Sober January for alcohol stocks as Brits ditch the booze January 8, 2026 After a boozy festive period, it’s time for non-alcoholic stocks to raise a toast, as millions of Brits take on Dry January. Diageo shares have shrunk 0.23 per cent this week to 1,597.8p, while Amsterdam listed Heineken shares fell 1.7 per cent to €68.32 (£59.20). Beyond January, Brits are becoming more sober conscious. Nearly 50 [...]
FTSE 100 defence stocks boosted by Trump’s calls for military spending hike January 8, 2026 Shares in top FTSE 100 defence stocks were boosted on Thursday morning, following President Trump’s push for a 50 per cent boost to the US military budget. BAE Systems shares shot up 6.7 per cent following the market open to highs not seen since October, while Babcock rose by more than 2.2 per cent. President [...]
Badenoch accuses Starmer of lying as Abramovich row erupts January 8, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has accused Keir Starmer of lying about her shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson amid a furious row about funds in Roman Abramovich’s frozen bank account designated for Ukraine. Starmer took aim at Lord Wolfson, who has recused himself from offering the Tory leader advice on Ukraine and Russia due to his own legal [...]
M&S shakes off cyber chaos with strong Christmas sales January 8, 2026 Marks & Spencer (M&S) has delivered a steadier than feared Christmas trading update, offering some festive cheer for investors after a year, overshadowed by a costly cyber attack and months of disrupted online sales. The retailer reported group sales of £5bn for the 13 weeks to 27 December, up 3.3 per cent excluding Ocado Retail, [...]
Greggs shares tumble as baker gets burnt by flaky economy January 8, 2026 Shares in Greggs took a tumble on Thursday morning after “disappointing” sales growth from a subdued economy left investors with little to cheer for. The chain’s total sales in the golden quarter rose 7.4 per cent as it opened 207 new shops in the last 12 months leading to a net gain of 121 new [...]
House prices expected to rise in 2026 after December dip January 8, 2026 UK house prices slipped slightly in December, as affordability issues and the fallout from the Autumn Budget dampened buyer appetite, but industry figures expect the market to pick up in 2026. House prices fell 0.6 per cent in the final month of 2025, bringing prices down by a further £1,789, following a 0.1 per cent [...]
Associated British Foods shares slide after Primark sales slump January 8, 2026 Shares in Associated British Foods (ABF), the owner of Primark, tumbled in early trading on Thursday morning after the FTSE 100 giant warned of a “difficult trading environment” and downgraded the fashion retailer’s growth forecasts. ABF, which owns the chain alongside its wholesale food business, said like-for-like sales across continental Europe declined as much as [...]
Manchester United head coach’s job is to be a fall guy and human shield January 8, 2026 AI is the scourge of the modern employment market. Applicants generate automated covering letters that tick off every requirement in a job spec, and are then interviewed by robots which provide almost instantaneous rejections. Reluctant to be a Luddite in this mind-scrambling new world, here is my open letter to Sir Jim Ratcliffe applying to [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Supermarket shares fall in trolley wars; M&S rises amid cyber recovery January 8, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. The FTSE 100’s rally came crashing down yesterday as steep losses across commodities dragged the index into the red. Whilst one shouldn’t fret too much with the index still holding firm above its latest milestone, Wednesday’s 0.7 per cent drop still wiped over 70 points [...]
Labour MP Callum Anderson: Securing Starmer’s visit to London Stock Exchange took months January 8, 2026 We dig into the memory bank of the City's great and good. Today, it's Labour MP and former London Stock Exchange adviser Callum Anderson.
