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 drop as oil returns to near $100 after tankers attacked March 12, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. The price of oil shot back above triple digits this morning, rising as much as nine per cent in Asian trading following the news two tankers were struck in the Gulf. An Iraqi news agency broke the news that 38 crew members have been rescued [...]
Robert Walters ditches dividend after swinging to loss March 11, 2026 Robert Walters has ditched its final dividend after the recruitment firm’s bottom line took a major hit amid a cautious global sentiment around hiring. Revenue at the London-listed firm fell 12 per cent to £781.1m over the 2025 financial year – a drop from £892.1m. The group reported an operating loss of £14.9m, reversing a [...]
Double-digit profits at Admiral as dividends rise for shareholders March 5, 2026 FTSE 100 listed insurer Admiral reported double-digit profit growth over the last financial year, as the group pivots itself toward high-tech commercial insurance. The group profit before tax rose 16 per cent to £958m – up from £827m in 2024 – as its UK motor division surpassed the £1bn profit mark. Its other UK personal [...]
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 [...]
This is why Nvidia’s results failed to woo investors February 26, 2026 Nvidia’s earnings juggernaut continued this week with another quarter of rapid growth, record revenues and guidance ahead of expectations. Yet the reaction from Wall Street was muted, reflecting the scale of expectations now set for the world’s most valuable listed company. The chip giant reported fourth-quarter revenue of $68.1bn (£50.3bn), up 73 per cent year [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Unemployment rises; Debenhams’ £35m raise February 17, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. The UK unemployment rate has risen again this morning, with fresh data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing the rate had surged to 5.2 per cent in the three months to December 2025. This was up from 5.1 per cent in the latest [...]
Relx reassures as AI fears hit data stocks February 12, 2026 Relx has sought to steady nerves with Thursday’s trading update, following a week of sharp AI-driven sell-off across legal and data stocks. The digital tool giant reported full-year results this morning showing revenue of £9.59bn for 2025, up from £9.43bn in 2024, representing seven per cent underlying growth. Reported operating profit rose to £3.03bn from [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Heathrow traffic record; Homebuilders call for help February 11, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Yesterday the FTSE 100 retreated on a slew of miserable corporate news. Leading the blue-chip index’s downturn was BP, which announced it would suspend its share buyback programme and increase cost-cutting goals as it looks to reverse its fortunes in the next financial year. The [...]
FTSE 100 Live: BP tumbles on buyback suspension, Barclays profit boost February 10, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. It was a rocky day for bond markets on Monday as political jitters rippled through the City. The 10-year gilt yield – a key benchmark for the government – rose as much as 10 basis points to 4.62 per cent following news that Scottish Labour [...]