BP's new CEO, how to diversify & Auction Technology: The Companies and Markets Show

This week we’re kicking things off with one of the big company stories of early 2026 – for a number of reasons. It was a busy December for BP (BP.), which junked its chief executive and made progress with some divestment plans. Alex Hamer and Mark Robinson are here to discuss what the imminent arrival of new boss Meg O’Neill might mean for the group and its strategy, all in the context of a dramatic start to the year in which the US has seized control of oil supplies from one of the founding members of Opec.We will also touch on the wider commodities outlook for the year, before moving on to asset allocation in general – our big read this week is all about diversification, why it matters even if you have a high risk tolerance and high risk appetite. Val Cipriani will talk us through the ins and outs later on.To wrap up, we look at the UK company that, it turns out, has been the subject of 11 bids over the past four months. That’s struggling online platform Auction Technology (ATG), whose shares rebounded this week as news broke. Valeria Martinez will discuss what’s next for the business.Timestamps:0:49: BP's new CEO19:3: Diversification strategies31:05: Auction TechnologyRead the articles highlighted in the show:The complete guide to diversifying your portfolioBP announces surprise CEO changeBP heads further upstream after Castrol saleInvestors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities. Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.