Business
Wall Street joins market rally as Trump postpones power plant strikes after ‘very good and productive’ talks with Iran – business live
Posted on Monday March 23, 2026
Investors are piling back into shares after US president extends Iran’s deadline to reopen strait of Hormuz, sending oil price downTrump extends Iran deadline by five days and claims ‘productive’ talksWholesale gas prices in Europe have jumped in early trading.The UK month-ahead gas prices is up 3.1% at 155p per therm, nearly double their levels before the Iran conflict began. Continue reading...
Ministers tell HS2 to consider slower train speeds to cut costs
Posted on Monday March 23, 2026
Company will assess whether drop to 186mph from 224mph will save money and help bring forward launchMinisters have told High Speed Two to consider running its trains at lower speeds, in an attempt to rein in the spiralling budget and begin operations as soon as possible.HS2 Ltd will assess whether limiting the speed to 186mph (300km/h) instead of 224mph could save money – potentially billions of pounds – and bring the railway into being earlier in the 2030s. Continue reading...
AI boom risks widening wealth divide, says BlackRock’s Larry Fink
Posted on Monday March 23, 2026
CEO of asset manager says only a few firms and investors may reap rewards from growth in the technologyThe boom in artificial intelligence risks widening inequality, with only a handful of companies and investors likely to reap its financial rewards, the BlackRock chief executive, Larry Fink, has said.The boss of the $14tn (£10.4tn) asset manager used his annual letter to investors on Monday to highlight potential hazards around the exponential growth in AI, which has attracted rapid investment and become, he said, “central to strategic competition” between global powers such as the US and China. Continue reading...