morgan has been given the green light to build Canary Wharf’s largest tower but questions still remain over controversial tax incentives to lure the Wall Street titan in. The US banking behemoth has been in talks with officials from London City Airport regarding height restrictions for the tower. The bank is understood to have [...]
‘Cracks are showing’: Asylum contract deadline pushed back as pressure on Labour grows April 7, 2026 The Home Office has pushed back a crucial deadline for private sector companies to bid for a key asylum accommodation contract, piling pressure on the government to see through its effort to reform the wider immigration system. A deadline for businesses to engage the Home Office on a new contract for managing asylum accommodation has [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks dip ahead of Trump’s Iran deadline April 7, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The London market is set to return from the bank holiday break with a major hangover. Whilst the City enjoyed an Easter break, volatile trading continued with Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – hovering around the $110 mark after see-sawing between gains [...]