FTSE 100 Live: Stocks fall as oil takes hit; YouTube, BBC strike deal January 16, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. How big of a win was yesterday for Rachel Reeves? The economy grew 0.3 per cent in November – faster than expected – as Jaguar Land Rover roared back to life following a costly cyberattack that halted supply chains across the UK. But while this [...]
Coca-Cola abandons Costa Coffee sale plans as Asda owner bids low January 14, 2026 US beverage giant Coca-Cola has reportedly scrapped plans to sell the world’s second-largest coffee chain after offers from private equity firms came in below expectations. The company brought talks with remaining bidders for Costa Coffee to a halt in December, ending an auction process which had lasted several months, according to the Financial Times. Sources [...]
FTSE 100 Live: BP’s $5bn hit; Prudential taps ex-HSBC chair January 14, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Investors were taking a back seat to risk on Tuesday after President Donald Trump’s latest salvo on the Federal Reserve rocked global markets. The US Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into the Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, as Trump escalated his crusade against the central bank’s [...]
BVCA unveils rebrand to mark private equity shift January 13, 2026 The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) is rebranding to UK Private Capital, to reflect the shifting UK investment landscape. The lobby group said the change, which is subject to final approval by its members later this week, is to adapt to the growth and evolution of the UK’s private capital industry, spanning [...]
AI caution and uninvested capital: Private equity predictions for 2026 January 8, 2026 Private equity deals will “take longer” this year as firms continue to ramp up their use of a controversial tactic to hold onto assets for longer in order to maintain their value. Partners at law firm White and Case expect general partners to continue to hold onto a significant number of assets which were originally [...]
UK still waiting on IPO revival as 2025 cohort offers glum returns January 6, 2026 The London stock market is still waiting for its IPO revival after debuts disappointed in 2025 despite major market pushes from the government and regulators. In the last year, the average return for new entrants to the London stock market was -3.3 per cent when comparing firm’s debut prices with year-end market closes. This marked [...]
City minister: FTSE 100 record proves London’s got its spark back January 2, 2026 The FTSE's 10,000 point milestone is a sign of global confidence in London's capital markets, writes City minister Lucy Rigby.
Private equity firms sell assets to themselves at a record rate in 2025 December 30, 2025 Private equity firms sold companies to themselves at an unprecedented rate this year, using a controversial tactic to hold on to assets as managers struggled to find buyers or list their investments. First reported in the Financial Times, roughly a fifth of all private equity (PE) sales in 2025 involved groups raising money from new [...]
British pessimism is stalling growth December 16, 2025 British leaders are now the least optimistic cohort internationally, and it's having a real-world impact on growth, writes David Stevens.
Smiths Group strikes deal to offload detection business for £2bn December 3, 2025 London listed Smiths Group is set to offload another of its businesses, as it works to streamline its operations after bowing to increasing investor pressure. The FTSE 100 company has agreed to sell its Smiths Detection division to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners in a £2bn deal. The business manufactures threat detection technology, including [...]