Oil slides and stocks surge as US hails ‘chance at peace’ April 8, 2026 Global markets breathed a much-needed sigh of relief on Wednesday morning after it emerged Donald Trump reached a temporary ceasefire agreement with Iran, just hours before a high-stakes deadline in which the US president had threatened to destroy bridges, power plants and swathes of Iranian infrastructure. On Tuesday Trump set a dramatic ultimatum that “a [...]
Energy bills threat recedes but retail and hospitality remain on brink April 8, 2026 Retail and hospitality leaders are optimistic that the Iran-US ceasefire could spare them from the worst energy bill shocks, but are urging the government to address an array of other cost pressures. British businesses had warned that the soaring energy prices caused by the war in the Middle East could be devastating if the conflict [...]
‘Beautiful thing’: Trump moots US-Iran tax for ships in Strait of Hormuz April 8, 2026 President Trump has floated the prospect of a “joint venture” with the Iranian leadership on administering a tax on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz in a new peace deal for the region. Trump said both the US and Iran could jointly tax ships passing through the stretch of water, which is critical for [...]
AFC Wimbledon seeking fan investment at £26.8m valuation April 8, 2026 League One side AFC Wimbledon is seeking further investment at a valuation of £26.8m through crowdfunding. The Dons, who sit 16th in the third tier of English football, have registered themselves on investment platform Republic, offering up a maximum allocation of £68,125. The site states that this is an “opportunity to invest in AFCW PLC [...]
Son of world’s richest banker challenged US law firm over $35m legal bill April 8, 2026 Alberto Safra survived a bitter fight over his father’s $23bn fortune. Then the legal bill arrived, all $35m (£26m) of it. Safra, son of Brazilian billionaire Joseph Safra, now deceased, was billed over $35m for less than two years of work over a ‘bitter multibillion-dollar estate feud’ and one of the largest inheritance battles in [...]
Blue Owl Capital outlook cut to negative amid private credit woes April 8, 2026 The outlook on Blue Owl Capital’s flagship fund has been downgraded to negative by a leading ratings firm in the latest blow to the industry as it continues to be plagued by investors pulling money from funds. Moody’s Ratings changed its outlook from stable to negative after “significantly higher-than-peer redemption requests in the first financial [...]
Iran conflict sparks worst month of outflows since Autumn Budget April 8, 2026 The Middle Eastern conflict has triggered the worst bout of equity market outflows in months as investors retreated from stocks over fears of soaring inflation and fuel shortages. Equity fund outflows jumped to £1.4bn in March, a jump of 55.3 per cent compared to February, marking March as the worst month since November 2025, when [...]
Construction firms slash jobs after biggest-ever cost inflation rise April 8, 2026 Construction businesses cut jobs at a faster pace in March while the month-to-month inflation rise was the largest on record in a survey that has existed for 29 years. S&P Global said the difference in a reading for cost inflation between February and March was the largest it had ever recorded since data collection began [...]
Fifa World Cup tickets on resale for $11m as costs soar April 8, 2026 Tickets for this year’s Fifa World Cup are being resold for an eye-watering $11m as fans fear taking out second mortgages to get to North America. The category four ticket at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami would give a fan access to Scotland’s showpiece group match against Brazil, but will cost $11m on Fifa’s [...]
The Debate: Should we scrap the ‘table tax’? April 8, 2026 Pavement licenses mean restaurants have to pay to put tables and chairs outside. Is that fair or is it a tax on enterprise?