3 February 2026
Daily market update: gold, Japan rally, SpaceX and xAI, AG BarrThe sharp sell-off in gold over the past few days has encouraged investors to buy on the dip, scooping up the precious metal in their droves and making it sparkle again.
Gold has delivered such strong rewards to investors over the past year that many people will have treated the recent sell-off as a New Year’s sale, a chance to grab more metal at a...
2 February 2026
Daily market update: commodity prices slump, AI competition heats upCommodities markets have experienced a significant shockwave, with metal prices down sharply. This has reversed a winning trade for the plethora of commodity producers on the FTSE 100.
Miners including Fresnillo and Antofagasta, and oil producers BP and Shell, were pulled into the red as investor sentiment towards their sectors wanes and earnings...
30 January 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Health insurance stocks plunge, data storage names surgeA topsy-turvy week for US markets saw investors digest turbulence in the health insurance space, earnings from a good chunk of the big tech contingent, as well as the latest decision on interest rates.
Health insurance names like UnitedHealth and Humana were sickly after the Trump administration proposed keeping Medicare rates flat next year which...
30 January 2026
What we learned from Tesla, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft’s resultsFour of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ stocks have reported their latest quarterly financial results to a mixed market reaction.
Meta was the winner in share price terms, jumping 10.4% in a single session after impressing investors with revenue growth and business success. Microsoft was the loser, down 10% in a day amid a slowdown in cloud computing...
30 January 2026
Russ Mould: Analysts zero in on GSK, Alphabet and Shell ahead of forthcoming resultsAJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould lists the companies scheduled to report in the week commencing 2 February, and takes a closer look at what analysts expect from GSK, Alphabet and Shell.
30 January 2026
Daily market update: AstraZeneca and Tesla, SpaceX and xAI merger reportIt’s a potentially big day for financial markets amid chatter that Donald Trump will announce his pick for the new Federal Reserve chair.
Reports suggest Kevin Warsh is primed to take the role. Investors seem to be taking this as a positive sign in terms of Fed independence – with Warsh perceived as a more orthodox choice versus some of the other...
30 January 2026
Bargain hunter investors win in 2025 but not over long termBargain hunters were the most successful type of investor in 2025, topping AJ Bell’s annual Style League table with a return of 38.7%.
Our analysis assumes that at the beginning of the year, the bargain hunter invests in the worst performing Investment Association (IA) fund sector of the previous 12 months. Latin America took the wooden spoon in...
29 January 2026
Daily market update: Lloyds, EasyJet, Meta, MicrosoftThe FTSE 100 got off to a strong start as gold moved through $5,500 and oil ticked up amid mounting tensions between the US and Iran.
The mining sector did much of the heavy lifting for the index, buoyed by a positive production update from Glencore and the impact of precious metals strength on Fresnillo and Endeavour. BP and Shell were lifted by a...
28 January 2026
Daily market update: ASML, SpaceX, British LandThe FTSE 100 moved higher despite a continuing slide in the dollar, as it took its cue from gains on Wall Street overnight.
A weaker US currency is a headwind for the large contingent in the index which derive their revenue from across the Atlantic – although it continues to provide support to dollar-denominated gold which has moved above the $5...
28 January 2026
Why gold mining shares are falling faster than the gold priceShares in gold miners often outperform a rising gold price. The reverse is also true, as investors have just found out.
Gold has gone into reverse after a strong rally, and gold mining shares have fallen by an even greater amount.
Since the current bull run in gold started in December 2015, the S&P Commodity Producers Gold index, a basket of...
27 January 2026
Daily market update: tariffs, ground rent reform, Evoke, Dr Martens, SageThe FTSE 100 moved higher after gains in the US last night and across much of Asia.
The exception to the positivity in Asian markets was South Korea after the Trump administration announced it was raising tariffs on imports from the country to 25% after accusing Seoul of not living up to a deal agreed last year.
The potential threat of 100% tariffs...
26 January 2026
What to consider with gold as it soars past $5,100The price of gold reached a new all-time high of $5,100 as investors clamour for a piece of the market.
Having enjoyed a recent boost triggered by investor concerns about Donald Trump's spat with Europe over Greenland, gold has been pushed yet higher by tensions within America, the possibility of intervention to address yen weakness and the...
26 January 2026
Daily market update: gold, Nikkei, Ryanair, Spire HealthcareThere may not be any big geopolitical news to rival last week’s Greenland drama, but internal tensions in the US are helping to keep precious metals prices elevated.
Gold has moved through $5,000 for the first time – showing investors are still seeking out the traditional haven for some insurance against what remains a febrile backdrop.
In less...
24 January 2026
Which big UK stocks have grown their dividends the most?For many investors dividends are a good source of income, but they can also be a good source of capital growth. Long-term studies have shown that dividends have contributed more than half of the stock market’s total return.
This shows that reinvesting dividends is crucial for maximising shareholder returns and compounding wealth. Even for investors...
23 January 2026
Russ Mould: Headline numbers to look out for from the 'Magnificent Seven'AJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould runs through the names of companies scheduled to report updates in the coming week, and focuses on Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Tesla and Apple.
23 January 2026
Daily market update: TikTok, Babcock, Intel, C&CIt’s a calmer end to a chaotic week on the markets.
While it looks like a crisis has been averted, investors’ patience has been well and truly tested.
Gold nudged ahead to trade ever closer to $5,000 an ounce as investors were reluctant to let go of their safety blanket, just in case Donald Trump woke up with another controversial idea.
The FTSE...
23 January 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Kraft Heinz, Netflix, Procter & GambleWhat was shaping up to be a disaster of a week for US indices, curtailed by Martin Luther King Day, turned out instead to be at worst mixed.
President Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on European countries over Greenland and hints at the use of military force to acquire the territory if it wasn’t possible to do so by other means put markets on...
23 January 2026
How investors reacted to the latest Donald Trump dramaDonald Trump’s moves on Greenland threatened to cause the biggest upset on financial market since last April’s Liberation Day, an event that knocked shares for six.
Fortunately, a U-turn on 21 January by the US president subsequently brought a sense of calm. It was good reminder for investors to not panic in times of turmoil.
It’s fascinating to...
22 January 2026
Saba fails at Edinburgh Worldwide but investment trust activism enduresActivist investor Saba’s latest setback in its push for change in the investment trust universe is unlikely to be the end of the story. The disruptor has lost in its campaign to reform Edinburgh Worldwide but it still has holdings in plenty more trusts.
AJ Bell’s inaugural report on activists in the investment trust world shows Saba has stakes in...
22 January 2026
Daily market update: markets rebound, B&M, The Works, WickesDonald Trump’s TACO bell has rung once again, much to the joy of financial markets.
Trump has form in chickening out of his threats, and investors are pleased he confirmed no plans to use military action to take Greenland or to impose new tariffs on parts of Europe.
Following a strong session for Wall Street last night, Asian and European markets...
21 January 2026
Daily market update: JD Wetherspoon, Currys, JD Sports, BurberryThe FTSE 100 held up in early trading on Wednesday despite a rebound in UK inflation and continued uncertainty over Greenland.
The hope will be that some form of compromise can be found as Donald Trump meets with European leaders and speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
After a difficult day on Wall Street yesterday, US futures point to a...
20 January 2026
Daily market update: markets lower with Greenland in focus, Kraken, GSKDespite a difficult start to the week it feels like the market is still in wait-and-see mode over whether there will be a full-blown trade war between the US and Europe.
Since the market close last Friday, the French and German flagship indices are down 2.5% and 2.3%, partly thanks to French luxury goods firms’ and German carmakers’ substantial...
19 January 2026
Discover the most popular funds and trusts for incomeA big reason lots of people invest in the stock market is to get income and funds are a popular option because they offer the added benefit of diversification.
Unlike when you invest in an individual company, which can pause or cancel its dividend at a management team’s discretion, the risk of your income stream being meaningfully disrupted is much...
19 January 2026
Daily market update: Trump's tariffs, gold, FTSE 100, WHSmith, WorkspacePlot out the timeline of policy announcements since Trump returned to the White House and it’s longer than the Bayeux Tapestry.
Financial markets have been subjected to a barrage of heavy-hitting decisions by Trump during his second term, with endless twists and turns. A new tougher stance on tariffs towards parts of Europe in Trump’s quest to own...
16 January 2026
Russ Mould: Analysts look at Netflix, JD Sports and B&M ahead of forthcoming updatesAJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould runs through the names of companies scheduled to report updates in the coming week (w/c 19 January), specifically looking at what analysts expect from Netflix (NFLX), JD Sports (JD.) and B&M (BME).
