Sainsbury’s hopes to regain narrative after Morrisons merger bombshell October 20, 2026 Sainsbury’s is set to update the market on its latest numbers this week. But the City has one thing in mind: merger talks with Morrisons, writes Felix Armstrong As Sainsbury’s boss Simon Roberts gears up to face the market later this week, business hacks will be getting used to the usual riposte: no comment. The [...]
Why Healey will miss a £25bn bonus from better productivity October 20, 2026 The UK economy’s productivity picture has radically changed in the last year. Maurício Alencar considers what this could mean for John Healey. For weeks leading up to last year’s Budget, reports dripping from so-called Treasury sources insisted it was not Rachel Reeves’ fault that tax hikes worth billions of pounds were on the horizon. The [...]
UK company profit warnings surge as Iran war drives up costs October 19, 2026 Profit warnings from London listed businesses reached the highest levels in nearly two years over the summer, as an energy shock brought on by the Iran war fuelled inflation. Businesses issued 65 profit warnings during the period, up from 59 in the second quarter, according to the latest analysis from EY. It also marked the [...]
Condé Nast UK profits slump by more than a third as sale scrapped October 18, 2026 Profits at the UK arm of publishing giant Condé Nast fell by more than a third last year, according to new figures published after the family that owns the Vogue publisher ruled out a sale. The publisher saw pre-tax profits excluding exceptional items plummet 36 per cent from £28m in 2024 to nearly £18m last [...]
Bailey: Businesses trying not to pass costs on to consumers October 16, 2026 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said businesses are resisting decisions to pass higher energy costs onto consumers and instead looking to narrow margins and find other savings. Speaking at an International Monetary Fund event in Bangkok, Bailey said firms were “clearly squeezing margins as well as cost cutting” in order to deal with [...]
KBRA Assigns and Affirms Ratings for DFMG Holding GmbH October 15, 2026 KBRA Europe (KBRA) assigns its BBB+ ratings to DFMG Holding GmbH’s EUR 1,000 million senior secured notes. KBRA also affirms the issuer rating of BBB and senior secured ratings of BBB+ for DFMG Holding GmbH. The Outlook is Stable. GD Towers Holding GmbH (GDT) is a leading European tower company (towerco) that, through its wholly [...]
Midday Markets: Is the UK economy ‘back’? October 15, 2026 The Midday Market report is a new newsletter from City AM, giving you fresh analysis on the biggest stories in the City straight into your inbox every lunchtime. Today, Ali Lyon, assesses whether August’s positive GDP figures are a sign of a revival in the UK economy. Sign up to the City AM News Updates [...]
Labour will ‘live to regret’ scrapping triple lock, shadow pension minister warns October 15, 2026 The shadow pensions minister has warned Andy Burnham that he will “live to regret” scrapping the triple lock on the state pension to pay for his new National Care Service. Speaking at the annual Pensions UK conference on Wednesday, Helen Whately argued Burnham has created a new financial challenge through his commitment to drop the [...]
Healey promises Budget will ‘meet the moment’ October 15, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has promised that the Budget will “meet the moment” as rising costs are set to hamper households and businesses over the next few months. In interviews in Bangkok for the International Monetary Fund’s meetings, Healey said he had acted from “week one” to relieve pressures facing businesses and households with a blitz [...]
The Capitalist: Burnham’s hiring spree, cyclist crackdown and a non-Banksy Banksy October 15, 2026 Hasty hiring, cyclists being shamed and a non-Banksy Banksy; catch up on the latest City gossip in this week's edition of The Capitalist.