FTSE 100 Live: Miners lead stock fall as gold rout deepens February 2, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. There’s one big event the City is looking towards this week but all signs point to zero surprises. On Thursday, the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee will meet for the first time this year and decide whether to take the chop to interest rates. [...]
Drinks firms ‘have no choice’ but to increase prices, say industry bosses January 31, 2026 Top drinks businesses “have no choice” but to increase prices after facing steep cost hikes from rising alcohol duty, industry leaders have warned. In November’s autumn budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that alcohol duty would increase in line with Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation. It means that the tax charged on alcoholic drinks will increase [...]
London house prices ‘need’ to fall amid supply increase, housing minister says January 30, 2026 House prices “probably need” to fall in London, the housing minister has said, after insisting that the government’s 1.5m home building target could still be met. Matthew Pennycook said Labour wants to encourage developers to compete on volume in order to ramp up housing supply and make homes more affordable. There are “people in London [...]
Who is Kevin Warsh, the man expected to become the next Fed chair? January 30, 2026 US President Donald Trump has said he will name his pick for Federal Reserve chair on Friday, ending months of speculation over who will replace Jerome Powell at the head of the US central bank. Trump said on Thursday evening that he would confirm the name of his candidate “tomorrow morning”, somebody who “is very [...]
FICO UK Credit Card Market Report: November 2025 January 30, 2026 Pre-Christmas spending remained below 2024 figures, but balances rose as payments fell to the lowest level since 2021
Media Release: Jannik Sinner and Allianz Announce Multi-Year Global Partnership January 29, 2026 Jannik Sinner becomes Global Brand Ambassador of the world’s most valuable insurance brand. The partnership broadens Allianz’s established sports collaborations; the large tennis fan base worldwide will drive emotional engagement with Allianz. “We’re here to serve” captures the spirit of both partners; joint projects with The Jannik Sinner Foundation aim to support children’s future.
Lloyds shares rally after profit boost and £1.8bn buyback January 29, 2026 Shares in Lloyds Banking Group jumped on Thursday as the bank launched a £1.8bn share buyback after breezing past profit expectations in the 2025 financial year. The FTSE 100 banking giant recorded a 12 per cent jump to pre-tax profit in the full-year netting £6.7bn and easily surpassing the £6.4bn pencilled in by internal analysts. [...]
Multi-Color Corporation Initiates Implementation of Restructuring Agreement January 29, 2026 Commences Prepackaged Chapter 11 Process As Part of Previously Announced Restructuring Support Agreement to Reset Balance Sheet and Position Company for Long-Term Growth and Investment Restructuring Supported by CD&R and More Than Supermajority of Senior Secured Lenders Who Have Agreed to Backstop Nearly $890 Million Investment; Provides More Than $500 Million of New Liquidity Upon Emergence All Global Operations and Service to Customers Expected to Continue Without Interruption; All Trade Vendors and Suppliers Expected to be Paid in Full Provides for $250 Million of New Money Debtor-in-Possession Financing to Capitalize the Business Throughout the Prepackaged Chapter 11 Process
I tried to create ChatGPT in 1999 – this is what failure taught me January 29, 2026 Fred Plais created a natural language search engine in the early days of the internet. Here’s what the AI founders of today can learn from his mistakes How did you feel when ChatGPT was released in 2022? Amazed by the advances of technology? Intrigued by the possibilities it created? Maybe worried about what AI could [...]
‘Woke’ banknotes: Bank of England orders money printer to follow ESG rules January 29, 2026 The Bank of England is facing backlash over its plans to make a new banknote printer comply with ESG and diversity standards under a “pass or fail” regime. Bank officials have attracted criticism from shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith over their plans to make applicants for the UK’s new money printing contract follow stringent criteria [...]