As it happened – Starmer fights for premiership in make-or-break speech May 11, 2026 Welcome back to the City PM liveblog. Sir Keir Starmer will deliver a speech to the nation this morning as rivals circle whilst his premiership hangs in the balance. The Prime Minister is expected to set out his response to the disastrous local elections, where Labour lost 1,496 seats. The losses came as Nigel Farage’s [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks down on election day; oil back below $100 as Iran deal hangs in balance May 7, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. It’s local election day in the UK and Keir Starmer’s premiership is hanging in the balance as his Labour Party prepares to take a drubbing in council boroughs across the country. Gilt yields rose at their fastest rate earlier this week as the market prepares [...]
FTSE 100 banks are facing £2.5bn of headwinds – HSBC and Barclays are in the firing line May 6, 2026 The FTSE 100’s Big Five banks toasted a healthy profit stash in the first-quarter, but, says Samuel Norman, storm clouds are gathering on the horizon for the sector. The London market’s five biggest banks swallowed a bitter cocktail of economic risks in the first three months of the year leaving a bumper cash haul overshadowed [...]
Wetherspoon issues profit warning over ‘substantial’ cost hikes May 6, 2026 JD Wetherspoon has warned it could miss profit targets over “substantial increases in costs,” as pubs brace for soaring energy and shipping prices due to the Iran war. The UK’s best-known pub chain confirmed on Tuesday that the much-feared knock-on effects from the blockage to the Strait of Hormuz have begun to hit hospitality firms. [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jump; oil dips below $100 as Trump says Iran deal close May 6, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. Brent crude dipped below $100 at Wednesday lunchtime after Donald Trump has hailed “great progress” towards a “final agreement” with Iran, prompting a rally in the FTSE, Asian markets and Wall Street. In a sudden reversal late last night, President Trump said he will pause [...]
Trump officials claim Iran is ‘weaponising global trade’ May 5, 2026 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 [...]
HSBC profit drops after Iran war and private credit charges bite May 5, 2026 HSBC missed its profit target in the first quarter of the year after the blue-chip lender booked a mammoth credit charge. The FTSE 100 giant – which boasts a huge £230bn market cap – recorded a pre-tax profit of $9.4bn (£6.5bn), missing the $9.6bn pencilled in by analysts. This figure is also down $100m on [...]
ECB inflation survey points to sharp surge in prices May 4, 2026 Major increase identified in ECB’s longstanding expert study, but hopes it will be short lived depend on Iran war ending Timely insight into inflation flashed across traders screens on Monday from the European Central Bank, as rising oil prices were back at the top of the agenda with tensions spiking higher in the Gulf. The [...]
Trump turmoil sends oil prices back toward multi-year peak May 4, 2026 Iran hits back at president’s ‘Operation Freedom’ pledge for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz; Brent up over 5 per cent to $114 a barrel The main international oil price surged back toward multi-year highs on Monday, as US President Donald Trump’s pledge to get tanker traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz was [...]
Airport jobs at risk as Iran conflict hits flights May 3, 2026 Thousands of UK airport jobs are at risk as airlines cut schedules amid disruption linked to the Iran conflict, as the government is urged to support to protect workers. Ground handling firms and unions have warned ministers that the impact on employment could rival, or even exceed, the pandemic, as reduced flight volumes threaten a [...]
