Press Digest: Financial Times - April 20

QXO

20/04/2026 03:44

April 20 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

Headlines

US navy seizes Iranian ship after it breaches blockade, says Trump

     Property asking prices rise in April despite higher UK mortgage rates

QXO to buy insulation company TopBuild in $17 billion deal

BlackRock warns of hit to European stocks from energy crisis

Overview

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that a U.S. naval destroyer seized an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman.

     Asking prices for properties in Britain have risen by 0.8% in April, indicating resilience in the housing market despite a rise in mortgage rates in the wake of the Iran war.

Brad Jacobs' QXO QXO.N has struck a $17 billion deal to buy insulation company TopBuild BLD.N, in the latest move by the billionaire investor to create the dominant company in the building products sector.

BlackRock's BLK.N international chief investment officer for fundamental equities, Helen Jewell, has warned that surging energy costs and higher valuations mean European equities are no longer the attractive bet they were just a few months ago.

 (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)

 ((globalnewsmonitoring@thomsonreuters.com))