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UK Economy 27 February 2026 - 14 April 2026

LiveScore Revenue Tops £200 Million, but UK Gambling Tax Shock Threatens Profit Push

LiveScore Revenue Tops £200 Million, but UK Gambling Tax Shock Threatens Profit Push

LiveScore Group, which owns both LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet, reported a sharp jump in annual turnover, topping 200 million pounds for the first time, filings in the UK show. Despite leaving the Netherlands, robust demand in its core markets kept revenue moving higher. For the year ended March 31, 2025, turnover was up 15.3% to £206.3 million. Operating loss was slashed to £26.7 million, down from £50.7 million a year earlier. This comes at a rough moment. The company’s filing arrives just days after Britain hiked Remote Gaming Duty—online casino tax—from 21% to 40% as of April 1. Last year, LiveScore pulled in roughly 85% of revenue from the UK, and about 90% of its turnover was tied to consumer betting and gaming brands. Now, the big question: can that pace of growth survive a sharply heavier tax bill?
14 April 2026
UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Climbs as Traders Eye Fragile Iran Ceasefire

UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Climbs as Traders Eye Fragile Iran Ceasefire

The FTSE 100 edged up 0.38% to 10,644.28 late Friday morning in London, with investors tiptoeing into risk ahead of U.S.-Iran talks set for the weekend in Pakistan. The FTSE 250 posted a firmer 0.79% gain, landing at 22,381.33. British stocks have been on a wild ride this week, yanked up and down as Middle East headlines kept shifting the outlook for oil prices and inflation. The FTSE 100 surged 2.5% Wednesday after word came of a two-week ceasefire, but edged down 0.1% Thursday with skepticism creeping back in. Now, traders are eyeing whether negotiators can manage to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for roughly a fifth of the world’s energy flow.
10 April 2026
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Lloyds Banking Group Share Price Falls to 94p as App Glitch Adds to UK Bank Selloff

Lloyds Banking Group Share Price Falls to 94p as App Glitch Adds to UK Bank Selloff

Lloyds Banking Group closed out Friday in London down 1.38% at 94.18 pence. The shares topped the FTSE All-Share’s volume table, with investors digesting a technical glitch at the bank and fresh pressure across UK lenders. This decline lands just weeks after Lloyds raised its 2026 profitability guidance and kicked off a £1.75 billion buyback off the back of annual results. On top of that, traders have dialed down expectations for a swift Bank of England rate cut as oil topped $100 a barrel and January GDP flatlined—a combination that’s kept bank shares on edge.
14 March 2026
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FTSE 100 Today: UK Stock Market Falls as $100 Oil Shifts Bank of England Outlook

FTSE 100 Today: UK Stock Market Falls as $100 Oil Shifts Bank of England Outlook

The UK’s main stock indexes slipped once more on Thursday. Late Reuters figures had the FTSE 100 dropping 0.47% to 10,305.15, while the FTSE 250—whose focus is more domestic—shed 0.83% and settled at 22,194.55. Oil rebounded toward $100 a barrel after fresh strikes on fuel tankers off Iraq, stirring up those inflation worries that have been weighing on London stocks. This shift matters, with UK stocks having counted on a possible cut to borrowing costs. But in money markets, the outlook flipped fast: traders now put the odds of a quarter-point rate hike by December at 54%—just a day ago, no move was expected. Britain’s heavy dependence on imported gas heightens the risk here compared to other economies if another energy shock hits.
12 March 2026
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SSE PLC insiders buy shares as utility enters key UK grid spending phase

SSE PLC insiders buy shares as utility enters key UK grid spending phase

SSE Plc reported Monday that Chief Executive Martin Pibworth, along with six senior executives, picked up shares through the company's all-employee share plan. The disclosure, arriving as the British utility braces for a heavier investment push, details a cumulative 45 shares acquired. Pibworth took two shares; Robert McDonald and Samuel Peacock each grabbed nine on March 6, according to the filing. It’s the timing, not the amount, that stands out. SSE’s investor page called out the transaction as its most recent regulatory disclosure on Monday, pegging the shares at 2,631 pence. The group heads into a closed period on April 2—insiders barred from trading until after results—leading up to preliminary numbers on May 28.
10 March 2026
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Persimmon Plc Shares Slide Ahead of 2025 Results as UK Housebuilder Pressure Builds

Persimmon Plc Shares Slide Ahead of 2025 Results as UK Housebuilder Pressure Builds

Persimmon Plc slid 5.5% Monday, leaving the British homebuilder’s shares at 1,223.5 pence, down 71 pence by 4:35 p.m. in London. The stock stumble comes just before Tuesday’s full-year numbers. More pressure is likely with 2025 results due March 10, as the sector’s rough patch continues. Persimmon is under fresh scrutiny as worries over profit per home and jittery demand resurface across the sector. Last week, Vistry signaled slimmer margins for 2026, pointing to heavier incentives needed to spark buyer interest. “We need to get the sales going,” CEO Greg Fitzgerald told analysts. Taylor Wimpey, for its part, cautioned that profits are set to fall this year, squeezed by climbing build costs and softer prices.
9 March 2026
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NatWest Mortgage Rates Rise Again as UK Rate-Cut Hopes Crumble

NatWest Mortgage Rates Rise Again as UK Rate-Cut Hopes Crumble

NatWest Group Plc is once more bumping up mortgage rates, this time for certain current customers and those looking to increase their borrowing, according to broker notifications. The changes kick in Tuesday, just days after NatWest pushed up pricing on its new mortgages. Mortgage Introducer says the bank has confirmed rate hikes for both existing-customer and additional-borrowing products, effective March 10. That shift is significant: UK mortgage rates had briefly dipped, but snapped back quickly. Oil powering past $100 a barrel has jolted markets, sending UK government bond yields higher and shaking up investor expectations for the Bank of England. The Bank Rate sits at 3.75%, with a policy call coming up March 19.
9 March 2026
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UK stock market today: FTSE 100 pares early slump as oil shock hits London shares

UK stock market today: FTSE 100 pares early slump as oil shock hits London shares

London stocks slumped on Monday. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.3%, while the FTSE 250 dropped a steeper 1.6%. Climbing oil prices unsettled investors, stoking fresh worries over inflation. That late dip ended up hiding some early turbulence. Right out of the gate, traders scrambled to factor in steeper fuel bills and pressure on consumers—concerns that landed just as investors were already eyeing UK inflation and government borrowing.
9 March 2026
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Tesco PLC staff set for £134m sharesave windfall as UK grocery inflation ticks up

Tesco PLC staff set for £134m sharesave windfall as UK grocery inflation ticks up

Tesco says over 22,000 employees are set to split as much as £134 million through its Save As You Earn program—a company scheme letting staff lock in future share purchases at a fixed price. Those choosing to cash in now will see average profits land somewhere between £5,000 and £8,000, with Tesco pinpointing payouts of around £5,346 for typical three-year participants and £8,004 for five-year savers. Chief people officer Emma Taylor called it a “really tangible reward.” The retailer notes this year’s payout is more than quadruple last year’s £30 million, a leap driven by shares climbing nearly 25% over the past year. The payout comes as British food prices start ticking higher again, leaving supermarkets squeezed by rising costs even as they fight to keep prices attractive. Grocery inflation in the UK nudged up to 4.3% for the four weeks ended Feb. 22, according to Worldpanel by Numerator. Tesco posted a 4.5% sales gain in the 12 weeks to Feb. 22, boosting its market share by 20 basis points to 28.7%. Sainsbury’s managed 5.2% sales growth, pushing its share up to 16.1%. Asda saw sales slip 2.6%. Among physical stores, Lidl again outpaced rivals as the fastest-growing chain.
5 March 2026
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Barclays faces a £500 million MFS exposure as lenders hunt for answers

Barclays faces a £500 million MFS exposure as lenders hunt for answers

Barclays PLC is on the hook for about 500 million pounds from companies linked to Market Financial Solutions, according to a Bloomberg News report. That figure, one of the largest claims in the UK lender’s collapse, comes in below the roughly 600 million pounds a judge had cited earlier. For comparison, Apollo Global Management’s Atlas SP Partners is owed around 400 million pounds, while Elliott Investment Management is looking at a claim of about 200 million pounds, Bloomberg said. The number comes at a tense moment for investors uneasy over private credit and specialist lending—sectors often light on transparency, with cash that can shift quickly. Shares of major London banks like Barclays, HSBC, and Standard Chartered climbed roughly 2% on Wednesday, snapping back after a two-day drop fueled by escalating conflict in the Middle East and stubborn inflation concerns.
5 March 2026
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Barclays, HSBC shares slide again as oil shock upends UK rate-cut bets

Barclays, HSBC shares slide again as oil shock upends UK rate-cut bets

Shares of Barclays and HSBC slid further in London on Tuesday, with UK bank stocks taking another hit as tensions in the Middle East escalated. By 10 a.m. GMT, both banks had dropped roughly 4.5%, according to The Banker. https://www.thebanker.com/content/2198d087-d798-47ed-a3c0-1a8586f8961f This drop is hitting just as the UK’s rate outlook remains in flux, with banks making up a big chunk of the FTSE 100. On Tuesday, Britain’s main stock indexes suffered their sharpest single-day slide in nearly a year. Energy prices jumped again, reigniting fears about inflation and forcing investors to dial back bets on interest rate cuts. David Rees, head of global economics at Schroders, flagged the risk: “if higher energy prices squeeze real incomes and prevent the Bank from cutting rates, hopes would be dashed for a growth pick-up.” https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/london-stocks-slide-inflation-worries-ahead-uk-budget-update-2026-03-03/
4 March 2026
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Ashtead share price: AHT set to disappear from London screens as Sunbelt listing goes live

Ashtead share price: AHT set to disappear from London screens as Sunbelt listing goes live

London, March 2, 2026, 07:47 GMT — Premarket Ashtead Group plc is set to disappear from the London Stock Exchange at Monday's opening bell, with its shares being removed following a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement. The equipment rental company said the scheme is now effective. Trading in shares of the new Delaware-based parent, Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, is scheduled to kick off in London at 0800 GMT, then debut on the New York Stock Exchange at 1430 GMT.
2 March 2026
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UK picks Barclays executive Katharine Braddick to run Bank of England banking watchdog

UK picks Barclays executive Katharine Braddick to run Bank of England banking watchdog

Britain tapped Barclays executive Katharine Braddick on Friday to take over as the Bank of England's deputy governor for prudential regulation, handing her the reins at the Prudential Regulation Authority. “Katharine Braddick is an accomplished pro-business leader with the experience to keep our financial system safe while backing the investment and lending that drives growth,” finance minister Rachel Reeves said. Braddick’s five-year term begins July 1, succeeding Sam Woods. She joined Barclays in 2022, following stints at the Treasury, the former Financial Services Authority, and the Association of British Insurers. The PRA occupies a quietly crucial corner of finance, scrutinizing whether banks and insurers have what it takes to weather stress. It’s also behind the rules on capital buffers—the surplus cash firms are required to keep handy in case they need to soak up losses.
27 February 2026
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Stock Market Today

  • Danika Mason Says She's Expecting First Child With Liam Knight
    June 30, 2026, 9:57 PM EDT. Danika Mason, sport presenter on the Today show, said she is expecting her first child, a girl due in December. Mason and partner Liam Knight, former rugby league player, are looking forward to the new addition. Knight came back to Australia after playing in the UK so he could be with Mason. She has talked about her experience so far, from morning sickness to food cravings, drawing support from friends and colleagues. The couple confirmed their relationship in 2024 and got engaged while on a trip to Italy. The announcement drew congratulations from across the media and sports world.
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