The National Audit Office has praised the Government for acting quickly on the at-risk steel maker

The Government has been praised for quickly intervening to save the Scunthorpe steelworks when it was at risk of closure – but there is a warning that the £377m cost of the initial deal is set to rise.

A new report from the National Audit Office (NAO) said the deal to save the blast furnaces prevented job losses and the likely wider economic shock if primary steel making had stopped in the UK. But it warns that Ministers went into the deal with “without a clear exit strategy” and the rescue package could cost £1.5bn by 2028, with ongoing operations costing around £1.3m a day.

Jingye, the owner of British Steel, and the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) had been in talks around transitioning to electric arc furnaces between 2022 and 2025, but had not reached an agreement.

Last March, Jingye announced it was losing £700,000 a day due to challenging market conditions, tariffs, and high environmental costs, and was considering the closure of the blast furnaces. This would have led to a large number of job losses at Scunthorpe and affected customers in the supply chain, such as Network Rail, said the report.

As well as the £377m to keep British Steel operating, £15m was spent on advisers and £359 million to the company for operating activities such as paying for raw materials, payroll, and other costs.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: “DBT was able to act quickly to save British Steel’s Scunthorpe furnaces from closure, avoiding heavy job losses and serious impacts on major UK infrastructure and construction projects.

“However, the trade-off is the significant cost of maintaining operations, and uncertainty over how long this will continue. “DBT should learn from this experience to be better prepared for future interventions.”

Alasdair McDiarmid, assistant general secretary of the Community union said: “The Labour Government took decisive action to secure the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe, saving thousands of jobs in the process. Following years of neglect, Labour are investing to protect our steelmaking capabilities and to start rebuilding our strategically important industry.

“Should the Government have sat on its hands and allowed British Steel to collapse, the financial and social impacts would have been catastrophic. The Government made the right decision to invest now because local economies would have been decimated, our nation would have been less secure and we would have seen a massive and long-term increase to the welfare bill.”

This week, the Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady for a second straight meeting, though markets will closely watch Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks for cues on the path forward.

The international oil benchmark, Brent crude, remains above $100 a barrel, stoking inflation fears and dampening hopes for further rate cuts. In early trading, gold futures in New York were down 1% to $5,009.90 a troy ounce. Silver, meanwhile, was down 2.6% to $79.22 an ounce.

The Yorkshire firm said an acquisition made last year had boosted its performance

Financial services company Fintel has hailed a “defining” year after publishing accounts in which its turnover increased by almost 10%.

The Huddersfield firm has issued results for 2025 in which its revenues went from £78.3m to £85.9m. Operating profit also increased, to come in at £12.5m.

Fintel said that SaaS (software as a service) and subscription revenue had gone up 9.6% to £48.7m, and its EBITDA margin had increased to 30.1%. It highlighted the role played by the acquisition of Rayner Spencer Mills Research during the year, which contributed £3.4m of revenue and £1.1m of EBITDA to the results.

Fintel’s net debt rose during the year to stand at £31.1m, but it said it had a strong balance sheet with £17.3m of cash and £72.5m of available headroom within its credit facility, providing flexibility for further organic and inorganic investment.

CEO Matt Timmins said: “2025 has been a defining year for Fintel, creating a simpler, more unified and scalable platform that sets the foundation for the next phase of our growth. Technology, data and regulation continue to reshape the UK retail financial services market, and Fintel’s unique combination of market-leading software, enriched proprietary datasets and insights, and distribution platforms, places us at the centre of this transformation.

“Looking ahead, our ambition is clear: to build the most connected, insight rich and intelligent platform in the sector, enabling better decisions and better outcomes across the entire advice ecosystem.

“We have entered the new financial year with clear strategic momentum, high levels of recurring revenues and a stronger platform enabling opportunities for organic growth, underpinned by deep customer relationships. Fintel has made a strong start to FY26, with trading in line with the board’s expectations; the group is poised to accelerate its strategy to deliver long term value for advisers, partners and shareholders alike.”

The company is proposing to pay a final dividend of 2.5 pence per share, resulting in a full year dividend of 3.8 pence per share. That would be an increase of 4.1% on the previous year.

Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE: UBER) shares surged more than 5% in midday trading Wednesday, March 18, 2026, building on momentum from recent announcements of major robotaxi collaborations and expanding autonomous vehicle ambitions that have investors betting on the ride-hailing giant’s future in driverless mobility.

As of around 11:00 a.m. EDT, UBER traded at approximately $78.50, up $3.84 or 5.14% from Tuesday’s close of $74.66, according to real-time data from Yahoo Finance and other platforms. Volume approached 5 million shares in the opening hours, signaling strong interest amid broader market gains. Pre-market trading had already shown strength, with shares quoted as high as $76.28 before the bell.

The rally follows a series of high-profile developments in Uber’s autonomous strategy. Earlier this month, Uber announced partnerships to deploy robotaxis, including a deal with Amazon’s Zoox unit to integrate self-driving vehicles into the Uber app in select cities, starting with plans for Los Angeles and San Francisco by 2027. The collaboration, paired with Nvidia’s technology for scaling to 28 global cities, positions Uber as a leader in commercializing Level 4 autonomy without owning the fleet.

Additional announcements included robotaxi launches with Motional in Las Vegas, collaborations with Nissan and Wayve in Japan, and ongoing expansions in other markets. Analysts have described these as “deal after deal” moves that bolster Uber’s platform as the go-to marketplace for autonomous rides, potentially reducing driver costs and boosting margins long-term.

“Uber is doubling down on robotaxis with bold partnerships,” one analyst noted in a recent report. The moves come after a period of underperformance, with shares down about 12% over the prior three months amid concerns over Q1 2026 guidance and broader market pressures on growth stocks.

Despite the recent dip, Uber’s fundamentals remain solid. The company guided for first-quarter gross bookings growth of 17% to 21% year-over-year on a constant-currency basis, reflecting resilience in mobility and delivery segments. Uber continues to benefit from network effects, with increasing trip volumes and higher average bookings per trip.

Analyst sentiment leans strongly positive. Consensus ratings hover at Buy, with average price targets ranging from $103.81 to $107.64 across firms like Jefferies, Evercore ISI, Wedbush and others. Some targets reach as high as $150, while the low end sits at $70. Recent upgrades and reiterations emphasize Uber’s path to profitability through platform scale, acquisitions like Getir Türkiye, and autonomous upside.

The stock’s 52-week range spans roughly $60.63 to $101.99, with an all-time high of $100.10 reached in October 2025. Current levels place UBER below that peak but well above lows, supported by a market capitalization exceeding $150 billion.

Challenges persist, including regulatory scrutiny over pricing practices — with reports of U.S. probes into potential AI-driven surveillance pricing — and competition in delivery and mobility. Uber and peers like Lyft have faced questions about dynamic pricing algorithms, though no major resolutions have emerged.

Uber’s diversification into freight, advertising and other verticals adds revenue streams beyond core rides. The company’s focus on higher-margin opportunities, including Uber Eats enhancements and luxury services like “Uber Elite,” contributes to improving profitability metrics.

Market observers note that autonomous vehicle progress remains a key catalyst. Partnerships with established players like Zoox (Amazon), Motional, Nissan and Wayve reduce capital intensity for Uber while accelerating deployment. Nvidia’s involvement in compute and mapping further enhances scalability.

As trading continues March 18, attention turns to whether UBER can sustain gains toward recent highs or encounter resistance near $80. Broader tech sector performance and any fresh autonomous updates could influence direction.

Uber, founded in 2009 and public since 2019, has evolved from a ride-hailing disruptor to a multifaceted mobility platform. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has emphasized becoming the “Amazon of transportation,” leveraging the app’s reach for diverse services.

With ongoing robotaxi momentum and analyst backing, UBER’s recent surge underscores investor confidence in its ability to navigate regulatory and competitive landscapes while capitalizing on emerging technologies.

Oliver Coppard wants the South Yorkshire People’s Network to bring together improved buses, trams and trains under one unified branding

South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard has unveiled a “vision” for public transport in his area that would bring buses, trams and trains under his control with one unified branding.

Mr Coppard has described the South Yorkshire People’s Network as a ‘once-in-a-generation’ change, with potential schemes extending over the next two decades. They include opening a new tram train station at the Magma centre, bus franchising in Doncaster and Sheffield next year, a new e-bike subscription scheme and an extension of free bus travel for all under 18s from Barnsley to Sheffield.

But he stressed that the document is a ‘vision’ rather than a plan – with many of the schemes aspirations that current do not have funding attached – and highlighted hopes for the 2030s and 2040s, including more fast trains between Sheffield and Leeds, expansion of the area’s tram network, all rail stations in South Yorkshire becoming step free and improvements to the Penistone line.

Mr Coppard said the People’s Network – which has been inspired by the Bee Network in Greater Manchester – would be built around the principles of freedom and chose, prioritising people, affordability, safety, matching the area’s growth ambitions and being fit for the future. A unifying colour scheme of molten orange, grey and asphalt black aims to reflect the area’s industrial heritage.

Mr Coppard said: “Transport isn’t just about getting from A to B. A proper public transport network gives people real freedom and choice about how they travel and move, connects people to opportunity and opens up new horizons.

“But public transport in South Yorkshire has been broken for too long. I promised to make change happen, to give South Yorkshire back the world class public transport system we once had, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

“That’s why we’re putting in a huge investment to fix our public transport system, backed by even greater ambition, so that we can build something that truly works for all of us across South Yorkshire; a real People’s Network.”

Information sessions are being planned in Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster this week to give local residents more information on the scheme.

Support for the vision has come from Jason Prince, director of the Urban Transport Group, Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, and former Sheffield MP Lord Blunkett, author of the White Rose transport plan.

Lord Blunkett said: “We have a real opportunity to transform the way people travel, improving connections to support economic growth and open up opportunities for individuals and businesses alike. A transport network that works for everyone is essential to the future of South Yorkshire, as it was in the past, and the vision is a vital step towards achieving this.”