Oil prices spike as UK base hit by Iranian missile March 2, 2026 Oil prices spiked this morning as tensions continued to escalate in the Middle East, raising concerns that a key shipping route could be halted and an Iranian missile attack on an RAF base could drag the UK into a regional war. The cost of a barrel of brent crude – the international benchmark for oil [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gas price surge after LNG halt, stocks slide amid Iran conflict March 2, 2026 Good morning and welcome to the Morning Wire liveblog. Global markets were in store for another dose of risk to kick off the new week after tensions in the Middle East reached a boiling point over the weekend. The cost of a barrel of brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – climbed [...]
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 [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Retail sales inch up; Segro ups dividend February 20, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. The FTSE 100 took a breather from its blistering record run on Thursday after a major stock tumble at British Gas owner Centrica led the index into the red. Centrica shed over five per cent after telling markets it would hit pause on its share [...]
BP shares fall as net zero plans trigger hit of up to $5bn January 14, 2026 Oil giant BP has warned it will take a hit of up to $5bn in the final quarter of 2025 as the value of green energy projects withered. The FTSE 100 firm said it expects a write-down of between $4bn and $5bn (£3.7bn), as it rethinks its strategy for transition assets and partnerships in the [...]
Shell and BP shares sink as China slams ‘bully’ US over oil dispute January 7, 2026 Shares in FTSE 100 oil giants took a tumble on Wednesday as President Donald Trump ramped up the pressure on Venezuela to hand over oil. Shell had sunk near four per cent by midday to 2,644.7p whilst BP was down 3.5 per cent to 416.65p. The losses in the oil giants – which make up [...]
FTSE 100 closes above 10,000 after Trump triggers defence rally January 5, 2026 British defence and mining stocks set the FTSE 100 flying high on Monday after the fallout from the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro heightened investor appetite. The surging stock prices helped the blue-chip index cement its first close over the 10,000 mark, ending the session at 10,004.57 after a 0.5 per cent [...]
BP: FTSE 100 giant replaces top boss after just two years December 18, 2025 FTSE 100 oil major BP has replaced its top boss after just two years in the role as the energy giant targets a major turnaround. BP will swap out incumbent boss Murray Auchincloss, who has been in the role since the start of 2024, for Woodside Energy chief Meg O’Neil. Auchincloss will step down with [...]
BP shares jump after oil major ups dividend and launches buyback August 5, 2025 BP shares jumped on Tuesday despite the firm recording a hit to profit and revenue in the first half of 2025 as weaker oil prices and lower trading performance weighed on takings. The London-listed oil major posted total revenue of $95.6bn (£72bn), down from 2.7 per cent from the same previous last year, while profit [...]
Shell: FTSE 100 giant takes profit beat amid weak oil prices July 31, 2025 FTSE 100 juggernaut Shell posted a dramatic hit to earnings in the second quarter amid a volatile period for oil and gas prices. The London-listed oil major recorded $4.26bn (£3.21bn) marking a 32 per cent fall from the second quarter of 2024, where the firm pocketed $6.29bn. But Shell managed to scrape past an LSEG-compiled [...]