As it happened: FTSE 100 hits new high after interest rates held Markets Welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. The Bank of England has held interest rates at 3.75 per cent in a 6-3 split. The City had pencilled in a hawkish hold from the Monetary Policy Committee after inflationary pressures were renewed on the latest round of strikes in the Middle East. Megan Greene, Catherine Mann and [...]
Glencore and Rio Tinto strike gold on high commodity prices Mining Rio Tinto and Glencore have posted near-record updates thanks to this year’s sky-high commodity prices and the uncertainty wrought by the Middle East conflict. Mining juggernaut Rio Tinto notched a 43 per cent jump in profit over the first six months of the year, pointing to persistently elevated metals prices and the ambitious efficiency programme [...]
As it happened: Stocks slip as oil hits $100 following Houthi attacks on tankers Markets Welcome back to the Morning Wire FTSE 100 liveblog. Stocks slipped on Thursday morning as oil surged back to $100 per barrel for the first time since May. Brent crude barrelled up after the Iran-backed Houthis claimed to have attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea. The US last night launched its [...]
Mining M&A hits new highs after $93bn worth of deals in 2025 January 29, 2026 Global merger and acquisition activity in the mining sector hit a thirteen year high last year, as demand for critical minerals ramped up. The aggregate value of global mining M&A activity hit $93.7bn (£67.9bn), the highest annual total since 2012 when $129.3bn of transactions were recorded, according to the latest survey from law firm White [...]
Glencore shares surge after FTSE 100 miner merger talks revealed January 9, 2026 The global mining landscape is bracing for a seismic shift after Rio Tinto and Glencore confirmed they are in talks regarding a potential merger. A tie-up between the two FTSE 100 titans would create the world’s largest mining entity, boasting a combined enterprise value of approximately £190bn. Glencore shares rallied nine per cent in early [...]
Could this be 2026’s hottest stock market? December 29, 2025 Global equity markets were dominated by US tech stocks this year, with indices whipsawing as investors either piled money into markets or abruptly pulled out depending on the strength of AI sentiment. The Nasdaq rocketed up 19.5 per cent, hitting its peak of $23,958.47 (£17,949.09) in October, while Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ caused the index to hit [...]
Time to get relaxed about high executive pay December 10, 2025 This week Anglo American walked back on a plan that would have seen its chief executive handed a tasty bonus for the completion of its merger with Teck after investor backlash. Shareholders may have had well-reasoned objections to a scheme that would have dealt boss Duncan Wanblad an award amounting to almost two-thirds of his [...]
Anglo American axes bumper pay plan ahead of vote December 8, 2025 Anglo American has shelved plans to give its top executives a bumper payday if it completes its planned $50bn (£38bn) megamerger with Canada’s Teck, in a dramatic climbdown ahead of a shareholder vote on Tuesday. The FTSE 100 mining behemoth had sought investor approval for a motion to pay chief executive Duncan Wanblad a £8.5m [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Nvidia invests in Revolut, M&C Saatchi, S4C shares tumble November 24, 2025 Good morning from the Morning Wire liveblog team. Rachel Reeves is set to plug a looming £30bn hole in the public finances with a “dog’s breakfast” of tax hikes, according to new analysis. The Institute of Economic Affairs warns that the gap will likely be addressed by combining broad-based income tax rises with a patchwork [...]
London’s broken listings regime is pushing British firms out the door October 30, 2025 Every firm that abandons its London listing makes the next departure more likely, says Paul Scully During my four years as Minister for London, I championed our capital as a global business hub. I welcomed the work of the Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority on reforms to make our markets more competitive. But as [...]