Shares & the stock market

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...

16 July 2025

“The spectre of inflation has returned to haunt markets after a period when investors’ attention has largely been centred elsewhere,” says AJ Bell Investment Analyst Dan Coatsworth.

“A higher-than-expected inflation reading in the US yesterday is one of the first data points to suggest tariffs are beginning to have some impact on prices. While this...

15 July 2025

Dan Coatsworth, Investment Analyst at AJ Bell, says:

“It’s party time as the FTSE 100 has smashed through the 9,000 level. This is another big tick in what’s proving to be a momentous year for the UK stock market. It took eight years for the FTSE 100 to go from 7,000 to 8,000, yet only two years to break through 9,000. That suggests the market is...

14 July 2025

Dividends might be classed as income, but if you reinvest them, they can make a valuable contribution to your overall investment growth over the long term. This article looks at the impact of dividend reinvestment and what you might need to watch out for.

The main potential benefit is that you can harness the power of compounding returns. Put...

14 July 2025

“The week begins with tariffs once again dominating the agenda for financial markets as US president Donald Trump suggests imports from Mexico and the European Union will be hit by levies of 30% from the beginning of August,” says AJ Bell investment analyst Dan Coatsworth.

“That has put indices in mainland Europe under significant pressure...

11 July 2025

“The UK economy being stuck in the mud and the threat of high tariffs on Canada won’t be a shock to markets, but they are hard to ignore,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.

“After a strong start to the week, investors ran out of energy on Friday. European indices were in the red and futures prices imply Wall Street will follow the...

10 July 2025

“The FTSE 100 has hit a new intraday high of 8,955 as the UK stock market continues to flex its muscles and show strength. Investors lapped up shares in the mining, oil and pharmaceutical sectors, showing a risk-on mood,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.

“European markets in general continue to shrug off Donald Trump’s daily...

9 July 2025

While dividend growth has slowed in the FTSE 100, the index has far outpaced the US’s S&P 500 in 2025, and the pound continues to outdo the dollar.

The FTSE 100 has provided a 9.6% total return so far this year, compared to just 2.1% from the S&P 500, as the US has started to lag on the global stage.

Whether this trend continues or not remains to...

9 July 2025

“There was a solid showing across European equity markets despite Trump’s tariff onslaught ramping up a gear,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.

“Copper prices soared on the prospect of 50% tariffs on copper imports into the US. The metal price had already been moving higher as buyers second-guessed tariff threats and stockpiled...

8 July 2025

If a country’s economic growth slows down or speeds up, many assume that its stock market will mirror that performance. There is a close relationship between the two, yet it is not as simple as saying the rate of GDP will be the precise amount you will make from a fund tracking a particular country’s stock market.

Investor expectations drive...

8 July 2025

“The TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) trade is back on the table as the Trump administration’s latest announcements on tariffs offered some relief to financial markets,” says AJ Bell investment analyst Dan Coatsworth.

“While new levies were announced for 14 trading partners, news of a pause until 1 August to allow for further negotiations was...

7 July 2025

“Countries and regions are bracing themselves for trade letters from the US as the Trump administration moves to the next phase of its tariff regime,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.

“Trump might be treating it in the same way as a final notice letter – get your act together and agree to a deal or be put back on the higher...

3 July 2025

“After yesterday’s political chaos around the future of Rachel Reeves as chancellor triggered a spike in UK government bond yields, prime minister Keir Starmer has now brought a sense of calm to markets,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.

“Starmer declaring his support for the chancellor has led to gilt yields pulling back and...

2 July 2025

“It’s a solid day for European equities as all the major indices moved higher amid progress in the US on policy plans to lower taxes and progress with trade negotiations,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.

“Commodity producers, financials, utilities and industrials led the way on the UK stock market. The fact both risk-on and...

1 July 2025

“Asian markets saw mixed fortunes as investors waited for updates on trade talks and Trump’s tax-reduction bill,” says Dan Coatsworth, Investment Analyst at AJ Bell.

“The Nikkei 225 fared worst as it looked as if relations were strained between the US and Japan, which doesn’t bode well for tariff negotiations.

“Donald Trump took to social media to...

30 June 2025

“There is a lot going on to influence markets before the summer lull and investors’ animal spirits continue to fuel the equities space,” says Dan Coatsworth, Investment Analyst at AJ Bell.

“Investors seem confident trade deals will be struck, geopolitical tensions ease, and a major economic slump is avoided. The big unknown is whether investors are...

27 June 2025

To say Donald Trump likes picking fights is an understatement, and with his dust-up with Elon Musk seemingly in the past, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is Trump’s next target. The US president has been throwing critical bombs at Powell for weeks, demanding immediate rate cuts, while a couple of Powell’s colleagues had also called for lower...

27 June 2025

“Investors were in a good mood at the end of the trading week with gains seen across European indices and many parts of Asia,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“Geopolitical tensions have eased back, for now, and risk appetite has improved.

“Shares in JD Sports burst to life off the back of Nike’s results. The footwear manufacturer...

26 June 2025

“UK takeover action has focused on the mid to lower end of the market so far this year and for a brief moment it looked like we might get the first mega cap action. Alas, Shell has thrown cold water over talk it was preparing a bid for BP, meaning the FTSE 100 hasn’t delivered the surge which many thought might happen this morning,” says Russ Mould...

26 June 2025

Shell buying BP is second only to a bid for ITV as the perennial takeover talk that won’t go away. The fact rumours keep circulating might suggest there is some truth in the matter, be it Shell or someone else looking to buy the UK oil and gas producer.

This is a difficult one to call. All big companies will look hard at any acquisition...

26 June 2025

Financial markets can never be always right, but their views must always be respected and right now it looks as if they are spot on when it comes to the risks posed by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Oil prices gained little ground when tensions flared between Israel and Iran last week and they shed those gains and more once the ceasefire...