Auction Tech fends off 11 takeover bids from largest shareholder January 5, 2026 Digital marketplace Auction Technology Group has fended off 11 hostile takeover bids from its largest shareholder. The London-listed tech firm said on Monday it had dismissed the latest offer from investment giant FitzWalter Capital, which valued ATG at 360p per share. ATG said the bid – which was received on 23 December – “fundamentally undervalued” [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Shell and BP lead index near 10,000 amid oil tensions January 5, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire morning liveblog. The FTSE 100 kicked off the new year on the front foot marking an intraday high of 10,046.25p on Friday in the first trading session of 2026. Whilst it slipped back in later trading, strong performances across blue-chip heavyweights including Rolls-Royce and Fresnillo, led [...]
FTSE 100 closes whisker away from 10,000 after intraday high January 2, 2026 The FTSE 100 was heading to a close a whisker away from the 10,000 mark on Friday after sealing an intraday high in the first day of trading in 2026. London’s blue-chip index climbed 0.3 per cent to finish the session near 9,962p. The index was boosted by an early morning rally as markets opened, [...]
The winners and losers of the FTSE 100’s record year December 31, 2025 In what has been a record year for the FTSE 100, a number of London’s blue-chips missed out on the rally and were left in the dark. The FTSE 100 is poised to close 2025 just shy of the 10,000 mark after rising 20 per cent over the course of the year, led by strong [...]
FTSE 100 ends record year with close just below 10,000 December 31, 2025 The FTSE 100 closed just below the record 10,000 in the final trading session of the year on Wednesday after a last-minute surge fizzled out. After a record-breaking 41 new all-time highs this year, the index ended 2025 up 20.2 per cent at 9,931. At the beginning of trading, it looked as if the index [...]
London Stock Exchange needs more ‘hustle’ to attract IPOs, says Octopus chief December 31, 2025 The boss of Octopus Energy Group has said the London Stock Exchange needs to show more “hustle” to attract new listing candidates like the group’s tech arm, Kraken. Greg Jackson, chief executive of Octopus, said whilst he would “love” for Kraken to list in the City, but added the London Stock Exchange (LSE) needs to [...]
Business confidence ticked up after Budget, Lloyds Bank says December 23, 2025 Business confidence inched up at the end of 2025, according to a new survey, as firms were brought some relief and clarity after the Autumn Budget. Lloyds Banking Group’s latest Business Barometer found business confidence etched up 10 points by the end of 2025 when compared with the beginning of the year. Half of this [...]
‘Chance of 2026 recession’ despite interest rate cut – follow live December 18, 2025 Welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. The Bank of England has handed Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Labour government a highly-desired Christmas present today. The central bank confirmed a chop to interest rates falling to 3.75 per cent – the lowest in nearly three years. It comes after inflation undershot expectations on Wednesday providing [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Inflation eases more than expected ahead of rate decision December 17, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. We’ve had the latest inflation data this morning, which has shown the consumer price index (CPI) rose by 3.2 per cent in the 12 months to November 2025. This eased from 3.6 per cent in October 2025. It also beats figures pencilled in by economists, [...]
Global recruiter SThree hit by ailing UK jobs market December 16, 2025 Global recruiter SThree has felt the pinch of the deteriorating UK jobs market with the region becoming the group’s worst performing large market. The consultancy – which specialises in connecting workers in science, tech engineering and mathematics with companies in need of staff – recorded a 26 per cent slump in fees in the UK [...]