Private equity buyouts slump amid AI fears and Middle East conflict April 6, 2026 The value of buyouts by private equity groups fell by more than a third in the first quarter of the year, with dealmakers warning that concerns over AI’s impact on software businesses and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict could hasten the downturn. In the three months to March, private equity groups agreed acquisitions worth $172bn [...]
‘Open the f**king strait’ – Trump issues brutal ultimatum to Iran April 5, 2026 Trump has ordered Iran once more to open the Strait of Hormuz in an expletive filled ultimatum, threatening Iranian bridges and power plants if Iran fails to meet US demands. Just hours after warning Iran that “all hell will reign down” if they fail to reopen the waterway by Monday, US President Donald Trump has [...]
Missing US airman rescued as Trump warns “all hell will rain down” April 5, 2026 The US has said it has rescued a service member missing “behind enemy lines” with Trump vowing to escalate the pressure on Tehran with renewed threats. The US president wrote on social media that the rescued aviator is injured but “will be just fine”, noting the rescue involved “dozens of aircraft”. He wrote: “This brave [...]
Bank of England: UK economy risks ‘large and overlapping’ shocks April 1, 2026 The Bank of England has issued a major warning that the financial system is facing increasing risks of “large, frequent and potentially overlapping shocks” amid the volatility from the Middle East war‘ and ongoing market risks’s impact on energy and global markets. In the latest meeting of the central bank’s Financial Policy Committee top officials [...]
Cavendish warns Iran conflict could damage long-term growth April 1, 2026 Heightened geopolitical tensions, including the Iran war, could damage investor confidence and suffocate long-term growth if they persist, UK investment bank Cavendish has warned. The AIM-listed group noted that while certain “macroeconomic conditions had been trending more positively”, including gradually declining interest rates and rising capital allocation into European markets, investor sentiment continued to be [...]
Rolls-Royce shares rocket to recovery as FTSE 100 takes off April 1, 2026 Shares in City heavyweight Rolls-Royce helped lead London’s blue-chip index higher this morning as markets were buoyed by hopes of peacetalks in the Middle East. Rolls-Royce stock soared as much as seven per cent on open to 1,215.00p. It followed comments from Donald Trump that the US would “leave” Iran in “two to three weeks”. [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks boom as Trump signals end to Iran war; Starmer eyes closer ties to EU April 1, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. President Trump has made his clearest indication yet that the war in Iran might soon come to a close, saying the US will “leave” Iran in “two to three weeks” when they are certain the regime will not be able to build a nuclear weapon [...]
Chief executives blame sleepless nights on their own senior team April 1, 2026 An angry board, a languid share price, mutiny in the junior ranks. All things you would expect the fiduciary-responsibility-bound chief executives of major listed companies to worry about. But new research suggests bosses at the helm of the world’s largest firms have a more immediate source of sleepless nights: their own leadership team. According to [...]
FTSE 100 suffers worst month since Covid as Iran war rages on April 1, 2026 The FTSE 100 suffered its worst month since the coronavirus in March, after the United States’ war in the Middle East sparked a historic market reaction that has seen government borrowing costs sprial and oil prices subjected to their largest single-month jump on record. Despite a relief rally on Tuesday, London’s blue-chip index fell more [...]
Andy Haldane: My mission to ignite Britain’s animal spirits March 31, 2026 As the Bank of England’s chief economist, Andy Haldane had a front row seat to the maladies of UK’s sluggish economy. After a four-year stint running the RSA, he is back as president of the British Chambers of Commerce, and tells Ali Lyon business is still taxed mindlessly, over regulated, and far too risk averse. [...]