Business
Oil price drops and stocks rebound after Trump says Iran war will end ‘very soon’ - business live
Posted on Tuesday March 10, 2026
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsMarkets are pricing in a chance that the Bank of England could cut interest rates this year, but a cut next week looks unlikely, says Kathleen Brooks, of the broker XTB.There is currently 0.4 rate cuts priced in for this year, and UK rates are expected to end the year at 3.65%, down from the current level of 3.75%. There is a 7.2% chance of a rate cut priced in for the BOE’s meeting next week.While we doubt that a rate cut is on the cards, the Bank of England will need to use next week’s meeting to signal their future intentions. Will they look through the crisis in the Middle East as a temporary spike in commodity prices and focus on the weakening economy? Or will the situation have died down enough for them to signal that further rate cuts are coming, albeit with a small delay? Either way, next week’s meeting is still important for sterling and UK bond markets. Continue reading...
Financier Crispin Odey takes FCA to court over exclusion from City
Posted on Tuesday March 10, 2026
Regulator fined the multimillionaire £1.8m and banned him from the financial services industry last yearCrispin Odey, the multimillionaire financier fighting various lawsuits relating to allegations of sexual misconduct, is to launch a case against the financial services regulator over his exile from the City.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fined Odey £1.8m and banned him from the financial services industry last year. Continue reading...
Iran war could knock UK homebuyer confidence, says builder Persimmon
Posted on Tuesday March 10, 2026
Growing fears that elevated interest rates will continue, as Barclays finds worries that war will push up inflationBusiness live – latest updatesA leading British housebuilder has warned the Iran conflict could knock homebuyer sentiment, amid growing fears of a jump in inflation and a prolonged period of elevated interest rates.Persimmon said it was “monitoring the impact the conflict with Iran could have on our markets in 2026”, but noted that consumer sentiment could be sensitive amid more financial uncertainty. Continue reading...
Opinion
Technology
Thousands of authors publish ‘empty’ book in protest over AI using their work
Posted on Tuesday March 10, 2026
About 10,000 writers including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman join copyright campaignThousands of authors including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman have published an “empty” book to protest against AI firms using their work without permission.About 10,000 writers have contributed to Don’t Steal This Book, in which the only content is a list of their names. Copies of the work are being distributed to attenders at the London book fair on Tuesday, a week before the UK government is due to issue an assessment on the economic cost of proposed changes in copyright law. Continue reading...
Revealed: UK’s multibillion AI drive is built on ‘phantom investments’
Posted on Monday March 09, 2026
Exclusive: Rented datacentres and ‘supercomputer’ site that’s still a scaffolding yard raise questions for Starmer’s push to ‘mainline AI into veins of economy’From press release … to scrap metal site: the Essex supercomputer that’s still a scaffolding yardA multibillion-pound drive to “mainline AI into the veins” of the British economy is riddled with “phantom investments” and shaky accounting, a Guardian investigation has found.Since 2024, successive Conservative and Labour governments have proclaimed massive deals to build new datacentres, create thousands of jobs and construct a supercomputer. Continue reading...
Sport
Cheltenham festival day one: The New Lion can roar in Champion Hurdle
Posted on Monday March 09, 2026
Lossiemouth’s presence means the selection is an attractive bet to follow up last year’s novice win at this meetingThe sporting decision to send Lossiemouth, the Mares’ Hurdle winner for the last two seasons, in against all-comers in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle adds considerably to the depth of the competition, but it has also prompted a minor drift in the price of The New Lion and he is an attractive bet to follow up last year’s novice win at this meeting.Unlike the other three runners at single-figure odds for Tuesday’s feature event, The New Lion does not benefit from a 7lb mares’ allowance. While Brighterdaysahead, Golden Ace and Lossiemouth have 12, 12 and 17 runs behind them respectively, however, The New Lion has just half a dozen, with five wins and just one defeat when he made an uncharacteristic jumping error at Newcastle in December. Continue reading...
Relegated and then European champions? Have I got Spurs for you | Jon Harvey
Posted on Tuesday March 10, 2026
It’s been a troubling season at Tottenham and while there is a slim chance it will end in glory, ignominy is looking more likelyHow do you solve a problem such as Tottenham Hotspur? They’re the ninth-richest club in the world, who pride themselves on a thrilling style of play – “To dare is to do” – and have been blessed through the years with a pantheon of household names: Blanchflower, Hoddle, Ardíles, Gascoigne, Bale, Kane, Son. Last August they were seconds from beating Paris Saint-Germain to win the Uefa Super Cup, which would have made them – tenuously – the best team in Europe. Seven months later they’ve wilted into a shell-shocked laughing stock careering towards the Championship. They’re the club that launched a thousand memes.In this most Spursy of seasons, hiring Mr Fixit Igor Tudor as interim manager looks like being the biggest misstep yet. The Croatian hard man has taken a squad who needed an arm round the shoulder and stuck them in a vice-like headlock. He has openly suggested there’s only three things wrong with them: they can’t run, they can’t score and they can’t defend. You could count the number of fans who backed his appointment on the fingers of Captain Hook’s bad hand, and if three crushing defeats are anything to go by, his shock treatment is going down like a cup of cold West Ham lasagne. Is there any way out? Continue reading...