Rolls-Royce shares hit new high as FTSE 100 rallies to record February 18, 2026 Rolls-Royce was among a whole host of City heavyweights storming higher on Wednesday helping the FTSE 100 seal another record. The aerospace giant jumped 2.2 per cent to 1,325.50p taking it to a new all-time high ahead of January’s previous peak of 1,305.00p. The move came as defence titan BAE System jumped near four per [...]
Defence stocks rally after Starmer vows to ‘go faster’ on spending pledge February 17, 2026 Investors piled into defence stocks on Monday after Keir Starmer said the UK needed to “go faster” on defence spending to combat the growing threat from Russia. The Prime Minister warned that the UK needed to “step up” its defence commitments amid reports that he wants to ramp up the defence budget by tens of [...]
Babcock shares surge as Starmer calls for Europe to ‘step up’ on defence February 16, 2026 Shares in Britain’s defence giants rallied on Monday morning as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called for Europe to “step up” on defence spending. Babcock – which plays a key role in the UK’s nuclear submarine fleet as well as naval, land and air operations – surged nearly four per cent in early trading to [...]
Natwest and Lloyds shares lead FTSE 100 rally after bruising week February 16, 2026 Natwest led a rally across Britain’s banking giants on Monday morning as lenders patched their wounds after a bruising week on the stock market. The bank topped the FTSE 100’s risers at the starting bell, gaining over four per cent in early trading to 603.60p. Barclays was shortly behind, advancing over 2.5 per cent to [...]
Babcock boss bows out after shares grow sixfold January 23, 2026 The boss of Babcock is to step down after presiding over a sixfold increase in the company’s share price during his five-year tenure. David Lockwood, who joined the defence giant as its chief executive in September 2020, will step down from the company’s board at the end of the year, the firm revealed on Friday. [...]
FTSE 100 defence stocks boosted by Trump’s calls for military spending hike January 8, 2026 Shares in top FTSE 100 defence stocks were boosted on Thursday morning, following President Trump’s push for a 50 per cent boost to the US military budget. BAE Systems shares shot up 6.7 per cent following the market open to highs not seen since October, while Babcock rose by more than 2.2 per cent. President [...]
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 [...]
Babcock shares wobble as investors split on performance November 21, 2025 Engineering and defence giant Babcock has seen its share prices wobble in morning trading, as investors were split over the group’s first half of the year performance. The FTSE 100 company saw revenue shoot up 7 per cent to £2.54bn, while profit before tax climbed 19 per cent to £201.1m, bolstered by strong performances from [...]
Ex-head of British Army to lead Santander’s defence lending October 6, 2025 The former head of the British Army is set to lead Santander’s bid to bolster its defence lending as the industry experiences soaring demand with nations upping spending. General Sir Patrick Sanders was the chief of the general staff from 2022 to 2024 in the British Army and is set to join the Spanish-headquartered bank [...]
Rolls-Royce, BAE, Babcock: Defence shares rally after Trump remarks September 24, 2025 Shares in London-listed defence firms rallied during early trading on Wednesday after President Donald Trump changed his tune on the Russia and Ukraine conflict. Aerospace firm BAE Systems led the City’s blue-chips with a 1.6 per cent gain to 1,982.50. Meanwhile Babcock was up over one per cent to 1,195 and FTSE darling Rolls-Royce rose [...]