Bank of England holds interest rates in unanimous decision March 19, 2026 Interest rates have been held as policymakers at the Bank of England warned the war in Iran could send prices spiralling as soon as April. Members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) left interest rates unchanged at 3.75 per cent, with guidance to cutting rates in upcoming meetings now being dropped altogether. Several policymakers, including [...]
Natwest and Lloyds shares sink as Iran tensions drag FTSE 100 into red March 19, 2026 The FTSE 100 was treading slightly above the 10,000 mark on Thursday as fears grew that the index could slip underneath the milestone. London’s blue-chip index fell 2.7 per cent by the afternoon to lows of 10,002.30p. It came as shares in a number of the City’s banking giants led the FTSE 100’s downturn this [...]
Oil and gas prices surge after Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ Iran energy site March 19, 2026 The surging price of oil and gas rocked markets this morning as tensions across the Middle East continued to spike fears of an energy crisis. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – hit $113 this morning, one of the highest levels since the conflict broke out three weeks ago. Meanwhile the price of [...]
Bank of England Live: Interest rates held in first unanimous vote in eight years March 19, 2026 Welcome back to Morning Wire‘s ongoing coverage of the interest rates decision. Interest rates have been held as rate-setters at the Bank of England warned the war in Iran could send prices spiralling as soon as April. In the first totally unanimous vote in eight years, all members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted to [...]
Mark Kleinman: Industry steels itself for long road to recovery March 19, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his Morning Wire column Industry steels itself for long road to recovery Steel yourselves: I make no apology for returning for the umpteenth time in this column to the future of the UK’s beleaguered steel industry. More than five years since [...]
Interest rates set to be held as Bank backs ‘defensible strategy’ March 19, 2026 The Bank of England is set to hold interest rates at a crunch decision this afternoon as policymakers will opt for a “defensible strategy” in the face of uncertainty from the war in the Middle East. Markets have all but priced in a pause in interest rate cuts on Thursday, with most Monetary Policy Committee [...]
‘Panic mode’: FTSE 100 sinks as oil spikes on Iran’s energy threats March 18, 2026 Markets were thrown into “panic mode” on Wednesday as the surging price of oil rattled global equities. The price of Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – spiked as much as five per cent to $110 per barrel as energy facilities across the Gulf faced evacuation following the latest threats from Iran. The [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Diploma leads stocks as pound ticks up; Oil dips March 18, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. The FTSE 100 index closed up 0.8 per cent higher on Tuesday at 10,403.60p. The gains were accompanied by a stronger performance from the pound, which finished up $1.334 by the time London markets closed, compared to $1.329 on Monday. Sterling and the City were [...]
Energy bills bailout speculation sparks bond sell-off fears March 17, 2026 An unfunded government intervention to subsidise household energy bills would trigger a gilt market rout likely to push the UK’s long-term borrowing costs to the highest they have been since 1997, bond investors and economists have warned. David Zahn, head of European fixed income at Franklin Templeton, told Morning Wire that the prospect of ministers [...]
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 [...]