Oil prices plunge 15% to below $100, stocks surge and dollar slumps after Trump announces US-Iran ceasefire – business live
Posted on Wednesday April 08, 2026

Gas prices slide 20%, government bond yields fall sharply as rate hike expectations recede

Despite the sharp drop in crude oil prices today, Mohit Kumar, chief European economist at Jefferies, does not expect oil prices to go back to pre-war levels anytime soon, and warned it could take months for energy supply to return to normal levels.

Here are his thoughts.

We would view the Iran 10 point proposal positively and do think that it could become the basis for further negotiations. The important background is that Trump really wants a deal and wants to get out of the war and hence would be open for negotiations.

The two contentious elements from the Iran proposal are 1) no mention of nuclear deal 2) the proposal to charge a fee which would be unacceptable to the US or its allies.

Potential alternative routes for the strait of Hormuz would be in focus. For Iran, sadly we fear that apart from reconstruction, it would continue its efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon as a credible deterrent.

Hence we do not see oil going back to pre-war levels anytime soon. We would also need to price a geopolitical risk premium across asset classes which would produce winners and losers.

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Shell oil trading profits soar amid Iran war but Qatar strikes hit gas output
Posted on Wednesday April 08, 2026

Earnings at renewable energy division expected to soar to between $200m and $700m in first quarter

• Business live – latest updates

Shell is expected to report “significantly higher” profits from its commodity trading desks in the first quarter of this year after weeks of market volatility triggered by the Iran crisis.

The surge in energy commodity markets over recent weeks is expected to drive up trading results at Shell’s chemicals and products unit, which includes its main oil trading desk.

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UK house prices fall in March amid uncertain impact of Middle East conflict
Posted on Wednesday April 08, 2026

Average price dips back below £300,000 after higher energy costs have knock-on effect on mortgage rates

UK house prices fell in March, as the housing market lost momentum amid uncertainty over the conflict in the Middle East and the impact on the economy and interest rates.

Figures from Halifax, which is part of Lloyds – Britain’s biggest mortgage lender – showed property prices dipped by 0.5% in March compared with a month earlier. As a result, the average price of a home slipped back below £300,000, to £299,677, after first crossing the milestone in January.

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‘This is about people’s livelihoods’: how surging tool thefts are leaving tradespeople penniless and afraid
Posted on Wednesday April 08, 2026

More than 80% of the UK’s tradespeople have had tools stolen. Some have lost months of work as a result. With thefts up 16% in a year, can the police and the government do anything to protect them?

If you’re on social media and have even a passing interest in home improvement, there’s a good chance you will have seen Kevin Tingley’s work. The 39-year-old decorator is known as Paint Warrior – and has millions of followers across TikTok and Instagram. He’s in demand, highly skilled, generous in sharing tips from his many years of experience and even has his own range of products on sale in the UK and the US.

But even with his social media army and branded brushes, he’s still not immune to the biggest threat faced by British tradespeople: tool theft. “It was Boxing Day morning,” Tingley says. “I was still in bed, my wife was on her way to the gym. She came running back in and told me that all the doors of my van were open.”

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Children in UK report online sextortion attempts in record numbers
Posted on Tuesday April 07, 2026

Exclusive: Call for nudity-detection tech on phones as number of under-18s reporting blackmail attempts rises by 34%

• ‘I felt ashamed and scared’: how an online friendship became a sextortion nightmare

Children are reporting online sextortion attempts in record numbers in the UK, as campaigners urge tech companies to do more to stamp out the crime.

The Report Remove service, which allows children to flag intimate images or videos of themselves that have appeared, or could appear, online, said it received 394 reports from under-18s last year of blackmail attempts after sending sexual images to predators. The figure is 34% higher than in 2024.

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Musk’s SpaceX courts retail investors as it aims for record-breaking stock market flotation
Posted on Tuesday April 07, 2026

Elon Musk’s aerospace to AI company will host summer event to try to convince buyers it is worth $2tn

• Business live – latest updates

SpaceX will kick off the marketing for its highly anticipated stock exchange debut by hosting an event in June for 1,500 retail investors, as executives set out to convince buyers that the aerospace to artificial intelligence group should be valued at $2tn.

In an unusual move, the company has earmarked a large portion of its shares – potentially up to 30% – for non-professional, non-institutional investors, banking on the popularity of its chief executive, Elon Musk, to help it raise $75bn (about £56bn) in what is expected to be the largest public offering in history.

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Restored David Raya makes the difference to help Arsenal shake off their angst | Jacob Steinberg
Posted on Tuesday April 07, 2026

Mikel Arteta discovered that playing your best goalkeeper can be a good idea as his side recovered from cup exits with late win in Lisbon

There was a temptation to fixate on the moment when Arsenal won this game with a goal that could change their season. Mikel Arteta had urged his players not to panic, not to sink away with hopes of a quadruple long gone, and Kai Havertz got the memo. Gabriel Martinelli crossed from the left and, as the ball dropped, Havertz caught the Sporting defence napping at last, controlled with a feathery touch, took a breath and rolled a finish past Rui Silva to give Arsenal victory in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

It had been a slog at Estádio José Alvalade. Arsenal attempted 488 passes and it was not until the first of two added minutes that they made one really count. Before then it was a grind. Arsenal were often constipated in open play. Although they controlled the game, at least until allowing it to become ragged during a fraught finale, there were long spells when the best the Premier League leaders offered was set-piece wrestling. Noni Madueke, mostly ineffective as he deputised for Bukayo Saka on the right wing, curled an early corner against the bar. Viktor Gyökeres was recorded as being on the pitch. Leandro Trossard tried to score from 40 yards. Leandro Trossard did not score from 40 yards.

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‘We are almost incomparable’: England’s Emma Sing on challenging Kildunne and Six Nations hopes
Posted on Wednesday April 08, 2026

Sing believes her ‘farm strength’ can help her compete with Red Roses star to become England’s starting full-back

Emma Sing has ambitions to become England’s starting full-back in the Six Nations, but insists there is no rivalry between her and Ellie Kildunne, the Red Roses’ breakout World Cup star.

Sing is a Rugby World Cup winner, a multiple Six Nations grand slam champion and has lifted the Premiership Women’s Rugby trophy three times. Touting her achievements is not something the Gloucester-Hartpury back is comfortable with, but the silverware, along with her consistent club performances, are the reason why the 25-year-old is pushing for a starting place.

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