Bank of England Live: Interest rates held in first unanimous vote in eight years March 19, 2026 Welcome back to Morning Wire‘s ongoing coverage of the interest rates decision. Interest rates have been held as rate-setters at the Bank of England warned the war in Iran could send prices spiralling as soon as April. In the first totally unanimous vote in eight years, all members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted to [...]
‘Panic mode’: FTSE 100 sinks as oil spikes on Iran’s energy threats March 18, 2026 Markets were thrown into “panic mode” on Wednesday as the surging price of oil rattled global equities. The price of Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – spiked as much as five per cent to $110 per barrel as energy facilities across the Gulf faced evacuation following the latest threats from Iran. The [...]
Wetherspoon sales could turn flat as cost pressures brew March 18, 2026 Never known to shy away from calling out the issues that push up the price of a pint, JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin looked to be setting expectations at the weekend when he warned the war in Iran will hit punters in their pockets. The UK’s best-known pub chain will announce its half-year finances on [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Diploma leads stocks as pound ticks up; Oil dips March 18, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. The FTSE 100 index closed up 0.8 per cent higher on Tuesday at 10,403.60p. The gains were accompanied by a stronger performance from the pound, which finished up $1.334 by the time London markets closed, compared to $1.329 on Monday. Sterling and the City were [...]
Trustpilot shares rocket as profit soars past forecasts March 17, 2026 Shares in Trustpilot rocketed on Tuesday morning as the FTSE 250 firm posted profit that surged past market forecasts. The customer feedback platform delivered a near-tripling of pre-tax profit to £14.1m for 2025, which it put down to investment into AI. “We have seen a dramatic rise in the visibility of Trustpilot in AI models, [...]
Wickes profit doubles as DIY firm bets on solar March 17, 2026 Home improvement retailer Wickes has doubled its profit as the firm positions itself to become a leader in solar panel installation. The firm took revenue of £1.6bn, up six per cent, and pre-tax profit grew from £23m to £49m, in the year to December 2025. Wickes was promoted to the FTSE 250 last year, as [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks inch up; Gas prices surge after drone attacks March 17, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. The FTSE 100 closed up 0.5 per cent yesterday, settling at 10,317.69p led by a three per cent jump in Endeavour Mining. It came as global markets were brought some reprieve from declining oil prices. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jump, Oil spikes, fresh Thames Water rescue deal March 16, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. This morning Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose 1.8 per cent to $104.98 per barrel during early trading in Asia. It follows President Trump stating he is unwilling to make a deal with Iran and his energy secretary warning the war will [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks fall as oil rocks markets; Reeves struck by flat economy March 13, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Fresh figures this morning have shown the UK economy was flat in the first month of the year. It marked a blow to the government’s growth agenda but this will likely be viewed as a small blow ahead of global economies being thrown into turmoil [...]
Savills shares slide as Middle East war shakes property market March 12, 2026 Shares in property giant Savills slid eight per cent as the Iran war shakes the confidence of the UK’s property market. The FTSE 250 firm’s share price fell by 7.98 per cent on Thursday to 922p, leaving the stock down six per cent in the year so far. Adam Vettesse, market analyst at eToro said [...]