FTSE 100 Live: Gilt yields soar, Bank of England rate hike fears grow, Wetherspoon shares tumble March 20, 2026 Good morning from the City PM liveblog team. Stocks made gains on Friday morning after a statement from Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu that he could see “this war ending a lot faster than people think” reassured markets that conflict in the Middle East could soon recede. The remarks follow further missile strikes by the US [...]
London IPO market may yet recover in 2026, Peel Hunt says March 19, 2026 The London IPO market could still see a revival before the end of the year, according to City broker Peel Hunt, as a number of blue chip firms wait patiently for geopolitical tensions to die down before firing the starting gun on their own floats. Brian Hanratty, head of equity capital markets at Peel Hunt, [...]
Natwest and Lloyds shares sink as Iran tensions drag FTSE 100 into red March 19, 2026 The FTSE 100 was treading slightly above the 10,000 mark on Thursday as fears grew that the index could slip underneath the milestone. London’s blue-chip index fell 2.7 per cent by the afternoon to lows of 10,002.30p. It came as shares in a number of the City’s banking giants led the FTSE 100’s downturn this [...]
Bank of England Live: Interest rates held in first unanimous vote in eight years March 19, 2026 Welcome back to City PM‘s ongoing coverage of the interest rates decision. Interest rates have been held as rate-setters at the Bank of England warned the war in Iran could send prices spiralling as soon as April. In the first totally unanimous vote in eight years, all members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted to [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Diploma leads stocks as pound ticks up; Oil dips March 18, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. The FTSE 100 index closed up 0.8 per cent higher on Tuesday at 10,403.60p. The gains were accompanied by a stronger performance from the pound, which finished up $1.334 by the time London markets closed, compared to $1.329 on Monday. Sterling and the City were [...]
Boku boss: Nasdaq is no ‘silver bullet’ for fintech listings March 17, 2026 The boss of one of the London market’s fastest growing fintech companies has warned flocking to a listing on Wall Street is no “silver bullet” for firms seeking deeper liquidity than what’s on offer in the City. Stuart Neal, the chief executive of Boku, told City PM shifting the firm’s listing across the Atlantic would [...]
Revolut’s triumph reminds us what British tech sector is capable of March 12, 2026 There hasn’t been much good news around lately – between the UK’s miserable growth trajectory, war in the Middle East and the whiff of decay in Downing Street, it’s been hard to find the optimism. But when something genuinely impressive happens in British business, it’s worth pausing to take notice. And this week we had [...]
On the Beach shares tumble as it tears up guidance amid bookings slowdown March 12, 2026 On the Beach has torn up its guidance for the forthcoming year after warning that tensions in the Middle East have sparked a sharp slowdown in bookings. The online travel agent previously forecast pre-tax profit of between £39m and £43m. “Whilst the group has limited exposure to destinations in the Middle East, it has experienced [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks drop as oil returns to near $100 after tankers attacked March 12, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. The price of oil shot back above triple digits this morning, rising as much as nine per cent in Asian trading following the news two tankers were struck in the Gulf. An Iraqi news agency broke the news that 38 crew members have been rescued [...]
Robert Walters ditches dividend after swinging to loss March 11, 2026 Robert Walters has ditched its final dividend after the recruitment firm’s bottom line took a major hit amid a cautious global sentiment around hiring. Revenue at the London-listed firm fell 12 per cent to £781.1m over the 2025 financial year – a drop from £892.1m. The group reported an operating loss of £14.9m, reversing a [...]
