Debenhams clinches equity raise after share price spook February 19, 2026 Debenhams Group successfully closed its equity fundraise above its initial £35m target despite a stock market spook which saw its shares drop by 20 per cent. The fashion group, which recently rebranded from Boohoo Group, had pitched the equity raise as central to its turnaround from significant struggles in recent years. Debenhams Group, which owns [...]
British Gas owner shares tumble after buyback was paused February 19, 2026 London-listed energy giant Centrica shares plunged nine per cent on Thursday morning after the group paused its share buyback programme in the face of a major earnings hit. The owners of British Gas reported lower 2025 earnings than in the previous year, but the group says it was resilient in a challenging market. The group’s [...]
Rachel Reeves warned ‘dysfunctional’ fiscal rules are hammering economy February 19, 2026 Rachel Reeves has been dealt a scathing assessment of her economic policy by a top think tank, which likened her approach to a driver who was “watching the speedometer” while ignoring other conditions. The Chancellor is facing calls to scrap the self-imposed fiscal rules that prevent her from borrowing to pay for day-to-day spending and [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Centrica profit falls; Stocks dip after record rally February 19, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. It’s been quite the week for the “old and unexciting” FTSE 100. The blue-chip index closed 1.2 per cent higher on Tuesday led by a rally in the mining sector. Antofagasta led the pack up over 10 per cent, which came a day after its [...]
The Capitalist: Standard Life scrambles to avoid ‘STD’ ticker February 19, 2026 What's in a name? A whole lot of issues for Standard Life's new Stock Exchange ticker; delve into that and more in The Capitalist.
Exclusive: Octopus to swerve new private stock exchange February 19, 2026 Octopus Energy will not join the delayed Pisces private stock market when it launches, its boss Greg Jackson has said, in a sign the utilities giant is distancing itself from the project after attending an event for interested companies last summer. Jackson told Morning Wire that his multi-billion-pound firm had “no plans” to trade its [...]
Exclusive: Fintech unicorns lukewarm on Reeves’ stamp duty holiday February 18, 2026 Two of Britain’s most exciting IPO candidates have told peers that the Treasury’s recent overhaul of stamp duty on shares will not be enough to convince them to list in London, Morning Wire can reveal. Payments giant Zilch and banking software provider Thought Machine both used a recent meeting of industry heavyweights to raise concerns [...]
BAE Systems rides defence wave to dividend boost and record results February 18, 2026 BAE Systems shareholders are set for a pay bump as the London-listed group has benefited from the wave of increased global defence spending. Sales at Europe’s largest defence contractor rose 10 per cent to a record £30.7bn, while underlying profit grew 12 per cent to £3.3bn. The group saw its total order backlog reach a [...]
Regulator mulls audit changes to attract Chinese listings February 16, 2026 The audit regulator is considering a temporary change in its accounting rules which would make it easier for Chinese firms to list in London. The proposal is the latest regulatory reform designed to make the UK a more attractive place for international companies to list. In a statement, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said it [...]
Inflation tipped to fall to year-low in boost to interest rate cuts February 16, 2026 Inflation is tipped to fall back to its lowest level for nearly a year in a busy week for UK economic data, with hopes the drop will help accelerate the Bank of England’s rate-cutting cycle. Economists are expecting the Office for National Statistics to show a sharp reprieve in the Consumer Price Index – the [...]