Trump officials claim Iran is ‘weaponising global trade’ Economics The United States’ most senior military officer has warned that Iran’s sustained assault on commercial shipping threatens to destabilise the world economy, accusing the country’s leadership of deliberately weaponising the global supply chain. General Dan Caine, the former venture capitalist currently serving as chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, made a stark intervention [...]
UK manufacturing at four-year high but costs rise at pandemic pace Economics The UK manufacturing sector broke to a four-year record in April but the constraints triggered by the Iran war threatened to upend growth prospects. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global put the industry’s reading at 53.7 – its best since May 2022. This marked its sixth consecutive month above the neutral 50.0 [...]
Why high oil prices could plunge world into recession by the summer Economics The world economy is heading for a “rare” recession in the middle of this year as a prolonged war seems likely amid the prospect of US troops heading to the Middle East. Economists have warned that activity will fall in the middle of the year if oil prices surge to $150 per barrel and remain [...]
Top energy and City bosses called for summit with Starmer as oil surges March 29, 2026 A number of senior leaders from the likes of HSBC, Goldman Sachs and Shell will meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Monday as the government scrambles to help ease the unfolding energy crisis from the war in Iran. Top officials from the energy, finance and logistics sectors will attend the roundtable on Monday, [...]
What does the Middle East conflict mean for global growth? March 23, 2026 Middle East conflict sends shockwaves through oil, inflation and global growth: This is what Investec experts are thinking In our latest Q&A, Investec experts Callum Macpherson (Head of Commodities), Philip Shaw (Chief Economist) and Chris Holdsworth (Chief Investment Strategist for Investec South Africa) explain what could happen if the Middle East conflict continues, what key [...]
Nato and Europe must be ‘stronger,’ JP Morgan’s Dimon tells Davos January 21, 2026 The world’s most influential banker has said the world is “simply not safe” and called for a stronger Nato and Europe in a chilling warning to the economic elite at Davos. Speaking at the World Economic Forum, JP Morgan’s top boss Jamie Dimon said the eyes of the world “woke up” after Russia’s invasion of [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gold surges amid Trump tensions; JLR leads growth rebound January 15, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. Rachel Reeves’ report card for 2025 has received another dim review with fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing growth came in at a sluggish 0.1 per cent in the three months to November 2025. This was led by a modest rebound [...]
Wall Street banks toast to $130bn revenue in deal making boom October 15, 2025 Wall Street banks raked in bumper profits, comfortably breezing past analyst expectations in the third quarter, driven by the continued strength of trading desks and a sharp revival in deal making. JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup brushed past estimates on Tuesday, with Jamie Dimon’s banking juggernaut collecting $14.4bn (£10.8bn) in profit – a 12 [...]
Beware calm markets. Smooth waters don’t always signal safety August 26, 2025 As US markets prove resilient to tariff chaos, Fabio Bassi pleads a note of caution. As sailors know, calm waters don't always signal safety.
Mood towards global economy remains sour August 11, 2025 Fund managers are expecting inflation to rise over the next year as the mood towards the global economy coarsens. Over 40 per cent of fund managers believe the global economy is set to weaken over the next 12 months, with US economic policy and weaker consumer demand seen as the largest forces dragging it down, [...]
