Cost burden on firms rise at fastest pace since May January 6, 2026 Cost burdens on firms rose at their fastest pace since May as bosses dealt with wage growth pressures and sky-high energy prices, new data has indicated. S&P Global’s latest purchasing managers’ index (PMI), a monthly survey tracking hundreds of companies’ performances, showed that cost increases became heavier at the end of last year. Researchers said [...]
Tennis: Record prize money for Australian Open winners January 6, 2026 Winners at this year’s Australian Open will get £2m in prize money for the first time after organisers of the tennis grand slam increased their total purse. If Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys are able to defend their titles they’ll receive £2.06m from tournament organisers in Melbourne, up from £1.7m in 2025. The £55.2m purse, [...]
Steve Coogan’s TV maker returns to profit before High Court settlement January 6, 2026 Steve Coogan’s production company returned to profit ahead of settling a High Court defamation claim, it has been revealed. Baby Cow Productions has reported a pre-tax profit of £358,628 for the year to 31 March, 2025. The profit comes after the business posted a pre-tax loss of £374,081 for the prior 12 months. New accounts [...]
GTA 6: Rockstar Games’ UK profit rises ahead of release January 6, 2026 Profit at the UK arm of Rockstar Games has risen ahead of the release of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6). The business has posted a pre-tax profit of £26.9m for the year to 31 March, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The latest figure is up from the £19.4m [...]
Lloyds shares surge past 100p to 17-year high January 6, 2026 Shares in Lloyds Banking Group surged past 100p on Tuesday morning amidst a wider rally in the London stock market’s blue-chips. The FTSE 100 banking giant jumped over one per cent at the opening bell to 101.30p marking a 17-year High before parring back some gains to close 0.8 per cent higher at 100.75. Lloyds’ [...]
Next shares rise after Christmas shopping frenzy January 6, 2026 Next shares jumped on Tuesday after the high street staple toasted another frenzied Christmas shopping period. The FTSE 100 group’s stock soared as much as 5 per cent to 14,265 pence, with shares now up by almost a fifth over the past six months after it hailed a 10.6 per cent jump in fourth-quarter full [...]
Jaguar Land Rover sales tumble after cyber attack disruption January 6, 2026 Sales at Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover tumbled in the last quarter of the year after a massive cyber attack wreaked havoc with the carmaker’s production plans. Wholesale volumes were down by more than 40 per cent to 59,200 in the three months to the end of December, while retail sales slumped 25 per cent to [...]
Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop collapse into administration, risking thousands of jobs January 6, 2026 High street chains Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) are being put into administration, after their owner said “last-ditch” measures had fallen through, putting about 2,500 UK staff at risk of redundancy. The two retailers had already undergone restructuring and were bought by investment firm Modella Capital last year. Modella said it had made [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Next gets Christmas boost; JLR sales crash after cyber attack January 6, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. British defence stocks were taken for a ride on Monday after rising geopolitical tensions put heightened investor appetite. It was the City’s defence giants Babcock and BAE leading the FTSE 100 to start the week, alongside gold miners who were benefiting from the surging price [...]
Business rates reform must even playing field between high street and online January 6, 2026 Bricks and mortar businesses are being unfairly punished by outdated business rates in need of reform, writes Ros Morgan