‘Panic mode’: FTSE 100 sinks as oil spikes on Iran’s energy threats March 18, 2026 Markets were thrown into “panic mode” on Wednesday as the surging price of oil rattled global equities. The price of Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – spiked as much as five per cent to $110 per barrel as energy facilities across the Gulf faced evacuation following the latest threats from Iran. The [...]
Shepherd Neame braces for energy price shock as Iran war drives up costs March 18, 2026 Shepherd Neame has become the latest pub company to express concern over the spectre of rising energy costs after the war in Iran sent the price of oil soaring. The Kent-based brewer, pub and hotel group, which is listed on the Aquis stock exchange, said its energy was “heavily hedged” into the next financial year [...]
Ramsdens shares rocket as pawnbroker cashes in on gold boom March 18, 2026 Shares in pawnbroker Ramsdens rocketed as it looked poised to take advantage of gold prices, inflated by the Iran war, by taking as much as £28m this year. The firm’s share price soared by more than ten per cent on Wednesday, to 404p, leaving it up more than four per cent in the year so [...]
Wetherspoon sales could turn flat as cost pressures brew March 18, 2026 Never known to shy away from calling out the issues that push up the price of a pint, JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin looked to be setting expectations at the weekend when he warned the war in Iran will hit punters in their pockets. The UK’s best-known pub chain will announce its half-year finances on [...]
Energy bills bailout speculation sparks bond sell-off fears March 17, 2026 An unfunded government intervention to subsidise household energy bills would trigger a gilt market rout likely to push the UK’s long-term borrowing costs to the highest they have been since 1997, bond investors and economists have warned. David Zahn, head of European fixed income at Franklin Templeton, told City AM that the prospect of ministers [...]