Glencore and Rio Tinto strike gold on high commodity prices Mining Rio Tinto and Glencore have posted near-record updates thanks to this year’s sky-high commodity prices and the uncertainty wrought by the Middle East conflict. Mining juggernaut Rio Tinto notched a 43 per cent jump in profit over the first six months of the year, pointing to persistently elevated metals prices and the ambitious efficiency programme [...]
As it happened: Stocks reach all-time high; US fires back at ‘surprise’ Iran attacks Markets Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. It’s Wednesday and the UK’s blue-chip index surged in early trading to reach an all-time high, brushing off the latest outbreak of attacks in the Middle East. The FTSE 100 hit 10,945 on the market open, eclipsing the previous intraday record of 10,934, achieved in February on the [...]
Bank of England Live: Interest rates held as hawks warn of ‘highly uncertain’ energy prices Markets Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has today decided to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent in a hawkish display. In last month’s decision, the Bank held rates in a unanimous decision. Afterwards, short-term gilt yields, which reflect government borrowing costs, sharply rose as traders priced [...]
Mark Kleinman: Audit watchdog at risk of becoming empty shell February 19, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column Audit watchdog at risk of becoming empty shell Will the last one to leave please turn out the lights? That might seem an exaggerated extrapolation on the retirement of Sir Jan du Plessis, the septuagenarian chairman [...]
Rolls-Royce shares hit new high as FTSE 100 rallies to record February 18, 2026 Rolls-Royce was among a whole host of City heavyweights storming higher on Wednesday helping the FTSE 100 seal another record. The aerospace giant jumped 2.2 per cent to 1,325.50p taking it to a new all-time high ahead of January’s previous peak of 1,305.00p. The move came as defence titan BAE System jumped near four per [...]
Glencore shares slide after Rio Tinto merger unravels February 5, 2026 Shares in Glencore tumbled on Thursday after talks over a blockbuster merger between the firm and rival Rio Tinto came to nothing. The London-listed mining giant said it was unhappy with the terms of Rio’s takeover offer, which included Rio keeping hold of top executive roles within the proposed combined business. “The key terms of [...]
FTSE 100 hits fresh record after gold and silver rout February 2, 2026 The FTSE 100 hit a fresh record on Monday despite being swept up in a global sell-off of metals and tech stocks that had pushed Asian and European stock markets deep into the red earlier in the day. The UK’s blue-chip index closed up 118 points to end the day at an all-time high of [...]
Mining M&A hits new highs after $93bn worth of deals in 2025 January 29, 2026 Global merger and acquisition activity in the mining sector hit a thirteen year high last year, as demand for critical minerals ramped up. The aggregate value of global mining M&A activity hit $93.7bn (£67.9bn), the highest annual total since 2012 when $129.3bn of transactions were recorded, according to the latest survey from law firm White [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Miners lead stock rally; Pound holds onto gains January 29, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Is President Donald Trump trying to devalue the dollar? That’s the question many in the City and across global markets were asking yesterday after Trump referred to the dollar dropping 1.3 per cent against a basket of currencies as “great”. The President’s triggered another 0.2 [...]
Glencore shares surge after FTSE 100 miner merger talks revealed January 9, 2026 The global mining landscape is bracing for a seismic shift after Rio Tinto and Glencore confirmed they are in talks regarding a potential merger. A tie-up between the two FTSE 100 titans would create the world’s largest mining entity, boasting a combined enterprise value of approximately £190bn. Glencore shares rallied nine per cent in early [...]