Vanquis boss defends scrapping dividend as bank swings to profit February 26, 2026 The boss of Vanquis Bank has said he makes no apologies for a “conservative” approach to capital distribution as he launched a staunch defence of the group’s decision to axe its dividend for the second consecutive year. Ian McLaughlin, who took the helm at Vanquis in August 2023, said the bank’s “number one priority” was [...]
Jupiter Fund Management share price jumps as it rebounds February 26, 2026 Jupiter Fund Management saw its share price jump in early morning trading on Thursday as it generated the first net positive inflows since 2017, amid clients improving their investment performance. The asset manager’s share price rose 8.8 per cent 204.50 pence, gaining 28.6 per cent this year to date, as it continues to rebound from [...]
Rolls-Royce shares rally after unveiling bumper buyback plan February 26, 2026 Rolls-Royce has laid out plans to return billions to investors over the next two years after the blue-chip giant’s profit rocketed, leading to an upgrade of targets. The aerospace titan revealed plans for a £7bn to £9bn multi-year share buyback from 2026 to 2028, which comes as the firm wraps up a £1bn buyback from [...]
FTSE 100 Live: WPP sinks; LSEG, Rolls-Royce bumper buybacks February 26, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. After a few days of tariff-induced risk aversion, the FTSE 100 was back on blistering form on Wednesday, finishing the day’s trading session with a new record. London’s blue-chip index soared over one per cent to seal yet another record close at 10,806.41p. This was [...]
Trainline shares tumble after boss disembarks February 25, 2026 It’s the end of the line for the boss of Britain’s best-known rail ticketing app after Trainline chief executive Jody Ford said he would be quitting the business. Ford, who has been at the helm of the FTSE 250 company for more than six years, said he would stay in post until a search to [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Index hits record as HSBC, St James’s stock rally February 25, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. There’s a number of factors weighing on global markets at the moment, and yet the FTSE 100 was able to close Tuesday’s session unscathed. It came despite President Donald Trump’s new 10 per cent tariffs coming into effect, sending some jitters across global indexes. But [...]
‘Vulnerable’ Lloyds and Barclays shares dip as tariff turmoil hits FTSE 100 February 24, 2026 Lloyds and Barclays shares tumbled into the red this morning as “vulnerable” City banking stocks got caught in the FTSE 100’s tariff turmoil. The FTSE 350 bank index tumbled over one per cent at open to 8,184.62 as lenders were struck with volatility at the opening bell. Barclays led the slump at over two per [...]
Occupancy down at Unite Students, but demand surges at ‘elite’ universities February 24, 2026 Unite Students saw a slide in occupancy across its portfolio, offset by resilient demand at top elite universities. The student accommodation developer reported a 9 per cent increase in adjusted earnings to £232.3m for 2025. However, its statutory profit fell by 78 per cent due to a decline in the valuation of the property portfolio. [...]
Money Supermarket doubles down on AI in push to placate investor fears February 24, 2026 Money Supermarket’s owner has doubled down on its commitment to AI after investor anxieties that the technology could erode its business sent the stock tumbling earlier this month. FTSE 250 firm Mony, which owns the price comparison site alongside news website Money Saving Expert and vouchers business Quidco, said it was “shifting to mandation” for [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks take a dip amid tariff turmoil; Oil price soars February 24, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. The good old safety net of London’s blue-chip index strikes again. The week kicked off with more tariff drama after Saturday’s announcement from President Donald Trump of a sweeping 15 per cent levy across the US’ trading partners. As cool heads prevailed in government – [...]