VW warns on costs amid geopolitical uncertainty
German carmaker says it must ‘rigorously’ cut costs as wars and tariffs cloud outlook
Lego chief hits out at Danish wealth tax proposal
Niels Christiansen says Mette Frederiksen’s idea would ‘drain quite a lot of capital out of companies’
Five water companies can raise bills by 2.2%, UK competition authority rules
Permission comes on top of 24% average increase previously given by industry regulator Ofwat
The prescience of Valley of the Dolls
Sixty years after it was published, the pulp fiction classic is embedded in pop culture and the fashion imagination
Khamenei martyrdom narrative smooths path for son’s rise
Regime invokes religious history to galvanise support from Shia groups after the ayatollah’s assassination
The thing that everyone expected to happen has happened
Trump wants the war to be over
Convenient dollars, inconvenient Treasuries?
Special money
Renault looks to cut Europe sales reliance as China battle heats up
French carmaker targets push in India and other emerging markets
Europe considers tapping oil reserves as G7 seeks to smother energy crisis
Also in this newsletter: Ukraine’s pipeline stand-off leaves Brussels deeply frustrated
FirstFT: Oil falls as Trump says Iran war will end ‘very soon’
Also in today’s newsletter: LeCun’s AI start-up and Poland’s anti-drone shield
Oil price surge puts Takaichi’s honeymoon at risk
Reliance on energy imports exposes Japan to volatility and could delay interest rate rises
Yann LeCun’s AI start-up raises more than $1bn in Europe’s largest seed round
Meta’s former chief AI scientist launches AMI Labs with backing from Nvidia, Temasek and Jeff Bezos
Can the G7 release enough oil to calm the market?
Analysts are sceptical that releasing strategic reserves would solve the problems in the Gulf
FTAV’s further reading
UK x AI; Ticketmaster; cabbages; insurance; management consultants; Schelling; and salaries
Europe looks to shield consumers from high energy prices
France and Italy are monitoring petrol prices for evidence of price gouging
Goldman pitches a new big short
The Wall Street bank has been calling hedge funds with a strategy to short software loans
Board games maker to be first private company traded under UK’s ‘Pisces’ system
‘Outsmarted’ maker QPlay will use trading platform operated by JP Jenkins ahead of London Stock Exchange’s first foray
‘Exceptional’ wetness points to climate change future, say scientists
Pattern of weather extremes as global temperatures reach 1.49C above preindustrial levels for the month of February
Roy Chan can turn you into Austin Butler
A workout with Hollywood’s hottest personal trainer
Roger Matthews, FT journalist, 1941-2026
In a business filled with oversized egos, former Middle East editor appeared to have none
Iran is a crucial test case for the American way of war
The conflict in Ukraine seemed to cast doubt on a military model based on overwhelming air power
The battle for France’s cities sets the stage for presidential showdown
Political trends set to shape next year’s pivotal vote are on display in this month’s municipal elections
Berkeley confronts the crisis in London homebuilding
The FTSE 100 group specialising in brownfield development faces tax and regulatory obstacles
What the UK should learn from this energy crisis
There is little doubt that the windfall tax has hit investment in the North Sea