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FINANCIAL TIMES
Saturday, 18 April 2026
 
 
 

Top Headlines from the UK Edition

 
 
 
Oil slumps as US and Iran declare Strait of Hormuz open to shipping
 
Some tankers reverse course after attempting to transit waterway amid confusion over its status
 
 
Howard Lutnick tells Canada ‘they suck’ and vows to wind back trade deal with US
 
Fraught talks set to resume to end dispute that is costing America more than $1bn a month
 
 
Keir Starmer blames ‘unforgivable’ Foreign Office for Mandelson vetting fiasco
 
PM shifts blame after Peter Mandelson revealed to have failed security officials’ checks
 
 
Investors look through the turmoil
 
The world is a mess but markets seem to be shrugging worries over the fallout of the Iran war
 
 
EU prepares for jet fuel sharing as supplies dwindle
 
Energy commissioner Dan Jørgensen says Europe moving towards supply crisis “very rapidly”
 
 
 

Top Headlines from the International Editions

 
 
 
Blue Owl co-founders no longer pledging shares for personal loans
 
Doug Ostrover and Marc Lipschultz had committed firm equity worth more than $1.1bn last year as collateral
 
 
Anthropic CEO met White House chief of staff as US seeks access to Mythos model
 
Dario Amodei met with Susie Wiles despite lawsuits over whether AI lab is a national security threat
 
 
Top Fed official warns Iran war could spark ‘lasting’ price shock
 
Christopher Waller says higher oil prices coupled with Donald Trump’s tariffs raise prospect of prolonged inflation
 
 
The white-collar defence lawyers with nothing to do
 
The Trump administration’s approach to justice has made life quieter for those who defend alleged financial criminals
 
 
The US private credit firm betting on a lucrative World Cup trade
 
Eagle Point Credit Management to capitalise on high prices and demand of football fans to attend the tournament
 
 
 

Markets

 
 
 
MFS collapse prompts surge in national insolvency rates
 
Insolvency Service reports 82% year-on-year rise in administrations last month across England and Wales
 
 
US’s status as lowest-cost dollar borrower challenged as investors shun Trump risk
 
Concerns over erratic White House policymaking have driven investors to ‘very stable’ development bank issuers
 
 
The main reason I’ve bought equities again
 
US stock valuations only make sense if you believe in AI
 
 
Deutsche Bank alerts regulators to potential Russia sanctions lapses
 
German bank found it had accepted deposits of more than €100,000 from individuals subject to EU sanctions restrictions
 
 
Energy independence could make America more aggressive
 
Being a net exporter means that energy shocks no longer constrain US foreign policy in the ways they once did
 
 
 

Companies

 
 
 
Months-old start-up Recursive Superintelligence raises $500mn for self-teaching AI
 
Group founded by former engineers at DeepMind and OpenAI secures $4bn valuation in deal with Google’s venture arm and Nvidia
 
 
Spain probes grid operator over ‘very serious’ breaches linked to blackout
 
Investigations mark first time since 2025 outage that authorities have identified different degrees of wrongdoing
 
 
The risks of Mythos are no myth
 
America is putting too much trust in the AI industry’s ability to police itself
 
 
Intertek is going to be broken up: the question is by whom
 
A split should unlock value
 
 
Lloyd’s of London to end flagship diversity event
 
Insurance marketplace has for years faced claims of sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace behaviour
 
 
 

Opinion

 
 
 
The Starmer-shaped hole where a prime minister should be
 
Mandelson scandal shows he has never successfully made the transition from an opposition mindset to a governing one
 
 
Royal disorder in the charity sector 
 
Nobody benefits if third-sector organisations can’t keep their disputes away from the courts
 
 
What Warsh should do at the Fed
 
If he is finally confirmed, Trump’s nominee for chair must undertake a re-evaluation of the central bank’s structure and purpose
 
 
Is it wrong to beg for freebies?
 
What’s a Binky? And isn’t blagging part of the job of an influencer?  
 
 
No scenario in latest Mandelson drama makes Keir Starmer look good
 
Something has gone badly wrong in communication between Downing Street and government departments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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