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We have tracked profit warnings from UK-registered companies since 1999, giving us powerful insight into business, capital and economy.
Our analysis of UK-registered companies listed on the UK’s Main Market or Alternative Investment Market provides you with insights into profit warning trends and key economic, sector and market issues facing UK businesses. You can delve into the latest quarter’s findings and access almost 20 years’ worth of data at the click of a button through our console. Use our profit warning data to understand trends and identify the forces affecting your market and reshaping your path ahead.
UK Profit Warnings Q1 2026 headlines
UK‑listed companies issued 55 profit warnings in Q1 2026. It was a quarter of two halves, with January and February delivering the lowest warning total for more than two decades, extending the downtrend seen at the end of 2025. That optimism proved short‑lived, with warnings rising sharply in March as the impact of the conflict in the Middle East began to feed through.
Geopolitical and policy uncertainty remained the dominant trigger, cited in a record 49% of warnings in Q1 2026. Software and industrial support services once again featured prominently, reflecting cautious business spending and elongated decision cycles. Pressure also intensified in the travel sector, as higher fuel costs, operational disruption and booking uncertainty weighed on earnings. Housebuilders continued to be held back by high mortgage rates, weak sentiment and elevated build and financing costs.
Looking ahead, stress is expected to span multiple sectors. With risks increasingly overlapping and the full impact of the conflict in the Middle East is yet to fully emerge, confidence remains fragile and restructuring pressures look set to build further through 2026.
In Q1 2026,
55
profit warnings were issued by UK‑based listed companies.
In Q1 2026,
49%
of profit warnings cited geopolitical or policy change and uncertainty.
In the last 12 months,
58%
of FTSE Household Goods and Home Construction companies issued a profit warning.
In Q1 2026,
5
FTSE Travel and Leisure companies issued a profit warning.
