FTSE 100 Live: Stocks slide as oil surges to five-month high FTSE 100 Live Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. It’s Friday morning and London’s blue-chip index is set for a flat open as pressures on markets persist. The price of a barrel of oil has surged to $114 per barrel, trading at its highest level in over five months. It follows escalating Houthi attacks on [...]
Bloomsbury ‘confident’ of Harry Potter boost despite share slide Retail Bloomsbury is “confident” that a new Harry Potter TV show will spur the publishing house to record profit, after a slip in first-half sales spooked investors. The FTSE 250 group slipped as much as eight per cent on Thursday morning to 616p after it posted a five per cent dip in revenue to £152m and [...]
Rathbones funds rise as its wealth management arm returns to inflows Investing Rathbones posted a rise in funds under management and administration as its wealth management arm returned to net inflows. Funds under management and adminsitration increased 7.2 per cent year on year to £121.1bn. Its wealth management arm achieved net inflows, increasing to £24m after reporting losses of £300m the previous year. Further growth was restricted [...]
Barclays to axe 5,000 jobs by end of year after banking on AI savings October 22, 2026 Barclays will wield the axe on some 5,000 jobs in its global headcount as the firm ramps up its cost-cutting targets and leverages artificial intelligence. The FTSE 100 bank’s reductions will cover five per cent of the group’s global workforce and are expected to be mainly concentrated in support functions, including developers. “They’re across the [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 losses ease as oil higher after Saudi drone attack October 22, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. London’s blue-chip index is sliding this morning after a shaky week for trading. Oil pressures have climbed higher after a drone attack on Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oil field killed two people. The incident renewed tensions in the Middle East and heightened concerns over further disruptions to [...]
Halfords shares hit speedbump despite accelerating sales October 21, 2026 Halfords’ share price recovery is facing a bump in the road after warnings of a lower profit in the second half overshadowed a boost in sales. Shares in the motoring retailer fell as much as eight per cent to 256p on Wednesday morning, putting the brakes on the stock’s gradual recovery in recent months. Halfords [...]
Aim-listed tech company agrees huge takeover deal October 21, 2026 Ashtead Technology is set to become the latest company picked off the London Stock Exchange after agreeing to a £505m takeover by a New-York based private equity firm. Ember Infrastructure Management agreed to pay 615p per share in cash for the underwater technology firm. This represents a staggering 80.9 per cent premium on Ashtead’s closing [...]
Domino’s Pizza loses pace after World Cup rush October 21, 2026 Sales growth at Domino’s Pizza has slowed in recent months, as the takeaway giant struggled to extend the boost in takings it enjoyed during the World Cup this summer. The London-listed firm posted sales growth of 2.3 per cent in the three months to the end of September, slowed from 5.2 and 4.5 per cent [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 claws back losses; oil hovers as Iran-US talks stall October 21, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. London’s blue-chip index is looking to claw back losses made this week as investors weigh up the rising price of oil. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – surged above $110 per barrel on Wednesday, resuming its advance following mixed reports on diplomatic [...]
Mike Ashley’s Frasers loosens grip on Burberry October 20, 2026 Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has loosened its grip on Burberry, despite ramping up its pursuit of high-fashion names. The retail giant, which owns Sports Direct and Flannels, had built up a position in Burberry over recent weeks but has now faltered in its pursuit of the group. Frasers Group had increased its position in Burberry [...]