Morning Wire — business, markets & finance

Monday 17 August 2026London --:--Frankfurt --:--Zurich --:--

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LatestEnergy price cap hike set to push UK inflation above 2.9%Economics

Car bodies on an assembly line in a UK car plant, showcasing EV manufacturing process

Transport & Infrastructure

UK eases EV sales targets after industry pushback

Robert Jenrick speaking at a podium with BRITAIN NEEDS REFORM sign, delivering a speech.

Politics

Reform UK proposes £50bn annual cut to disability benefits, sparking political firestorm

Giles Hurley, Aldi UK CEO, stands in a supermarket produce aisle with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Retail

Aldi chief backs government move against misleading supermarket discounts

Bloomsbury has reported results ahead of consensus expectations

Retail

Authors urge Burnham to extend rates relief to independent bookshops

Sir Keir Starmer's government has prioritised investment data centres as a major pillar of its plans to boost economic growth.

Tech

Ofgem flags grid bottleneck as new Heathrow data centre gets planning go‑ahead

Nowadays, headliners are less of a major part of the festival experience

Advisory

BKL expands music‑industry advisory arm with Dales Evans purchase

Smartphone displaying the Claude by Anthropic AI assistant app, showing the app icon and interface.

AI

Anthropic overtakes OpenAI in UK business AI spend, new data shows

AI copyright laws

Media

Google defends its publisher‑pay model as Apple eyes usage‑based fees for Siri

Aviva's deal to buy Direct Line was agreed in March

Insurance

Aviva’s profit jumps 24% after Direct Line takeover

Andy Burnham speaking at a public event, emphasizing local governance and policy changes, wearing a suit and gesturing pas...

Economics

UK growth beats forecasts but war and tax clouds loom

Exterior view of the Harvey Nichols department store building facade with detailed windows and architectural columns

Retail

Frasers Group acquires Harvey Nichols in bid to expand luxury portfolio

Thoroughbred racehorses with jockeys galloping on a green track, blurred crowd in foreground

Sport

Thunder Call leads strong British challenge in Shergar Cup Sprint at Ascot

Jockey in green and dark green silks, wearing a green helmet, smiling with goggles around his neck

Sport

Shergar Cup finale puts World Pool betting to the test at Ascot

William Haggas, a man with gray hair and blue eyes, smiling and wearing a tan coat and patterned tie

Sport

Shergar Cup launches World Pool betting as Ascot welcomes Hong Kong team

Market BriefingAs of 12:30 BST

European markets at a glance

FTSE 10010,766.43+0.15%

DAX26,448.97+0.03%

CAC 408,622.86-0.16%

STOXX 506,558.53+0.29%

Full market coverage →

UK & Ireland

Pickleball in Guildhall Yard last year as part of the launch of the London Sports Festival

Lead storyLondon Sports Festival brings pickleball to New Street Square in push to activate City spaces