Shares & the stock market

14 August 2026

US markets hit fresh highs this week buoyed by strength in technology stocks and benign inflation data which helped to push bond yields down as markets priced in a lower chance of a rate hike from the Federal Reserve next month.

Consumer price inflation rose 0.1% in July taking the annual rate to 3.4% from 3.5% in the prior month while the core...

14 August 2026

While European markets were in a holding pattern at the end of the week, their performance has generally been good so far this year, with investors having little reason to grumble.

The FTSE 100 pulled back slightly on Friday as weakness in miners, pharma, tobacco and banks acted as a headwind. Oil prices are showing no sign of easing back after the...

13 August 2026

There are a few different methods that can be used to judge the popularity of an investment, but two of the most common are how many people are buying it and how much money is being invested in it.

Though it may seem counterintuitive, these two metrics can often show very different patterns. On a broad scale, deals by individuals make up quite a...

13 August 2026

Following a brutal 30% decline in the price of gold since the start of the year, there are signs the yellow metal is coming back to life with the bullion price up 8% since the beginning of August. The more volatile silver price is up around 16% since the middle of July.

The sharp pullback at the start of the year should perhaps not have come as...

13 August 2026

The FTSE 100 was dragged lower as several heavyweights traded without the rights to their latest dividends on Thursday.

This meant the index was the wallflower at the party, unable to join in with the gains seen elsewhere in Europe after a positive session in Asia and yesterday on Wall Street. Easing US inflation which came bang in line with...

12 August 2026

European stock markets remained in a holding pattern as investors digested the latest events in the Middle East.

Yet more attacks on shipping suggest there is no end in sight to the conflict. The renewed tensions have put oil back on an upwards path and muddied the waters with regards to inflation expectations and what that means for interest rates...

12 August 2026

The ongoing bidding war for commercial airline EasyJet has come to a resolution, with Apollo finally securing the deal.

The takeover battle at EasyJet has come into land as initial suitor Castlelake walked away, leaving the path clear for rival bidder Apollo’s £5.7 billion bid to be agreed. As a result, the large cohort of retail shareholders in...

11 August 2026

Oil prices continue to ebb and flow as the narrative around the Iran war takes endless twists and turns.

Brent crude has put on $10 in less than a week, which is a significant move, with the black stuff now trading just below $89 a barrel.

It’s troubling but not enough to cause panic. Instead, it’s knocked the wind out of investors’ sails and left...

10 August 2026

The FTSE 100 dipped in early trading in stark contrast to the fireworks seen on Wall Street late last week.

The US rally was supported by weaker-than-anticipated US jobs numbers which helped dial down fears about an imminent rate hike from the Federal Reserve.

The Iran conflict remains a key source of concern for markets with a lasting resolution...

7 August 2026

Inheritance tax rule changes due next year which include pensions falling within estates for IHT purposes, are focusing attention on the threat this tax poses, and how to protect yourself. One lesser-known rule allows you to give away big chunks of your spare income and avoid the tax. Even if you don’t have any income spare for this, you may still...

7 August 2026

Despite the unrelenting backdrop of negative news, the large-cap FTSE 100 and mid-cap FTSE 250 indices recently scaled new highs, showing that investor sentiment remains resilient.

Perhaps it isn’t so surprising as bull phases are often described as ‘markets climbing a wall of worry,’ a reference to investors putting aside bad news and moving on.

A...

7 August 2026

The FTSE 100 was modestly higher in early trading, though short of its recent all-time highs, as the latest developments in the Middle East drove an increase in oil prices.

Draft terms in an agreement over the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman hinted at Tehran’s leverage in the region – with mooted bans for US and Israeli shipping likely to do...

7 August 2026

US stocks bounced back this week on renewed hopes for a resolution in the Middle East and a broadly reassuring set of corporate updates.

The technology sector also regained some of its equilibrium after a period of volatility, helping propel the Nasdaq index forward.

AI software outfit Palantir was among the top risers. Its second-quarter earnings...

6 August 2026

The value of UK mergers and acquisitions continue to gather pace, with the cumulative value of announced deals touching £70 billion, more than double the total across the whole of 2025, according to AJ Bell data.

Deals have been struck at an average premium of around 44% to the undisturbed price, up from 40% in the prior year, showing buyers are...

6 August 2026

The FTSE 100 ticked higher on Thursday, despite selling on Wall Street and in Asia, as its lack of technology exposure proved to be a boon.

Continuing concerns about whether the AI story is running out of legs had an impact on the big US tech names and their Asian suppliers, though continuing hopes for a breakthrough in the Middle East helped to...

6 August 2026

SpaceX reported its first quarterly results as a public company on 4 August to a mixed market response.

Having run up in advance of the numbers on the day of the release, the shares fell in extended trading as better-than-expected revenue was overshadowed by heavy spending on artificial intelligence.

The AI trade has spent much of the year being...

5 August 2026

The FTSE 100 ticked higher on positively received corporate updates and as hopes continue to rise around diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.

There is increasing optimism about a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz which means Brent crude oil prices are currently bubbling around the $80 per barrel mark, well short of their recent highs.

The...

4 August 2026

The FTSE 100 got off to a solid start on Tuesday following gains in US and Asian markets.

Miners were higher in London, with performance also bolstered by some positively received corporate updates.

Smith & Nephew was a notable laggard. The company seems to be in a permanent state of turnaround in recent years and delivered yet another...

3 August 2026

As markets continued to new highs this year, the increases have made some investors nervous about a possible bubble.

The nerves are understandable, considering the amount of excitement around AI while a lot about its capabilities remains unclear. However, when we look at the numbers across most major markets, share price growth in the last year has...

3 August 2026

Investors have two main options when it comes to investing in bonds. These are government bonds and corporate bonds.

When governments and companies need to borrow money, they issue bonds. If you buy one, you become the lender, and in return you receive regular interest payments plus your original investment back at the end.

However, within these...

3 August 2026

It’s déjà vu for investors all over again as hints of a rapprochement between the US and Iran saw oil prices fall and risk sentiment improve.

The FTSE 100’s advance was constrained by a negative reaction to AstraZeneca’s reported interest in a merger with Bristol Myers Squibb and by weakness in its oil and gas heavyweights BP and Shell. However...

1 August 2026

In investing it is just as important to understand where the risks are accumulating as well as potential buying opportunities.

With markets becoming increasingly concentrated and returns driven by a handful of AI-related names, even broad global indices present challenges for investors to maintain extensive diversification.

Schroder’s CIO Johanna...

31 July 2026

The FTSE 100 tested new record highs on Friday morning as investors continue to climb the wall of worry and sentiment improves.

The rebound in tech powered by Microsoft’s extremely well-received numbers has helped lift the broader market mood, helping investors to put concerns about the Iran conflict and its continuing impact on ice for now.

Miners...