Financial Times

The Financial Times (FT) is a British daily newspaper printed in <a href="/facts/Broadsheet/mdYfB6zl">broadsheet</a> and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic <a href="/facts/Current_affairs_(news_format)/s7nWLCcB">current affairs</a>. Based in <a href="/facts/London/KozCCsy9">London</a>, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, <a href="/facts/Nikkei%2c_Inc./l5QYmEAC">Nikkei</a>, with core editorial offices across Britain, the United States and continental Europe. In July 2015, <a href="/facts/Pearson_plc/Bo4IQzMo">Pearson</a> sold the publication to Nikkei for <a href="/facts/Pound_sterling/cGgjUJwv">£</a>844 million (<a href="/facts/US%24/naEEDUhC">US$</a>1.32 billion) after owning it since 1957. In 2019, it reported one million paying subscriptions, three-quarters of which were digital subscriptions. In 2023, it was reported to have 1.3 million subscribers of which 1.2 million were digital. The newspaper has a prominent focus on <a href="/facts/Business_journalism/9vYWKgCz">financial journalism</a> and economic analysis rather than <a href="/facts/News_media/8vaYSAVC">generalist reporting</a>, drawing both criticism and acclaim. It sponsors an <a href="/facts/Financial_Times_and_McKinsey_Business_Book_of_the_Year_Award/98nTASm9">annual book award</a> and publishes a "<a href="/facts/Financial_Times_Person_of_the_Year/Accvk8sN">Person of the Year</a>" feature.
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 <a href="/facts/Horatio_Bottomley/fomSkBxn">Horatio Bottomley</a>, sought to report on city business opposite the <a href="/facts/Financial_News_(1884%25E2%2580%25931945)/cdQc8x31">Financial News</a>. The succeeding half-century of competition between the two papers eventually culminated in a <a href="/facts/Financial_News_(1884%25E2%2580%25931945)/cdQc8x31">1945 merger</a>, led by <a href="/facts/Brendan_Bracken/pLke7IV5">Brendan Bracken</a>, which established it as <a href="/facts/List_of_business_newspapers/Wl4zsuxY">one of the largest business newspapers</a> 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, <a href="/facts/Political_cartoon/1hjDjQFU">political cartoons</a>, <a href="/facts/Readers%2527_letters/u7Whku8l">readers' letters</a>, book reviews, technology articles and global politics features. The paper is often characterised by its light-pink (salmon) <a href="/facts/Newsprint/AdpgzNMs">newsprint</a>. It is supplemented by its lifestyle magazine (<a href="/facts/FT_Magazine/YFd2Ssrm">FT Magazine</a>), weekend edition (FT Weekend) and some industry publications.
The editorial stance of the Financial Times centres on <a href="/facts/Economic_liberalism/FVN7C4Le">economic liberalism</a>, particularly advocacy of <a href="/facts/Free_trade/Mg9NLrdw">free trade</a> and <a href="/facts/Free_market/KnK7JohY">free markets</a>. Since its founding, it has supported <a href="/facts/Liberal_democracy/5blgnbkS">liberal democracy</a>, favouring <a href="/facts/Classical_liberalism/SMJD77vB">classically liberal</a> politics and policies from international governments; its newsroom is independent from its editorial board, and it is considered a <a href="/facts/Newspaper_of_record/ccA83WD6">newspaper of record</a>. Due to its history of economic commentary, the FT publishes a variety of financial indices, primarily the <a href="/facts/FTSE_All-Share_Index/I3QLjazE">FTSE All-Share Index</a>. Since the late 20th century, its typical depth of coverage has linked the paper with a <a href="/facts/White-collar_worker/ckJEIdEM">white-collar</a>, educated, and financially literate readership. Because of this tendency, the FT has traditionally been regarded as a <a href="/facts/Centrism/jybYq4vR">centrist</a> to <a href="/facts/Centre-right_politics/t05mK4rv">centre-right</a> <a href="/facts/Liberalism/nj54a01U">liberal</a>, <a href="/facts/Neoliberalism/UfqKadhe">neo-liberal</a>, and <a href="/facts/Conservative_liberalism/HE5h2n4z">conservative-liberal</a> newspaper. The Financial Times is headquartered in <a href="/facts/Bracken_House%2c_London/gnXqbCRj">Bracken House</a> at 1 Friday Street, near the city's financial centre, where it maintains its <a href="/facts/Publishing/7g01YeYG">publishing</a> house, corporate centre, and main editorial office.

Financial Times open-in-new

Financial Times