Shares & the stock market

5 August 2025

In the three months since Warren Buffett announced his retirement plans, Berkshire Hathaway’s share price has continued to slide, perhaps suggesting that investors are yet to convince themselves the company can continue as an investment powerhouse without Buffett at the helm.

The decline in Berkshire’s share price since Buffett’s announcement on 3...

5 August 2025

“The FTSE 100 has its recent record highs in its sights again as global markets shake off the latest tariff turmoil,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“Strong corporate results are helping as they show businesses can still thrive despite the turbulent backdrop.

“ Smith & Nephew seems as if it’s been on the waiting list for a recovery...

4 August 2025

“The FTSE 100 managed a cautious recovery on Monday morning after the tariff-related sell-off at the end of last week,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“Concern about the ongoing ructions in global trade was compounded by the Trump administration’s decision to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics off the back of weak jobs...

1 August 2025

US stock markets took a break from record breaking highs in a week which saw four of the Mag-7 report earnings, worth roughly $11 trillion of market capitalisation, a Federal Reserve interest rate decision, more inflation data and non-farm payrolls.

Big earnings beats from Microsoft and Meta Platforms on Wednesday (29 July) were well received while...

1 August 2025

Big US technology companies are back in the news after the latest set of earnings reports. Four of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ have just updated the market and all of them have smashed expectations with their quarterly numbers. However, not everyone enjoyed a positive share price reaction.

Meta was the standout name in terms of smashing market...

1 August 2025

“Equity markets were flashing red as Trump’s tariff regime hits another milestone,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“Investors have been caught off guard, having previously hoped Trump would kick the new tariff levels down the road pending further negotiations with foreign trade partners. Instead, we’ve got new rates galore and...

31 July 2025

The UK banking sector has been a fantastic place to make money in 2025. Investors would have enjoyed an average 38% total return including dividends year-to-date across Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest.

All four have just reported their latest quarterly results and on the whole, they are doing well and investors are reaping the rewards.

NatWest’s...

31 July 2025

“Stellar results from Microsoft and Meta have fired up investors, quickly shifting the focus from US interest rates potentially staying higher for longer, to an environment where big tech is ruling the roost again,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“The probability of a US rate cut in September has fallen since the Fed’s rate...

30 July 2025

“Investors got out of the wrong side of the bed, judging by the negative reaction to the latest round of corporate earnings,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“While certain stocks fell for good reason such as HSBC and Taylor Wimpey amid negative news, there were plenty of other big stocks like BAE Systems and GSK who couldn’t get a...

29 July 2025

Amid growing interest in UK stocks, particularly the FTSE 100 after it hit another record high, investors will be hunting high and low for opportunities.

Value-style investors like to sift through the rubbish bin to spot companies with the potential to bounce back. Quite often a stock looks cheap because the company faces near-term headwinds or...

29 July 2025

“The FTSE 100 enjoyed another good start, lifted by positive market reaction to AstraZeneca’s numbers and Games Workshop delivering yet another strong set of results,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“It’s a busy week for corporate earnings in the UK and US, and investors have plenty of news to digest. The latest set of UK results...

28 July 2025

“The much-awaited trade agreement between the US and the EU has finally been struck, sending a wave of relief across financial markets,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“As widely expected, the agreed tariffs aren’t as high as previously feared, which means investors are taking the trade agreement as a massive win.

“In reality...

25 July 2025

Wall Street continued its upward momentum this week as a US trade deal with Japan created optimism there would be an agreement with the EU ahead of the 1 August deadline set by the White House.

The S&P 500 index hit another closing high, its tenth in 19 trading days, led once again by technology stocks, such as Alphabet. Nasdaq also broke records.

25 July 2025

“The FTSE 100 lost some ground as investors took stock after another breathless week for the markets,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“There was positive economic news from the UK as retail sales bounced back in June helped by warm weather – although beyond the headline there were several signs that consumer confidence remains fragile...

24 July 2025

It’s been a wonderful time to invest in UK shares. The FTSE 100 recently went through the 9,000 level for the first time and has made a new record high on multiple occasions this year.

The 7.2% return between January and June was the best first-half run since 2021, when it went up 8.9%.

Year-to-date, investors would have made a 14.2% total return...

24 July 2025

“European shares marched higher on Thursday as the positive sentiment generated by the trade deal agreed between the US and Japan continued to permeate the markets,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“The continued momentum came despite a mixed start to the big tech earnings season across the Atlantic as Alphabet and Tesla posted their...

23 July 2025

“News of a trade agreement between the US and Japan is fostering optimism among investors that further deals might be reached before punishing tariffs come into force,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“The news helped drive the FTSE 100 to a new record high and saw gains in other markets across mainland Europe – with focus likely to...

22 July 2025

“Higher than expected government borrowing pushed up UK gilt yields and pulled down the UK stock market,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“10-year gilt yields briefly nudged up to 4.645%, which is the market’s way of saying it isn’t impressed with the state of public finances. Soaring debt interest payments haven’t helped and the...

21 July 2025

“Markets were muted at the start of the new trading week as investors awaited updates on US trade negotiations,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“There is now less than a fortnight before the 1 August deadline for the new tariff regime to kick in, and we still don’t have framework deals between the US and many regions including the...

18 July 2025

The US market continues to endure a rollercoaster ride but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices still reached record levels on 17 July.

Earlier in the week, speculation President Donald Trump might be about to fire Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell created real nervousness among investors but this eased through the course of the week.

The second...

18 July 2025

As the James Bond title goes, ‘The World Is Not Enough’ for Netflix as far as investors are concerned. They want more, more and more.

Better than expected quarterly results and upgraded full-year revenue and cash flow guidance weren’t enough to keep investors happy.

Shares in Netflix fell in pre-market trading following the results even though the...

18 July 2025

“The FTSE 100 is the ultimate tease, once again flirting above the 9,000 level before taking a step back,” says Dan Coatsworth, Investment Analyst at AJ Bell.

“What really matters is that the UK stock market is strutting its stuff and continuing to press ahead. It joined the rest of Europe by basking in the sun and trading higher than the previous...

17 July 2025

“Having seen a rapid retreat from the briefly attained 9,000 mark earlier this week, the FTSE 100 made steady progress on Thursday to put this milestone level back within reach,” says AJ Bell Investment Analyst Dan Coatsworth.

“Financial stocks were among the gainers, while specialist distributor Diploma led the way as it lifted its full-year...