Barclays set to cash in on market frenzy amid Middle East crisis March 5, 2026 Barclays and its UK banking peers could be set for a cash boost from the brewing crisis in the Middle East as investors quickly dump equities and fears of an inflation spike spread. FTSE 100 giant Barclays has been noted as uniquely shielded by analysts due to its mammoth market divisions. Jefferies analysts said the [...]
Trump demands US-backed insurance as firms suspend cover in Persian Gulf March 4, 2026 Donald Trump calls for a US-backed insurance following news that most of the world’s largest maritime insurance firms are set to cease covering war risks for ships entering the Persian Gulf. On 5 March, various members of the London-based International Group of Protection and Indemnity Clubs will automatically terminate war-risk cover if vessels enter the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks inch back up; UK faces energy bills warning March 4, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Yesterday, Rachel Reeves delivered her Spring Statement. The Chancellor wheeled out new forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility that cut growth for 2026 but – albeit modestly – upgraded it for the years to come. But forecasts were quickly labelled out of date by [...]
Borrowing costs spike as Middle East conflict rages March 3, 2026 The cost of UK government borrowing spiked on Tuesday morning, while the pound plummeted as markets continued to digest the impacts of the intensifying conflict in the Middle East. The yield on the 10-year Gilt jumped 0.15 percentage points to 4.46 per cent while 2-year Gilt yields, which closely track interest rate expectations, spiked 0.16 [...]
Trump laments collapse of special relationship amid brawl with Starmer March 3, 2026 President Trump has described the breakdown of the special relationship as “very sad” amid a spat with Sir Keir Starmer on the UK’s refusal to allow military bases to be used for attacks on the Iranian regime. Trump has hit out at Starmer for the second consecutive day, claiming the Prime Minister had not been [...]
Reeves delivers Spring Statement as war rages and markets tremble March 3, 2026 Spare a thought for Rachel Reeves. She had hoped to make a Spring Statement that nobody noticed and yet today she has to deliver it as war rages in the Middle East, triggering warnings of energy price shocks, instability and inflation. There is a very real prospect that the economic forecasts to which the Chancellor [...]
The US just blacklisted an AI company. Is yours next? March 3, 2026 A government demonstrated in a single week that it can transform a technology company from the sole provider of classified AI services into a designated national security threat, not for what the company did, but for what it refused to allow, says Paul Armstrong Last week, the Trump administration blacklisted Anthropic, a company whose AI [...]
Trump and Starmer in row over use of UK military bases March 2, 2026 President Trump has said he is “very disappointed” in Sir Keir Starmer after the UK initially refused to allow the US to use military bases to organise attacks on Iran over the weekend. Trump has said the Prime Minister “took far too long” to change his mind in allowing military bases to be used after [...]
Dow Jones slides as FTSE 100 extends losses amid Iran strikes March 2, 2026 Wall Street joined Europe as markets opened on Monday with losses spread across the board as tensions escalated across the Middle East. The Dow Jones dropped nearly one per cent on open to 48,534.58 whilst the S&P 500 shed around 0.7 per cent to 6,828.47. The tech-heavy Nasdaq tumbled 0.7 per cent to 22,505.32. In [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gas price surge after LNG halt, stocks slide amid Iran conflict March 2, 2026 Good morning and welcome to the Morning Wire liveblog. Global markets were in store for another dose of risk to kick off the new week after tensions in the Middle East reached a boiling point over the weekend. The cost of a barrel of brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – climbed [...]