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 [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Natwest shares fall after deal; Political jitters in bond market February 9, 2026 Good morning and welcome to the Morning Wire liveblog. Markets will have a lot to catch up on this morning after the latest escalation in political dramas over the weekend. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff announced his exit from government amid mounting pressure over the appointment of Peter Mandelson to US ambassador. [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stock rally cools; Oil tumbles amid Trump tensions January 7, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. The London stock market has opened on a dimmer mood with morning with both the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 trading into the red. The blue-chip index was hit by the falling price of oil with major stock losses across energy giants Shell and BP. [...]
Tech tailwinds boost Polar Capital as AI bubble balloons November 17, 2025 Asset manager Polar Capital reported a surge in earnings after the firm’s “meaningful exposure” to tech stocks provided a hefty tailwind. The London-listed business recorded a 21 per cent jump in pre-tax profit to £27.9m, this was up from £23.1m just last year. Whilst outflows soared to £690m, including a significant £632m concentrated in the [...]
Zilch boss shrugs off Klarna’s stock loss after fresh funding round November 13, 2025 The boss of one of London’s most hotly-anticipated fintech listings has shrugged off the recent stock fall of Klarna after securing a fresh funding round. Philip Belamant, the chief executive of consumer payments platform Zilch, told Morning Wire “there’s always a bit of downward pressure” when asked whether Klarna’s recent stock tumble raised any concerns [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Diageo taps new top chief; private equity swoop November 10, 2025 Good morning from the Morning Wire liveblog team, It’s a new week in the City and markets will be hoping for a recovery rally after tech jitters sent stocks deeper into the red on Friday. There’s a mixed bag of factors weighing on global indexes, namely the ongoing government shutdown in the US and the [...]
Shawbrook looks to raise over £50m in November IPO October 13, 2025 Specialist lender Shawbrook has confirmed its intention to kick off an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange. The company is targeting a listing in early November 2025 and expects to raise £50m in net proceeds through new shares. This will be alongside the sale of existing shares by Marlin Bidco Ltd – [...]
Shawbrook gearing up for £2bn IPO in boost to London market October 2, 2025 Specialist lender Shawbrook is preparing to announce intention of its London Stock Exchange debut – a move which could take place as soon as Thursday next week. Shawbrook’s private equity owner – Pollen Street Capital – is eying a £2bn valuation for the firm from the transaction. It comes amid a dire outlook for the [...]
Foreign takeovers risk turning UK into an ‘incubator economy’ September 15, 2025 The UK is facing a time crunch to avoid becoming an “incubator economy” as foreign takeovers continue to sweep the London market. A collection of top venture capital investors and founders have called for crucial reforms to the markets ecosystem with a focus on pensions and the IPO environment. The reforms, as outlined in a [...]
Klarna’s IPO success could lure fintechs away from London September 10, 2025 By Oscar McDonald Swedish buy-now-pay-later giant Klarna has teed up its second attempt at an IPO, with the eyes of the fintech world set on its New York debut. The company’s valuation has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past three years, peaking at £33.6bn in July 2021 before plummeting to £4.95bn a year [...]