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 [...]
Bank of England: Interest rate hike predictions cool as trader sentiment resets April 8, 2026 Fears of several interest rate hikes being made have eased as traders raved at the news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. Markets are now pricing in just one interest rate hike as the two-year gilt yield dropped to 4.1 per cent. The current interest rate is set at 3.75 per cent by the [...]
Rolls-Royce shares boom amid hopes of trade resumption April 8, 2026 Shares in the retail stock darling Rolls-Royce skyrocketed as investors went back to bullish ways on news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. The stock price for the engineering giant soared by as much as 10 per cent as trading opened. It meant the stock hit 1,259.80p. The jump in the share price will [...]
Shell and BP plummet after Trump declares ceasefire with Iran April 8, 2026 FTSE 100 oil stocks plunged in early morning trading as Brent prices fell after US President Donald Trump declared a two week ceasefire with Iran. Oil giant Shell suffered a 7.1 per cent slump, trading at 3,311.4 pence, bringing its rally over the course of the Iran war to a screeching halt. Rival BP recorded [...]
Barclays and Lloyds shares pop as FTSE 100 banks rally on ceasefire April 8, 2026 A whopping surge from Barclays and Lloyds led a rally across banking stocks on Wednesday morning as the City welcomed news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. Barclays soared eight per cent as trading in London kicked off, hitting highs of 438p, helping the firm claw back losses made since the start of the [...]
British Airways, Easyjet shares soar as Iran ceasefire brings relief for airlines April 8, 2026 Airline stocks have soared following President Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire with Iran, offering cautious relief to fears flights could be grounded in weeks. Shares in British Airways owner IAG soared by more than 10 per cent on Tuesday’s market open, as the FTSE 100 firm was followed by WizzAir and Easyjet who also made [...]
Close Brothers shares soar as bank ‘well positioned’ for £320m motor finance hit April 8, 2026 Close Brothers has insisted it is “well positioned” to absorb the financial hit from the City watchdog’s motor finance redress scheme but added to speculation another legal battle could be on the horizon. The FTSE 250 lender told markets on Wednesday morning that it estimates the cost of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) redress scheme [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Blue-chip stocks boom on Trump and Iran ceasefire April 8, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Markets are in line for a major boom this morning after Donald Trump confirmed a two-week ceasefire with Iran shortly ahead of his latest bomb threat deadline. Trump announced the two-week postponement by stating the US and Iran were “very far along” with a “definitive” [...]
Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square launches bid for Universal Music Group April 7, 2026 An investment company helmed by billionaire hedge fund investor Bill Ackman has offered to buy the world’s largest music company in a $63bn bid. Pershing Square said on Tuesday it plans to form a new US-listed company through a merger with Universal Music Group (UMG), pulling its Amsterdam listing. The deal would give Universal investors [...]
Virgin Money swallowed up by Nationwide as top boss exits April 7, 2026 The boss of Virgin Money is set to depart the firm later this years as the UK bank fully consolidates into the Nationwide umbrella. Chris Rhodes took the reins at Virgin Money following its acquisition by Nationwide in late 2024. Before this post, Rhodes served as finance boss at the UK’s largest building society for [...]