View source for Social:Financial Times

{{short description|London-based daily newspaper}}
{{pp-move}}
{{infobox newspaper
| logo = Financial Times masthead.svg
| language = English
| image = Financial_Times_22_February_2021_cover.jpg
| caption = Cover of the 22 February 2021 issue
| foundation = {{start date and age|1888|1|9|df=yes}}
| format = {{hlist|[[Broadsheet]]|digital}}
| owner = The Financial Times Ltd.<br />(Nikkei Inc.)
| political = {{nowrap|Liberalism<ref>{{cite web |title=Financial Times {{pipe}} eurotopics.net |url=https://www.eurotopics.net/en/148542/financial-times |website=eurotopics.net (BPB) |access-date=17 April 2020 |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206210737/https://www.eurotopics.net/en/148542/financial-times |url-status=live }}</ref><br />[[Social:Conservative liberalism|Conservative liberalism]]<ref name="cons"/><br />[[Social:Centrism|Centre]]<ref>{{cite web |website=oxford-royale.com |url=https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/a-guide-to-british-newspapers/ |title=Black and White and Read All over: A Guide to British Newspapers |date=28 March 2018 |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-date=17 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317095302/https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/a-guide-to-british-newspapers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> to centre-right<ref>{{cite book |editor=Christina Schaeffner |title=Political Discourse, Media and Translation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6BIaBwAAQBAJ&dq=centre-right+liberal+FT&pg=PA35 |quote= With regard to political affiliation ''The Daily Telegraph'' is a right-wing paper, ''The Times'' centre-right, ''The Financial Times'' centre-right and liberal, and ''The Guardian'' centre-left. |date=2009 |page=35 |publisher=[[Company:Cambridge Scholars Publishing|Cambridge Scholars Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4438-1793-6}}</ref>}}
| headquarters = Bracken House<br />[[Place:London|London]], {{wipe|England}}
| editor = Roula Khalaf
| circulation = 110,220
| circulation_date = November 2023
| circulation_ref = <ref>{{cite web |title=Financial Times |url=https://www.abc.org.uk/product/2301 |publisher=Audit Bureau of Circulations |date=12 December 2023 |access-date=25 December 2023 |archive-date=19 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919094509/https://www.abc.org.uk/product/2301 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| sister newspapers = ''Nikkei Asia''
| ISSN = 0307-1766
| website = {{official URL}}
| depeditor = Patrick Jenkins
| type = Daily newspaper
| founder = James Sheridan
}}

The '''''Financial Times''''' ('''''FT'''''){{#tag:ref|''FT'' is an initialism standing for ''Financial Times'', and is printed in italics.|group="nb"}} is a British daily business newspaper printed in [[Broadsheet|broadsheet]] and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in [[Place:London|London]], the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nikkei, with core editorial offices across Britain, the United States and continental Europe. In July 2015, [[Company:Pearson plc|Pearson]] sold the publication to Nikkei for [[Finance:Pound sterling|£]]844 million (US$1.32 billion) after owning it since 1957. In 2019, it reported one million paying subscriptions, three-quarters of which were digital subscriptions.<ref>{{cite web|title=FT tops one million paying readers|url=https://aboutus.ft.com/en-gb/announcements/ft-tops-one-million-paying-readers/|website=Financial Times|date=April 2019|language=en-GB|access-date=19 April 2019|archive-date=19 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419171825/https://aboutus.ft.com/en-gb/announcements/ft-tops-one-million-paying-readers/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Guardian20190419">{{cite news|last=Greenslade|first=Roy|date=14 April 2019|title=Financial Times thrives by focusing on subscriptions|language=en-GB|work={{wipe|The Guardian}}|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/commentisfree/2019/apr/14/financial-times-thrives-by-focusing-on-subscriptions|access-date=19 April 2019|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=19 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419171820/https://www.theguardian.com/media/commentisfree/2019/apr/14/financial-times-thrives-by-focusing-on-subscriptions|url-status=live}}</ref> The newspaper has a prominent focus on financial journalism and economic analysis rather than generalist reporting, drawing both criticism and acclaim. It sponsors an annual book award and publishes a "Person of the Year" feature.<!--Article uses British English, e.g. "-ise" over "-ize". See: WP:ISE.-->

The paper was founded in January 1888 as the '''''London Financial Guide''''' before rebranding a month later as the ''Financial Times''. It was first circulated around metropolitan London by James Sheridan, who, along with his brother and Horatio Bottomley, sought to report on city business opposite the ''Financial News''. The succeeding half-century of competition between the two papers eventually culminated in a 1945 merger, led by Brendan Bracken, which established it as one of the largest business newspapers in the world. Globalisation from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries facilitated editorial expansion for the ''FT'', with the paper adding opinion columns, special reports, [[Social:Political cartoon|political cartoon]]s, readers' letters, book reviews, technology articles and global politics features. The paper is often characterised by its light-pink (salmon) newsprint. It is supplemented by its lifestyle magazine (''FT Magazine)'', weekend edition (''FT Weekend'') and some industry publications.

The editorial stance of the ''Financial Times'' centres on [[Social:Economic liberalism|economic liberalism]], particularly advocacy of [[Social:Free trade|free trade]] and [[Social:Free market|free market]]s. Since its founding, it has supported [[Social:Liberal democracy|liberal democracy]], favouring [[Philosophy:Classical liberalism|classically liberal]] politics and policies from international governments; its newsroom is independent from its editorial board, and it is considered a newspaper of record. Due to its history of economic commentary, the ''FT'' publishes a variety of financial indices, primarily the FTSE All-Share Index. Since the late 20th century, its typical depth of coverage has linked the paper with a white-collar, educated, and financially literate readership.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Plunkett |first1=John |last2=Martinson |first2=Jane |title=Financial Times sold to Japanese media group Nikkei for £844m |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/23/financial-times-sale-pearson |work=The Guardian |date=24 July 2015 |access-date=29 May 2020 |issn=0261-3077 |language=en-GB |archive-date=23 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523174549/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/23/financial-times-sale-pearson |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Kynaston |first=David |title=A Brief History of the Financial Times |url=https://www.gale.com/binaries/content/assets/gale-us-en/primary-sources/intl-gps/intl-gps-essays/full-ghn-contextual-essays/ghn_essay_ftha_kynaston1_website.pdf |publisher=Viking Adult |year=1988 |access-date=20 May 2020 |archive-date=18 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218030317/https://www.gale.com/binaries/content/assets/gale-us-en/primary-sources/intl-gps/intl-gps-essays/full-ghn-contextual-essays/ghn_essay_ftha_kynaston1_website.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Because of this tendency, the ''FT'' has traditionally been regarded as a [[Social:Centrism|centrist]]<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Rawlinson |editor-first=Francis |title=How Press Propaganda Paved the Way to Brexit |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J2vLDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22The+Financial+Times%22+%22Centre%22+How+Press+Propaganda+Paved+the+Way+to+Brexit&pg=PA65 |publisher=[[Company:Springer Nature|Springer Nature]] |date=2020 |page=65 |isbn=978-3-030-27765-9}}</ref> to [[Social:Centre-right politics|centre-right]]<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Schaeffner |editor-first=Christina |title=Political Discourse, Media and Translation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6BIaBwAAQBAJ&dq=centre-right+liberal+FT&pg=PA35 |quote=With regard to political affiliation ''The Daily Telegraph'' is a right-wing paper, ''The Times'' centre-right, ''The Financial Times'' centre-right and liberal, and ''The Guardian'' centre-left. |date=2009 |page=35 |publisher=[[Company:Cambridge Scholars Publishing|Cambridge Scholars Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4438-1793-6}}</ref> [[Philosophy:Liberalism|liberal]],<ref>{{cite book|editor=Essvale Corporation Limited |title=Business Knowledge for IT in Retail Banking: A Complete Handbook for IT Professionals |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lkkGaIr3DQkC&dq=centre-right+liberal+FT&pg=PA46 |quote=The Financial Times is normally seen as centre-right/liberal, although to the left of its principal competitor, The Wall Street Journal. It advocates free markets and is generally in favour of globalisation. |date=2007 |page=46 |publisher=Essvale Corporation Limited |isbn=978-0-9554124-2-4}}</ref> [[Social:Neoliberalism|neo-liberal]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Morgan |first1=Kevin |last2=Marsden |first2=Terry |last3=Murdoch |first3=Jonathan |title=Worlds of Food: Place, Power, and Provenance in the Food Chain |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LeM9CyPsnvAC&dq=%22liberal+Financial+Times%22&pg=PA41 |quote=The neo-liberal Financial Times was outraged by the Farm Bill's 'grotesque farm subsidies' and it accused Washington of having 'surrendered to protectionism', while the heads of the WTO, World Bank, and the IMF penned a joint protest ...  |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2006 |page=41 |isbn=978-0-19-155662-3}}</ref> and [[Social:Conservative liberalism|conservative-liberal]]<ref name="cons">{{cite book |editor-last=Kirchhelle |editor-first=Claas |title=Pyrrhic Progress: The History of Antibiotics in Anglo-American Food Production |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jT6-DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22liberal+Financial+Times%22&pg=PA1927 |quote=Enthusiastic reports subsequently appeared in the left-leaning Observer and the conservative-liberal Financial Times. |date=2020 |page=1927 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=978-0-8135-9149-0}}</ref> newspaper. The ''Financial Times'' is headquartered in Bracken House at 1 Friday Street, near the city's financial centre, where it maintains its publishing house, corporate centre, and main editorial office.

==History==
[[File:Financial Times 1888 front page.jpg|thumb|The front page of the ''Financial Times'' on 13 February 1888|247x247px]]
The ''FT'' was launched as the ''London Financial Guide'' on 10 January 1888, renaming itself the ''Financial Times'' on 13 February the same year. Describing itself as the friend of "The Honest Financier, the Bona Fide Investor, the Respectable Broker, the Genuine Director, and the Legitimate Speculator", it was a four-page journal. The readership was the financial community of the [[Finance:City of London|City of London]], its only rival being the more daring and slightly older (founded in 1884) ''Financial News''. On 2 January 1893 the ''FT'' began printing on light pink paper to distinguish it from the similarly named ''Financial News'': at the time, it was also cheaper to print on unbleached paper (several other more general newspapers, such as ''The Sporting Times'', had the same policy), but nowadays it is more expensive as the paper has to be dyed specially.<ref>{{cite web|website=Financial Times|title=About the newspaper|url=http://help.ft.com/newspaper-delivery/about-the-newspaper/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108062240/http://help.ft.com/newspaper-delivery/about-the-newspaper/#axzz3ZDPTGgyZ|archive-date=8 January 2012 |access-date=4 May 2015}}</ref>

Following 57 years of rivalry, the ''Financial Times'' and the ''Financial News'' were merged in 1945 by Brendan Bracken to form a single six-page newspaper. The ''Financial Times'' had a higher circulation, while the ''Financial News'' provided much of the editorial talent. The ''Lex'' column was also introduced from ''Financial News''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gale.cengage.co.uk/images/FT%20Brief%20History%20by%20David%20Kynaston.pdf |title=A brief history of the FT by David Kynaston, author of ''The Financial Times: A Centenary History''. |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015044548/http://gale.cengage.co.uk/images/FT%20Brief%20History%20by%20David%20Kynaston.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2013 }}</ref>

Gordon Newton, a Cambridge graduate, took over as Editor in 1949, and immediately introduced a policy (then most unusual in Fleet Street) of direct recruitment of new university graduates, mainly from Oxbridge, as its trainee journalists. Many of them proceeded to have distinguished careers elsewhere in journalism and British public life and became the mainstay of the paper's own editorial strengths until the 1990s. The first such 'direct recruit' was future leading British economist Andrew Shonfield; the second was (later Sir) William Rees-Mogg who went on, via ''The Sunday Times'', to edit ''The Times'' in 1967 following its acquisition by Roy Thomson. Other FT Oxbridge recruits included the future Chancellor of the Exchequer [[Biography:Nigel Lawson|Nigel Lawson]]. The ''FT''{{'}}s distinctive recruitment policy for Fleet Street journalists was never popular with the National Union of Journalists and ceased in 1966 following the recruitment of Richard Lambert from Oxford, himself a future Editor of the ''FT''. Meanwhile, Pearson had bought the paper in 1957.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Pearson plc |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/pearson-plc-history/|access-date=2 March 2021|website=FundingUniverse |archive-date=4 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504105629/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/pearson-plc-history/|url-status=live}}</ref> 

Over the years, the paper grew in size, readership and breadth of coverage. It established correspondents in cities around the world, reflecting a renewed impetus in the [[Finance:World economy|world economy]] towards [[Social:Globalization|globalisation]]. As cross-border trade and capital flows increased during the 1970s, the ''FT'' began international expansion, facilitated by developments in technology and the growing acceptance of English as the international language of business. On 1 January 1979 the first ''FT'' (Continental Europe edition) was printed outside the UK, in Frankfurt; printing in the U.S. began in July 1985.<ref name=npius>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YO5VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g-EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6636%2C6548979 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Financial Times of London now printed in U.S. |date=28 July 1985 |page=3F |access-date=22 April 2021 |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422202132/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YO5VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g-EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6636,6548979 |url-status=live }}</ref> Since then, with increased international coverage, the ''FT'' has become a global newspaper, printed in 22 locations with five international editions to serve the UK, continental Europe, the U.S., Asia and the Middle East.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fttoolkit.co.uk/2011mediakit/history_video.html |title=FT's Media Kit: FT Heritage and Innovation |publisher=Fttoolkit.co.uk |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215215337/http://www.fttoolkit.co.uk/2011mediakit/history_video.html |archive-date=15 February 2013 }}</ref>

The European edition is distributed throughout continental Europe and Africa. It is printed Monday to Saturday at five centres across Europe, reporting on matters concerning the European Union, the [[Finance:Euro|euro]] and European corporate affairs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.financialtimes.net/about_fttour.html |title=FT tour |website=Financial Times|publisher=Financialtimes.net |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513183713/https://www.financialtimes.net/about_fttour.html |archive-date=13 May 2013 }}</ref> In 1994 ''FT'' launched a luxury lifestyle magazine, ''How To Spend It''. In 2009 it launched a standalone website for the magazine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pearson.com/news/2009/october/financial-times-launches-how-to-spend-it-online.html?article=true |title=Financial Times launches How To Spend It online |publisher=Pearson |date=1 October 2009 |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015160117/http://www.pearson.com/news/2009/october/financial-times-launches-how-to-spend-it-online.html?article=true |archive-date=15 October 2013 }}</ref> On 13 May 1995 the ''Financial Times'' group made its first foray into the online world with the launch of FT.com. This provided a summary of news from around the globe, which was supplemented in February 1996 with stock price coverage. The second-generation site was launched in spring 1996. The site was funded by advertising and contributed to the online advertising market in the UK in the late 1990s. Between 1997 and 2000, the site underwent several revamps and changes of strategy, as the FT Group and Pearson reacted to the changes online. ''FT'' introduced subscription services in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pearson.com/news/2002/april/ftcom-to-launch-improved-website-with-new-content-and-services.html?article=true |title=FT.com to launch improved website with new content and services for users, subscribers and advertisers |publisher=Pearson |date=30 April 2002 |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015160115/http://www.pearson.com/news/2002/april/ftcom-to-launch-improved-website-with-new-content-and-services.html?article=true |archive-date=15 October 2013 }}</ref> ''FT.com'' is one of the few UK news sites successfully funded by individual subscription.

In 1997, the ''FT'' launched a U.S. edition, printed in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Orlando and Washington, D.C., although the newspaper was first printed outside New York City in 1985. In September 1998 the ''FT'' became the first UK-based newspaper to sell more copies internationally than within the UK. In 2000 the ''Financial Times'' started publishing a German-language edition, ''Financial Times Deutschland'', with a news and editorial team based in Hamburg. Its initial circulation in 2003 was 90,000. It was originally a joint venture with a German publishing firm, Gruner + Jahr. In January 2008 the ''FT'' sold its 50% stake to its German partner.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pearson.com/news/2008/january/pearson-to-sell-its-ft-deutschland-stake-to-gruner-%2B-jahr.html?article=true |title=Pearson to sell its FT Deutschland stake to Gruner + Jahr |publisher=Pearson |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015160113/http://www.pearson.com/news/2008/january/pearson-to-sell-its-ft-deutschland-stake-to-gruner-%2B-jahr.html?article=true |archive-date=15 October 2013 }}</ref> ''FT Deutschland'' never made a profit and is said to have accumulated losses of €250 million over 12 years. It closed on 7 December 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wiesmann |first=Gerrit |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/0c8df1ae-356b-11e2-bd77-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/0c8df1ae-356b-11e2-bd77-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=FT Deutschland closure date confirmed |work=Financial Times |date=23 November 2012 |access-date=15 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/news/business/21567952-curtains-or-see-you-world-wide-web-so-farewell-then-ftd |title=So farewell then, FTD |newspaper=The Economist |date=8 December 2012 |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-date=20 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020131605/http://www.economist.com/news/business/21567952-curtains-or-see-you-world-wide-web-so-farewell-then-ftd |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''Financial Times'' launched a new weekly supplement for the fund management industry on 4 February 2002. ''FT fund management'' (FTfm) was and still is distributed with the paper every Monday. FTfm is the world's largest-circulation fund management title.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pearson.com/news/2002/january/financial-times-to-expand-fund-management-coverage.html?article=true |title=Financial Times to expand fund management coverage with new weekly supplement |publisher=Pearson |date=28 January 2002 |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015160028/http://www.pearson.com/news/2002/january/financial-times-to-expand-fund-management-coverage.html?article=true |archive-date=15 October 2013 }}</ref> Since 2005 the ''FT'' has sponsored the annual <nowiki>''Financial Times''</nowiki> and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/d61420c0-a83d-11d9-87a9-00000e2511c8.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/d61420c0-a83d-11d9-87a9-00000e2511c8.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-status=live |title=Why there is a need for this award |website=Financial Times |date=10 April 2005 |access-date=30 May 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Financial Times building One Southwark Bridge.jpg|thumb|The former London offices of the ''Financial Times'' at One Southwark Bridge|alt=|225x225px|left]]

On 23 April 2007, the ''FT'' unveiled a "refreshed" version of the newspaper and introduced a new slogan, "We Live in Financial Times".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pearson.com/news/2007/april/financial-times-unveils-global-refresh.html?article=true |title=Financial Times unveils global refresh |publisher=Pearson |date=23 April 2007 |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015160110/http://www.pearson.com/news/2007/april/financial-times-unveils-global-refresh.html?article=true |archive-date=15 October 2013 }}</ref> In 2007 the ''FT'' pioneered a metered paywall, which let visitors to its website read a limited number of free articles during any one month before asking them to pay.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/18904178 |title=Special report: The news industry |newspaper=The Economist |date=7 July 2011 |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612170302/https://www.economist.com/node/18904178 |url-status=live }}</ref> Four years later the ''FT'' launched its [[HTML5]] mobile internet app. Smartphones and tablets now drive 12% of subscriptions and 19% of traffic to FT.com.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aboutus.ft.com/2012/04/12/ft-web-app-hits-two-million-users/ |title=FT Web App hits two million users |work=Financial Times |date=12 April 2012 |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-date=13 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313053459/http://aboutus.ft.com/2012/04/12/ft-web-app-hits-two-million-users/ }}</ref> In 2012, the number of digital subscribers surpassed the circulation of the newspaper for the first time and the ''FT'' drew almost half of its revenue from subscriptions rather than advertising.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barber |first=Lionel |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/6fce6e6e-711c-11e2-9d5c-00144feab49a.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/6fce6e6e-711c-11e2-9d5c-00144feab49a.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title= FT at 125: The world in focus |work=Financial Times |date=12 February 2013 |access-date=15 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://aboutus.ft.com/2013/01/03/gillian-tett-keynote-remarks-at-the-knight-bagehot-37th-anniversary-gala/ |title=Gillian Tett keynote remarks at the Knight-Bagehot 37th Anniversary Gala |work=Financial Times |date=3 January 2013 |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-date=7 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307121537/http://aboutus.ft.com/2013/01/03/gillian-tett-keynote-remarks-at-the-knight-bagehot-37th-anniversary-gala/ }}</ref>

The ''FT'' has been available on [[Software:Bloomberg Terminal|Bloomberg Terminal]] since 2010<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pearson.com/news/2010/december/financial-times-now-available-on-bloomberg-professional.html?article=true |title=Financial Times now available on Bloomberg Professional |publisher=Pearson.com |date=6 December 2010 |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015160108/http://www.pearson.com/news/2010/december/financial-times-now-available-on-bloomberg-professional.html?article=true |archive-date=15 October 2013 }}</ref> and on the [[Social:Wiser.org|Wisers]] platform since 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aboutus.ft.com/en-gb/announcements/financial-times-launches-on-wisers-services/ |title=Financial Times launches on Wisers services |website=Financial Times |date=6 May 2013 |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-date=18 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018082357/https://aboutus.ft.com/en-gb/announcements/financial-times-launches-on-wisers-services/ |url-status=live }}</ref> From 2015, instead of the metered paywall on the website, visitors were given unlimited free access for one month, after which they needed to subscribe.<ref name="Guardian20190419"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Financial Times CEO John Ridding explains how to make people pay for media |first=Eric |last=Johnson |url=https://www.vox.com/2018/4/5/17200016/john-ridding-financial-times-ft-online-subscriptions-paywall-nikkei-peter-kafka-recode-media-podcast |newspaper=Recode.net |via=Vox |date=5 April 2018 |access-date=19 April 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801043704/https://www.vox.com/2018/4/5/17200016/john-ridding-financial-times-ft-online-subscriptions-paywall-nikkei-peter-kafka-recode-media-podcast |url-status=live }}</ref> Pearson sold the Financial Times Group to Nikkei, Inc. for [[Finance:Pound sterling|£]]844 million (US$1.32 billion) in July 2015.<ref name="BBC20150723"/><ref name="Guardian20150724"/><ref name="Nikkei20151130"/> 

In 2016, the ''Financial Times'' acquired a controlling stake in Alpha Grid, a London-based media company specialising in the development and production of quality branded content across a range of channels, including broadcast, video, digital, social and events.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://aboutus.ft.com/en-gb/announcements/ft-expands-content-marketing-studio-with-majority-stake-in-alpha-grid/|title=FT expands content marketing studio with majority stake in Alpha Grid|access-date=2 March 2018|archive-date=3 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303105637/https://aboutus.ft.com/en-gb/announcements/ft-expands-content-marketing-studio-with-majority-stake-in-alpha-grid/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, the ''Financial Times'' acquired a controlling stake in Longitude, a specialist provider of thought leadership and research services to a multinational corporate and institutional client base.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://aboutus.ft.com/en-gb/announcements/financial-times-acquires-majority-stake-in-research-and-content-specialists-longitude/|title=Financial Times acquires majority stake in research and content specialists Longitude|access-date=2 March 2018|archive-date=2 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302225357/https://aboutus.ft.com/en-gb/announcements/financial-times-acquires-majority-stake-in-research-and-content-specialists-longitude/|url-status=live}}</ref> This investment built on the ''Financial Times''{{'}} recent growth in several business areas, including branded content via the acquisition of Alpha Grid, and conferences and events through ''Financial Times Live'' and extends the ''FT''{{'s}} traditional commercial offering into a wider set of integrated services. In 2020, reporter Mark Di Stefano resigned from the ''Financial Times'' after hacking into [[Software:Zoom|Zoom]] calls at other media organisations including ''The Independent'' and the ''Evening Standard''.

In 2020, the retraction of an opinion piece by a reporter for the ''Financial Times'' generated a controversy about the editorial independence of the paper from outside political pressure. The controversy followed the withdrawal by the newspaper's editor of an opinion piece by ''FT''{{'s}} Brussels correspondent Mehreen Khan that was critical of French President Emmanuel Macron's policy towards Muslim minorities in France. The piece was withdrawn from the ''FT'' website on the same day as its publication.<ref>{{cite news |last=Oborne |first=Peter |date=10 November 2020 |title=Freedom of speech in France extends to Macron's critics as well |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/freedom-speech-france-extends-macron-critics |work=Middle East Eye |access-date=4 July 2021 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184315/https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/freedom-speech-france-extends-macron-critics |url-status=live }}</ref> President Macron subsequently published a letter in the ''FT'' directly responding to the arguments of the original opinion piece, even if the original opinion piece was no longer available on the website of the newspaper.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Leary |first=Naomi |date=11 November 2020 |title=Europe Letter: EU happy to celebrate or stigmatise Muslim immigrants when it suits agenda |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/macron-helps-propel-far-right-ideas-to-heart-of-europe-1.4406805 |newspaper=The Irish Times |access-date=4 July 2021 |archive-date=9 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409201309/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/macron-helps-propel-far-right-ideas-to-heart-of-europe-1.4406805 |url-status=live }}</ref> The editor of the ''FT'', Roula Khalaf, who took the decision to withdraw the initial article, acknowledged having been contacted by the Élysée Palace regarding the article, and defended her decision on the basis purely of several factual errors in the original piece by Mehreen Khan.<ref>{{cite AV media |people= Roula Khalaf and Amol Rajan |date=21 April 2021 |title= Roula Khalaf, editor of The Financial Times|medium= audio |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000v8ww |access-date= 4 July 2021 |time= 14:20 minutes in |work= BBC Sounds}}</ref>

===Wirecard exposé===
{{main|Finance:Wirecard scandal}}
In January 2019, the ''FT'' began a series of investigative articles detailing fraud suspicions at German payments group [[Company:Wirecard|Wirecard]]. When the Wirecard share price plunged, German news media speculated that [[Finance:Market manipulation|market manipulation]] was behind this attack on a German corporate, focusing on the lead author of the ''FT'' series, Dan McCrum. The Public prosecutor's office in [[Place:Munich|Munich]] subsequently launched an investigation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/finanzen/wirecard-ermittlungen-gegen-financial-times-journalisten-16047237.html |title=Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt gegen einen Financial-Times-Journalisten |work=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung |date=18 February 2019 |access-date=21 July 2019 |archive-date=26 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226152550/https://www.faz.net/aktuell/finanzen/wirecard-ermittlungen-gegen-financial-times-journalisten-16047237.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After the formal complaint of an investor, Wirecard and the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), the responsible state's attorney announced investigations into several ''FT'' journalists.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.handelsblatt.com/finanzen/banken-versicherungen/zahlungsdienstleister-wirecard-erhebt-schwere-anschuldigungen-gegen-die-financial-times/24681644.html |title=Wirecard erhebt schwere Anschuldigungen gegen die 'Financial Times' |work=Handelsblatt |date=21 July 2019 |access-date=21 July 2019 |archive-date=22 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722155343/https://www.handelsblatt.com/finanzen/banken-versicherungen/zahlungsdienstleister-wirecard-erhebt-schwere-anschuldigungen-gegen-die-financial-times/24681644.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 22 June 2020 and after 18 months of investigations and an external audit, Wirecard announced that €1.9 billion worth of cash reported in its accounts "may not exist". The company subsequently filed for [[Finance:Insolvency|insolvency]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Wirecard investors set for legal battle as accounting questions mount |url=https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/wirecard-investors-set-for-legal-battle-as-accounting-questions-mount-59114712 |access-date=26 June 2020 |work=S&P Global |date=26 June 2020 |language=en-US |archive-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629120404/https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/wirecard-investors-set-for-legal-battle-as-accounting-questions-mount-59114712 |url-status=live }}</ref> BaFin itself became subject of a European Securities and Markets Authority investigation for its response to the scandal.<ref>{{cite news |last=Davies |first=Pascale |title=EU to investigate German financial watchdog over Wirecard scandal |url=https://www.euronews.com/2020/06/25/wirecard-goes-bust-amid-german-accounting-scandal |access-date=27 June 2020 |publisher=Euronews |date=25 June 2020 |archive-date=27 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627061543/https://www.euronews.com/2020/06/25/wirecard-goes-bust-amid-german-accounting-scandal |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Audience==
According to the Global Capital Markets Survey, which measures readership habits among most senior financial decision makers in the world's largest financial institutions, the ''Financial Times'' is considered the most important business read, reaching 36% of the sample population, 11% more than ''{{wipe|The Wall Street Journal}}'' (''WSJ''), its main rival. ''[[Finance:The Economist|The Economist]]'', which was once 50% owned by ''FT'', reaches 32%. ''FT''{{'s}} ''The Banker'' also proved vital reading, reaching 24%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gcmsurvey.com/Media.html |title=Global Capital Markets Survey 2011 |publisher=Gcmsurvey.com |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015044909/http://www.gcmsurvey.com/Media.html |archive-date=15 October 2013 }}</ref> In addition, the ''FT'' was regarded as the most credible publication in reporting financial and economic issues among the Worldwide Professional Investment Community audience. ''The Economist'' was rated the third-most-credible title by most influential professional investors, while the ''WSJ'' was second.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fttoolkit.co.uk/admediakit/pdfs/PIC_2010_May.ppt |title=Worldwide Professional Investment Community Study 2010. |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524155213/http://fttoolkit.co.uk/admediakit/pdfs/PIC_2010_May.ppt |archive-date=24 May 2012 }}</ref>

==Content==
The ''FT'' is split into two sections. The first section covers domestic and international news, editorial commentary on politics and economics from ''FT'' journalists such as Martin Wolf, Gillian Tett and Edward Luce, and opinion pieces from globally renowned leaders, policymakers, academics and commentators. The second section consists of financial data and news about companies and markets. Despite being generally regarded as primarily a financial newspaper, it does also contain TV listings, weather and other more informal articles. In 2021 and 2022, the outlet began focusing more on the cryptocurrency industry, launching a Digital Assets Dashboard, publishing multi-asset crypto indexes, starting a Cryptofinance newsletter dedicated to digital assets, and recruiting more journalists to cover the sector.<ref>{{cite web |last=Silvera |first=Ian |title=Inside the FT's crypto plans |url=https://www.news-future.com/p/inside-the-fts-crypto-plans |access-date=12 March 2022 |website=www.news-future.com |archive-date=13 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313111109/https://www.news-future.com/p/inside-the-fts-crypto-plans |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Granger |first=Jacob |date=28 July 2022 |title=The FT launches cryptofinance section and newsletter following reader demand |work=Journalism.co.uk |url=https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/the-ft-launches-cryptofinance-section-and-newsletter-following-reader-demand/s2/a950829/ |access-date=24 August 2022 |archive-date=19 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819201036/https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/the-ft-launches-cryptofinance-section-and-newsletter-following-reader-demand/s2/a950829/ |url-status=live }}</ref> About 110 of its 475 journalists are outside the United Kingdom.

===The ''Lex'' column===
The ''Lex'' column is a daily feature on the back page of the first section. It features analyses and opinions covering global economics and finance. The ''FT'' calls ''Lex'' its agenda-setting column. The column first appeared on Monday, 1 October 1945. The name may originally have stood for ''Lex Mercatoria'', a Latin expression meaning literally "merchant law". It was conceived by Hargreaves Parkinson for the ''Financial News'' in the 1930s, and moved to the ''Financial Times'' when the two merged.

''Lex'' boasts some distinguished alumni who have gone on to make careers in business and government—including [[Biography:Nigel Lawson|Nigel Lawson]] (former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer), Richard Lambert (CBI director and former member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee), Martin Taylor (former chief executive of [[Company:Barclays|Barclays]]), John Makinson (chairman and chief executive of Penguin), John Gardiner (former chairman of Tesco), David Freud (former [[Company:UBS|UBS]] banker and Labour adviser, now a Conservative peer), John Kingman (former head of UKFI and a banker at Rothschild's), George Graham (RBS banker), Andrew Balls (head of European portfolio management at PIMCO) and Jo Johnson (former Conservative Member of Parliament for Orpington).<ref name="about_lex">{{cite web|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070903221825/http://www.ft.com/lex/about | archive-date = 3 September 2007 |url = http://www.ft.com/lex/about|title = About Lex|access-date =4 September 2007|work=Financial Times}}</ref>

==''FT Weekend''==
The ''FT'' publishes a Saturday edition of the newspaper titled the ''Financial Times Weekend''. It consists of international economic and political news, ''Companies & Markets'', ''Life & Arts'', ''House & Home'' and ''FT Magazine''.

===''How to Spend It''===
''How to Spend It'' (''HTSI'') is a weekly magazine published with ''FT Weekend''. Founded and launched by Julia Carrick<ref>{{cite web|title=Julia Carrick|url=http://www.ftconferences.com/luxury2011/Page/Julia-Carrick/|work=FT Conferences|access-date=5 September 2011|archive-date=27 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027044506/http://www.ftconferences.com/luxury2011/Page/Julia-Carrick/}}</ref> with Lucia van der Post as founding editor,<ref name="HTSI.com-launch"/> its articles concern luxury goods such as [[Engineering:Yacht|yacht]]s, mansions, apartments, horlogerie, haute couture and automobiles, as well as fashion and columns by individuals in the arts, gardening, food, and hotel and travel industries. ''How to Spend It'' started in 1967 as a one-page consumer goods feature in the newspaper, which was edited by Sheila Black, the ''FT''{{'s}} first female journalist, a former actor.<ref name="HTSI-guardian">{{cite news|last=Beckett|first=Andy|title=How to Spend It: the shopping list for the 1%|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jul/19/how-to-spend-it-the-shopping-list-for-the-1-percent|access-date=3 September 2018|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 July 2018|location=London|archive-date=3 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903215252/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jul/19/how-to-spend-it-the-shopping-list-for-the-1-percent|url-status=live}}</ref> To celebrate its 15th anniversary, ''FT'' launched the online version of this publication on 3 October 2009.<ref name="HTSI.com-launch">{{cite news|last=Allen|first=Katie|title=How To Spend It goes online&nbsp;– FT lures advertisers into uncharted waters|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/02/ft-how-to-spend-it-online-launch|access-date=5 September 2011|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2 October 2009|location=London|archive-date=21 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221044222/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/02/ft-how-to-spend-it-online-launch|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some media commentators were taken aback by the online launch of a website supporting [[Philosophy:Conspicuous consumption|conspicuous consumption]] during the financial [[Finance:Austerity|austerity]] of the late-2000s recession.<ref name="HTSI.com-launch"/> The magazine has been derided in rival publishers' blogs, as "repellent" in the ''Telegraph''<ref>{{cite news|last=Oborne|first=Peter|title=The moral decay of our society is as bad at the top as the bottom|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100100708/the-moral-decay-of-our-society-is-as-bad-at-the-top-as-the-bottom/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812192831/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100100708/the-moral-decay-of-our-society-is-as-bad-at-the-top-as-the-bottom/|archive-date=12 August 2011|access-date=5 September 2011|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=11 August 2011|location=London}}</ref> and "a latter-day ''Ab Fab'' manual" in the ''Guardian''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Flynn|first=Paul|title=Why Absolutely Fabulous now looks absolutely prescient|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/29/absolutely-fabulous-prescient-ab-fab|access-date=5 September 2011|newspaper=The Guardian|date=29 August 2011|location=London|archive-date=9 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909104318/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/29/absolutely-fabulous-prescient-ab-fab|url-status=live}}</ref> A 'well-thumbed' copy of the supplement was found when rebel forces broke into Colonel Gaddafi's Tripoli compound during the 2011 Libyan Civil War.<ref>{{cite news|last=Walker|first=Portia|title=Under the broken city, families explore Gaddafi's warren|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/under-the-broken-city-families-explore-gaddafis-warren-2345260.html|access-date=15 October 2012|newspaper=The Independent|date=11 August 2011|location=London|archive-date=1 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001002728/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/under-the-broken-city-families-explore-gaddafis-warren-2345260.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2021, an Arabic version of ''HTSI'' was launched by Othman Al Omeir, founder of ''Elaph'' online newspaper.<ref name=ft16621>{{cite news|title=Elaph launches How To Spend It Arabic, in association with Financial Times|url=https://aboutus.ft.com/press_release/elaph-launches-how-to-spend-it-arabic-in-association|access-date=6 November 2021|work=Financial Times|date=16 June 2021|archive-date=6 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106180927/https://aboutus.ft.com/press_release/elaph-launches-how-to-spend-it-arabic-in-association|url-status=live}}</ref> ''HTSI Arabic'' is published in London.<ref name=ft16621/>

==Editorial stance==
[[File:Vladimir Putin with The Financial Times (2019-06-27) 07.jpg|thumb|Russian president Vladimir Putin in controversial interview by Lionel Barber and Henry Foy of the ''Financial Times'' in 2019]]
The ''FT'' advocates [[Social:Free market|free markets]], and is in favour of [[Social:Globalization|globalisation]]. During the 1980s, it supported Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan's [[Finance:Monetarism|monetarist]] policies.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021|reason=Previous source was an opinion piece}} It has supported the UK Labour Party in the past, including at the general election in 1992 when [[Biography:Neil Kinnock|Neil Kinnock]] was Labour leader. The ''FT''{{'s}} editorials tend to be [[Social:Pro-Europeanism|pro-European]].<ref name="125years">{{cite news |title=FT at 125: The world in focus |author=Lionel Barber |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/6fce6e6e-711c-11e2-9d5c-00144feab49a.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/6fce6e6e-711c-11e2-9d5c-00144feab49a.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription|newspaper=Financial Times |date= 12 February 2013|access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref> The ''FT'' was firmly opposed to the Iraq War.<ref name="125years"/> Due to its advocacy of free markets and free trade, it is often identified as [[Social:Centrism|centrist]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Royale |first=Oxford |date=28 March 2018 |title=Black and White and Read All Over: A Guide to British Newspapers |url=https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/a-guide-to-british-newspapers/ |access-date=16 March 2023 |website=Oxford Royale Academy |language=en-US |archive-date=17 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317095302/https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/a-guide-to-british-newspapers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> to [[Social:Centre-right politics|centre-right]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Schaeffner |first=Christina |title=Political Discourse, Media and Translation. |date=2010 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Pub |isbn=978-1-4438-1793-6 |location=Newcastle upon Tyne |oclc=827209128}}</ref> in its political positions. 

The modern ''FT'' is a product of a merger of two smaller newspapers in 1945; since that time, the paper had backed the [[Finance:Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]] fairly consistently, but Labour's tacking to the centre, combined with the Conservatives' embracement of Euroscepticism, led the ''FT'' to reverse course and back Labour from 1992 until 2010, when the ''FT'' returned to the Conservative Party. Euroscepticism further drove a wedge between the ''FT'' and the Conservatives in 2019, when the paper refused to make an endorsement, opposed to Labour's socialist economic policies (for wanting to "reverse, not revise, the Thatcherite revolution of the 1980s") and the Conservatives' commitment to a hard Brexit.<ref>{{cite web |date=6 December 2019 |title=Britain's fateful election offers no good choices |url=https://www.ft.com/content/d4868a48-169d-11ea-9ee4-11f260415385 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/d4868a48-169d-11ea-9ee4-11f260415385 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |access-date=2 March 2021 |website=Financial Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Deacon |first=David |title=Enduring Brands: The Press |date=2021 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74254-6_10 |work=The British General Election of 2019 |pages=347–385 |editor-last=Ford |editor-first=Robert |editor1-link=Robert Ford (academic)|access-date=2024-01-13 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-74254-6_10 |isbn=978-3-030-74254-6 |last2=Smith |first2=David |last3=Wring |first3=Dominic |editor2-last=Bale |editor2-first=Tim |editor3-last=Jennings |editor3-first=Will |editor4-last=Surridge |editor4-first=Paula}}</ref>

In respect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FT commentator Martin Wolf expressed support for Ukraine.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wolf |first=Martin |date=28 February 2023 |title=The west must give Ukraine what it needs |url=https://www.ft.com/content/53804bd6-7e07-45f5-b650-d5a841db2c50 |work=The Financial Times |location= |access-date=1 May 2023 |archive-date=5 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505131719/https://www.ft.com/content/53804bd6-7e07-45f5-b650-d5a841db2c50 |url-status=live }}</ref> 
Two years before the invasion of Ukraine by {{wipe|Russia}}, the FT offered an interview to the Russian President Vladimir Putin.<ref>{{cite news|last= Barber|first= Lionel|date= 7 April 2021|title= Did Vladimir Putin win Cold War 2.0?|url= https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/putin-and-the-liberal-west/|work= The New European|location= |access-date= 1 May 2013|archive-date= 28 January 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220128104256/https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/putin-and-the-liberal-west/|url-status= live}}</ref> The interview has received praise, as it offered an unusual access to the Russian leader's thinking.<ref>{{cite news |last1= Laurenson|first1= Jack |last2=Kupfer |first2= Matthew |date= 1 July 2019 |title= Financial Times interview with Putin sparks backlash, debate|url=https://archive.kyivpost.com/world/financial-times-interview-with-putin-sparks-backlash-debate.html |work=Kyiv Post |location= |access-date=1 May 2023}}</ref> President Putin used the interview to state his opinions about the value of liberal democracy.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bennetts |first=Marc |date=28 June 2019 |title=Western liberalism is obsolete, warns Putin, ahead of May meeting |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/27/putin-skripal-attack-should-not-affect-uk-russia-relations |work=The Guardian |location= |access-date=1 May 2023 |archive-date=13 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213024354/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/27/putin-skripal-attack-should-not-affect-uk-russia-relations |url-status=live }}</ref> Commentators accused the FT of asking President Putin "soft questions" and of not asking any questions on topics that might be challenging to Putin, such as the situation in Ukraine, and offering the leader of Russia a propaganda platform.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=5 July 2019 |title=Dictators are obsolete |url=https://archive.kyivpost.com/article/opinion/editorial/dictators-are-obsolete.html |work=Kyiv Post |location= |access-date=1 May 2023 |archive-date=25 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825200406/https://archive.kyivpost.com/article/opinion/editorial/dictators-are-obsolete.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== United Kingdom politics ===
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+''FT'' endorsements<br>(1979–2019)
|1979
|-
|1983
|-
|1987
|-
|1992
|-
|1997
|-
|2001
|-
|2005
|-
|2010
|-
|2015
|-
|2017
|-
|2019
|
|No endorsement
|}

In the 2010 general election, the ''FT'' was receptive to the Liberal Democrats' positions on civil liberties and political reform, and praised the then Labour Party leader Gordon Brown for his response to the global [[Finance:2007–2008 financial crisis|2007–2008 financial crisis]], but on balance it backed the [[Finance:Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]], while questioning their tendency to [[Social:Euroscepticism|Euroscepticism]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE64304Z20100504 |title=Financial Times backs Conservatives |work=Reuters |access-date=28 February 2011 |date=4 May 2010 |archive-date=3 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103134750/http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE64304Z20100504 |url-status=live }}</ref> 

In the 2015 general election, the ''FT'' called for the continuation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition that had governed for the previous five years.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-04-30 |title=General election: The compelling case for continuity in Britain |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e61ce174-ea94-11e4-96ec-00144feab7de |access-date=2024-01-13 |work=Financial Times}}</ref> In the 2017 general election, a ''Financial Times'' editorial reluctantly backed Conservative Theresa May over Labour Jeremy Corbyn, while warning about her stance on immigration and the Eurosceptic elements in her party.<ref>{{cite news|title=Election 2017: The safer bet of a Conservative vote|url=https://www.ft.com/content/67949e4a-45e2-11e7-8d27-59b4dd6296b8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/67949e4a-45e2-11e7-8d27-59b4dd6296b8 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription|website=Financial Times |date=31 May 2017 |access-date=1 June 2017}}</ref> The ''Financial Times'' declared 2019 general election a "fateful election" that "offers no good choices".<ref>{{cite news |date=5 December 2019 |title=Britain's fateful election offers no good choices |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/d4868a48-169d-11ea-9ee4-11f260415385 |access-date=12 March 2023 |archive-date=1 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301134641/https://www.ft.com/content/d4868a48-169d-11ea-9ee4-11f260415385 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===United States politics===
In the 2008 United States presidential election, the ''Financial Times'' endorsed [[Biography:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]]. While it raised concerns over hints of [[Finance:Protectionism|protectionism]], it praised his ability to "engage the country's attention", his calls for a bipartisan politics, and his plans for "comprehensive health-care reform".<ref>{{cite news|title=Obama is the better choice|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1d0b127c-a380-11dd-942c-000077b07658.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1d0b127c-a380-11dd-942c-000077b07658.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=Financial Times|access-date=22 April 2013}}</ref> The ''FT'' favoured Obama again in the 2012 United States presidential election.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f11742fa-2501-11e2-8924-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f11742fa-2501-11e2-8924-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription|title=Obama the wiser bet for crisis-hit US|work=Financial Times|date=5 November 2012|access-date=5 November 2012}}</ref> The ''FT'' endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the run-up to the 2016 United States presidential election and Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election.<ref>{{cite news |title=FT endorsement: For all her weaknesses, Clinton is the best hope |url=https://www.ft.com/content/f61b93c8-9f5a-11e6-891e-abe238dee8e2?tagToFollow=TnN0ZWluX1BOX0FGVE1fUE5fMzgwODQ2-UE4= |website=Financial Times |date=31 October 2016 |access-date=18 January 2019 |archive-date=8 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108125549/https://www.ft.com/content/f61b93c8-9f5a-11e6-891e-abe238dee8e2?tagToFollow=TnN0ZWluX1BOX0FGVE1fUE5fMzgwODQ2-UE4= |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=5 November 2020|title=A historic US vote provides few certainties|url=https://www.ft.com/content/76c3db04-75e7-462d-82e0-94473e6a354d |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/76c3db04-75e7-462d-82e0-94473e6a354d |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription|access-date=2 March 2021|website=Financial Times}}</ref>

==Ownership and related publications==
[[File:Otemachi_Conference_Center.jpg|thumb|260x260px|The ''FT'' has been owned by Nikkei since 2015; the Japanese holding company purchased the paper for £844m (US$1.32 billion).]]
On 23 July 2015, Nikkei, Inc. agreed to buy the Financial Times Group, a division of [[Company:Pearson plc|Pearson plc]] since 1957, for £844m (US$1.32 billion)<ref name="BBC20150723">{{cite web |title=Financial Times sold to Nikkei by Pearson for £844m |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33636321 |publisher=BBC News |date=23 July 2015 |access-date=21 June 2018 |archive-date=24 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924170403/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33636321 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Guardian20150724">{{cite web |last1=Plunkett |first1=John |last2=Martinson |first2=Jane |title=Financial Times sold to Japanese media group Nikkei for £844m |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/23/financial-times-sale-pearson |website=The Guardian |date=24 July 2015 |access-date=12 August 2015 |archive-date=12 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812114546/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/23/financial-times-sale-pearson |url-status=live }}</ref> and the acquisition was completed on 30 November 2015.<ref name="Nikkei20151130">{{cite web |title=Nikkei completes acquisition of Financial Times |url=http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Nikkei-completes-acquisition-of-Financial-Times |work=The Nikkei |date=30 November 2015 |access-date=1 December 2015 |archive-date=3 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803141656/http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Nikkei-completes-acquisition-of-Financial-Times |url-status=live }}</ref> Under the transaction agreement, Pearson retained the publishing rights to FT Press and licensed the trademark from Nikkei.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pearson FT Press {{!}} InformIT |url=https://www.informit.com/promotions/pearson-ft-press-141135 |access-date=8 March 2022 |website=InformIT |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120635/http://www.ftpress.com/authors/author_bio.aspx?ISBN=9780130353337 |url-status=live }}</ref> Until August 2015 the FT group had a 50% shareholding in ''[[Finance:The Economist|The Economist]]'', which was sold to the Agnelli family for £469 million.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pearson sells Economist Group stake |date=12 August 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33878566 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=12 August 2015 |archive-date=14 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814024652/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33878566 |url-status=live }}</ref> Related publications include the ''Financial Times'', FT.com, FT Search Inc., the publishing imprint FT Press and numerous joint ventures. In November 2013 it agreed to sell Mergermarket, an online intelligence reporting business, to the London private equity investor BC Partners.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/396ca876-58e9-11e3-a7cb-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210221227/https://www.ft.com/content/396ca876-58e9-11e3-a7cb-00144feabdc0 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=Pearson agrees to sell Mergermarket unit to BC Partners |work=Financial Times |date=29 November 2013 |access-date=16 December 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, the FT Group has a unit called FT Specialist, which is a provider of specialist information on retail, personal and institutional finance segments. It publishes ''The Banker'', ''Money Management'' and ''Financial Adviser'' (a publication targeted at professional advisers), ''fDi Intelligence'' and ''Professional Wealth Management'' (PWM).<ref name="aboutus">{{cite web|url=http://aboutus.ft.com/corporate-information/ft-company|title=About Us|work=Financial Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303050225/http://aboutus.ft.com/corporate-information/ft-company/|archive-date=3 March 2011|access-date=28 February 2011}}</ref> In 2013, FT Specialist acquired a majority stake in medical publisher Endpoints News.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/endpoints-news-ma-financial-times/corrected-financial-times-acquires-majority-stake-in-medical-publication-endpoints-news-idINL4N3662SJ |title=CORRECTED-Financial Times acquires majority stake in medical publication Endpoints News |date=3 April 2023 |website=Reuters |access-date=14 August 2023 |archive-date=14 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814155803/https://www.reuters.com/article/endpoints-news-ma-financial-times/corrected-financial-times-acquires-majority-stake-in-medical-publication-endpoints-news-idINL4N3662SJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Financial Times Group announced the beta launch of newssift,<ref name="Newssift.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.newssift.com |title=Newssift.com |publisher=Newssift.com |access-date=15 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128002729/http://www.newssift.com/ |archive-date=28 January 2012 }}</ref> part of FT Search, in March 2009. Newssift.com is a next-generation search tool for business professionals that indexes millions of articles from thousands of global business news sources, not just the ''FT''. The Financial Times Group acquired Money Media<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.money-media.com/ |title=Money Media |access-date=6 September 2010 |archive-date=27 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827045731/http://www.money-media.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> (an online news and commentary site for the industry) and Exec-Appointments<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.exec-appointments.com/ |title=Exec-Appointments |publisher=Exec-Appointments |access-date=6 September 2010 |archive-date=4 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904194558/http://www.exec-appointments.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> (an online recruitment specialist site for the executive jobs market). The FT Group once had a 13.85% stake in Business Standard Ltd of India, the publisher of the ''Business Standard''. It sold this stake in April 2008 and has entered into an agreement with Network 18 to launch the ''Financial Times'' in India,<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120869687871229141?mod=2_1567_leftbox Pearson to start a Business Daily in Indian market] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018082402/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120869687871229141?mod=2_1567_leftbox |date=18 October 2017 }} ''The Wall Street Journal''</ref><ref>[http://www.paidcontent.co.uk/entry/419-ft-sells-stake-in-business-standard-in-india-to-launch-financial-daily-/ FT sells Stake in Business Standard] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807170255/http://www.paidcontent.co.uk/entry/419-ft-sells-stake-in-business-standard-in-india-to-launch-financial-daily-/ |date=7 August 2008}} Paidcontent.co.uk</ref> though it is speculated that they may find it difficult to do so, as the brand 'Financial Times' in India is owned by The Times Group,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/advertisingmarketing/financialtimesft/financialtimeslookstopublishindia/market/stocks/article/243638 |title=Financial Times looks to publish in India |publisher=Moneycontrol.com |access-date=6 September 2010 |archive-date=15 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115225003/http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/advertisingmarketing/financialtimesft/financialtimeslookstopublishindia/market/stocks/article/243638 |url-status=live }}</ref> the publisher of ''The Times of India'' and ''The Economic Times''. The group also publishes America's Intelligence Wire, a daily general newswire service.<ref>Business and Company Resource Center, [[Company:Gale (publisher)|Gale Cengage Learning]], 2009.</ref>

The ''Financial Times''' Financial Publishing division (formerly FT Business) provides print and online content for retail, personal and institutional finance audiences. Examples of publications and services include: ''Investors Chronicle'', a personal finance magazine and website; "FT Money", a weekly personal finance supplement in "FT Weekend"; ''FT Wealth'', a magazine for the global high-net-worth community and FTfm, a weekly review of the global fund management industry, ''Money Management'' and ''Financial Adviser'' (a publication targeted at professional advisers). The institutional segment includes: ''The Banker'', ''This Is Africa'', ''[[Finance:FDi magazine|fDi]]'' [[Finance:FDi magazine|''Intelligence'']] and ''Professional Wealth Management'' (PWM).<ref name="aboutus2">{{cite web|url = http://aboutus.ft.com/corporate-information/ft-company|title = About Us|work = Financial Times|access-date = 28 February 2011|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110303050225/http://aboutus.ft.com/corporate-information/ft-company/|archive-date = 3 March 2011|df = dmy-all}}</ref> Money-Media, a separate arm of Financial Publishing, delivers a range of digital information services for fund management professionals around the globe, including: Ignites, Ignites Europe, Ignites Asia, FundFire and BoardIQ. Financial Publishing includes publications (''Pensions Expert'' and ''Deutsche Pensions & Investmentnachrichten'') and events (''Investment Expert'') for the European pensions industry. The group also publishes MandateWire, a financial information company that provides sales and market intelligence for investment professionals in North America, Europe and Asia.<ref name="aboutus"/>

FT Knowledge is an associated company which offers educational products and services. FT Knowledge has offered the "Introducing the City" course (which is a series of Wednesday night lectures and seminars, as well as weekend events) during each autumn and spring since 2000. FT Predict is a [[Finance:Prediction market|prediction market]] contest hosted by the ''Financial Times'' that allows users to buy and sell contracts based on future financial, political and news-driven events by spending fictional Financial Times Dollars (FT$). Based on the assumptions displayed in James Surowiecki's ''The Wisdom of Crowds'', this contest allows people to use prediction markets to observe future occurrences while competing for weekly and monthly prizes.

The ''Financial Times'' also ran a business-related game called "In the Pink" (a phrase meaning "in good health", also a reference to the colour of the newspaper and to the phrase "in the red" meaning to be making a loss). Each player was put in the virtual role of Chief Executive and the goal was to have the highest [[Finance:Profit (accounting)|profit]] when the game closes. The winner of the game (the player who makes the highest profit) was to receive a real monetary prize of £10,000. The game ran from 1 May to 28 June 2006.

In 2019, the ''Financial Times'' announced it was investing in ''Sifted'', a digital-only news site and newsletter covering European [[Finance:Startup company|startups]]. The ''Financial Times''' initial 25% stake 25% was subsequently diluted to 14% due to later investments from others. This marked the start of a planned 7-year strategic relationship with Sifted.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Granger |first1=Jacob |title=Sifted launches a membership model inspired by the startups it reports on {{!}} Media news |url=https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/tech-news-website-sifted-launches-a-membership-inspired-by-the-startups-it-reports-on/s2/a796488/ |website=Journalism.co.uk |access-date=4 August 2023 |date=15 February 2021 |archive-date=31 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231111454/https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/tech-news-website-sifted-launches-a-membership-inspired-by-the-startups-it-reports-on/s2/a796488/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kersley |first1=Andrew |title=FT-backed site for start-ups Sifted takes £4m for 25% stake two years after launch |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/sifted-financial-times-raises-four-million/ |website=Press Gazette |access-date=4 August 2023 |date=22 November 2021 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329075730/https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/sifted-financial-times-raises-four-million/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Indices==
[[File:Indices Financial Times.jpg|thumb|225x225px|A selection of ''FT'' [[Finance:Stock market index|market indices]], 2019]]
The ''Financial Times'' collates and publishes a number of [[Finance:Stock market index|financial market indices]], which reflect the changing value of their constituent parts. The longest-running of these was the former ''Financial News Index'', started on 1 July 1935 by the ''Financial News''. The ''FT'' published a similar index; this was replaced by the ''Financial News Index'' — which was then renamed the ''Financial Times (FT) Index'' — on 1 January 1947. The index started as an index of industrial shares, and companies with dominant overseas interests were excluded, such as the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (later [[Company:BP|BP]]), British-American Tobacco, Lever Brothers (later [[Company:Unilever|Unilever]]) and Shell. The oil and financial sectors were included decades later.<ref name="Littlewood">''The Stock Market'', John Littlewood.</ref>

The FTSE All-Share Index, the first of the FTSE series of indices, was created in 1962, comprising the largest 594 UK companies by market capitalisation.<ref name=Littlewood/> The letters ''F-T-S-E'' represented that FTSE was a joint venture between the ''Financial Times'' ('''F-T''') and the [[Company:London Stock Exchange|London Stock Exchange]] ('''S-E'''). On 13 February 1984 the FTSE 100 was introduced, representing about eighty per cent of the London Stock Exchange's value.<ref name=Littlewood/> [[Company:FTSE Group|FTSE Group]] was made an independent company in 1995. The first of several overseas offices was opened in New York City in 1999; Paris followed in early 2000, Hong Kong, Frankfurt and San Francisco in 2001, [[Place:Madrid|Madrid]] in 2002 and Tokyo in 2003.

Other well-known FTSE indices include the FTSE 350 Index, the FTSE SmallCap Index, the FTSE AIM UK 50 Index and [[Finance:FTSE AIM 100 Index|FTSE AIM 100 Index]] as well as the FTSE AIM All-Share Index for stocks, and the FTSE UK Gilt Indices for government bonds.

In 2021, the ''Financial Times'' started publishing three multi-asset indexes with Wilshire Associates covering combinations of the top five cryptocurrencies.<ref>{{cite news |last=Granger |first=Jacob |date=28 July 2022 |title=The FT launches cryptofinance section and newsletter following reader demand |work=Journalism.co.uk |url=https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/the-ft-launches-cryptofinance-section-and-newsletter-following-reader-demand/s2/a950829/ |access-date=24 August 2022 |archive-date=19 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819201036/https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/the-ft-launches-cryptofinance-section-and-newsletter-following-reader-demand/s2/a950829/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==People==
In July 2006, the ''FT'' announced a "New Newsroom" project to integrate the newspaper more closely with FT.com. At the same time it announced plans to cut the editorial staff from 525 to 475. In August 2006 it announced that all the required job cuts had been achieved through voluntary layoffs. A number of former ''FT'' journalists have gone on to high-profile jobs in journalism, politics and business. Robert Thomson, previously the paper's US managing editor, was the editor of ''The Times'' and is now the chief executive of News Corporation. Will Lewis, a former New York correspondent and News Editor for the ''FT'', edited the ''Daily Telegraph'' and the ''Wall Street Journal''. [[Biography:Dominic Lawson|Dominic Lawson]] went on to become editor of the ''Sunday Telegraph'' until he was sacked in 2005. Andrew Adonis, a former education correspondent, became an adviser on education to the then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and was given a job as an education minister and a seat in the House of Lords after the 2005 election. Ed Balls became chief economic adviser to the Treasury, working closely with Gordon Brown, the chancellor of the exchequer (or finance minister), before being elected a Member of Parliament in 2005, and became Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in July 2007. Bernard Gray, a former defence correspondent and Lex columnist, was chief executive of the publishing company CMP before becoming chief executive of TSL Education, publisher of the ''Times Educational Supplement''. David Jones, at one time the ''FT''{{'}}s Night Editor, then became Head of IT. He was a key figure in the newspaper's transformation from hot metal to electronic composition and then onto full-page pagination in the 1990s. He went on to become Head of Technology for the Trinity Mirror Group.

Sir Geoffrey Owen was the editor of the ''Financial Times'' from 1981 to 1990. He joined the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at the [[Organization:London School of Economics|London School of Economics]] as Director of Business Policy in 1991 and was appointed Senior Fellow, Institute of Management, in 1997. He continues his work there.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lse.ac.uk/management/people/gowen.aspx |title=Directory of the Management Department at the London School of Economics |publisher=London School of Economics |date=30 June 2014 |access-date=15 July 2014 |archive-date=6 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106223036/http://www.lse.ac.uk/management/people/gowen.aspx }}</ref> During his tenure at the ''FT'' he had to deal with rapid technological change and issues related to it, for example repetitive strain injury (RSI), which affected dozens of ''FT'' journalists, reporters and staff in the late 1980s.

==Editors==
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
:1889: Douglas MacRae
:1890: William Ramage Lawson
:1892: Sydney Murray
:1896: A. E. Murray
:1909: C. H. Palmer
:1924: D. S. T. Hunter
:1937: Archibald Chisholm
:1940: Albert George Cole
:1945: Hargreaves Parkinson
:1949: Sir Gordon Newton
:1973: Fredy Fisher
:1981: Sir Geoffrey Owen
:1991: Richard Lambert
:2001: Andrew Gowers
:2006: Lionel Barber
:2020: Roula Khalaf
{{div col end}}

==See also==
* Business journalism
* ''Financial Times'' Business Book of the Year Award
* Financial Times Person of the Year
* List of newspapers in the United Kingdom
* TNW (website)
* Periodical literature

== Notes ==
<references group="nb"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==

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[[Category:Conservative liberalism]]

{{Sourceattribution|Financial Times}}