Reeves delivers Spring Statement as war rages and markets tremble Politics Spare a thought for Rachel Reeves. She had hoped to make a Spring Statement that nobody noticed and yet today she has to deliver it as war rages in the Middle East, triggering warnings of energy price shocks, instability and inflation. There is a very real prospect that the economic forecasts to which the Chancellor [...]
Trump and Starmer in row over use of UK military bases Politics President Trump has said he is “very disappointed” in Sir Keir Starmer after the UK initially refused to allow the US to use military bases to organise attacks on Iran over the weekend. Trump has said the Prime Minister “took far too long” to change his mind in allowing military bases to be used after [...]
Dow Jones slides as FTSE 100 extends losses amid Iran strikes Markets Wall Street joined Europe as markets opened on Monday with losses spread across the board as tensions escalated across the Middle East. The Dow Jones dropped nearly one per cent on open to 48,534.58 whilst the S&P 500 shed around 0.7 per cent to 6,828.47. The tech-heavy Nasdaq tumbled 0.7 per cent to 22,505.32. In [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gas price surge after LNG halt, stocks slide amid Iran conflict March 2, 2026 Good morning and welcome to the City AM liveblog. Global markets were in store for another dose of risk to kick off the new week after tensions in the Middle East reached a boiling point over the weekend. The cost of a barrel of brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – climbed [...]
US and Israel strike Iran as Trump calls for regime change February 28, 2026 The US and Israel have launched strikes on Iran as President Trump called for Iranian citizens to “take over” the country’s government, with Sir Keir Starmer weighing in to condemn Iran’s retaliatory strikes. Trump announced in a video broadcast on Truth Social that the US has launched “major combat operations” against Iran, adding that it [...]
Businesses continue to face legal uncertainty despite court ruling on tariffs February 23, 2026 When the US Supreme Court handed down a landmark judgment against President Donald Trump’s tariffs last week the ruling sent shockwaves across the world, raising questions about what is next for businesses. On Friday, the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 Conservative majority, struck down the tariffs, which could pose major financial consequences for the [...]
Trump’s tariffs are unconstitutional and his figures are pure fantasy February 23, 2026 Donald Trump claims to have secured $18 trillion in ‘investment’ thanks to tariffs, but much of this is just purchasing, R&D or hiring, says Rainer Zitelmann Tariffs are the central pillar of Donald Trump’s economic policy. Yet it was precisely in this area that he violated the US Constitution. This was not determined by leftwing [...]
Trump’s tariff decisions send shockwaves through the markets February 23, 2026 Global assets and markets have once more found themselves reeling from the aftershocks of Trump’s tariffs decision, after his weekend announcement sent investors scrambling. The US president announced a 15 per cent blanket tariff on Saturday in rebuttal to the Supreme Court striking down his signature economic policy. Bitcoin suffered a sharp selloff on Monday [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jittery after Trump tariffs; Job vacancies fall February 23, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Tariffs are once more redefining market sentiment. Last Friday, a number of FTSE 100 stocks popped on the news President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ levies had been struck down by the US Supreme Court. It marked a major boost to global markets after the top [...]
Bank to business lending growth to halve amid global tensions February 23, 2026 UK bank to businesses lending growth is forecast to halve this year as firms feel the pinch of challenging conditions amid global tensions. Net growth in the value of lending from the banking sector to businesses is tipped to slow to 3.5 per cent this year, standing at nearly half of the 6.9 per cent [...]