Shares & the stock market

19 June 2026

The FTSE 100 was steady on Friday after gains on Wall Street yesterday, as investors largely shrugged off the latest political news in the UK.

Oil prices ticked higher and Asian stocks dipped as negotiations between Washington and Tehran were apparently put on hold while Israel continued to pursue strikes against Lebanon. These developments are a...

19 June 2026

In a week dominated by two major events – the first Federal Reserve meeting under chair Kevin Warsh and the US-Iran peace deal – US markets made positive progress.

It wasn’t without its ups and downs though, largely thanks to the Fed – of which more later.

Memory chip stocks, which had seen their surge interrupted of late, were significantly higher...

18 June 2026

Politics and economics are front and centre for markets in the UK and beyond.

The US and Iran have signed an initial deal to end the war, causing oil prices to fall further. Oil has now fallen by 30% in just over four weeks, wiping out much of the increases seen since the start of the war in late February.

Brent crude now trades at $77.79 per...

17 June 2026

A US-Iran peace agreement and prospects for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz saw Brent Crude oil prices fall to around $80 per barrel on 16 June, well below the near $120 peak and back within 10% of pre-war levels.

The agreement has implications for central bank interest rate policy due to the inflationary impact of higher energy prices putting...

17 June 2026

The surprise UK inflation reading was positive news for interest rate-sensitive stocks including banks and housebuilders.

Inflation holding steady was the last thing anyone expected in the face of higher oil prices caused by the Iran war. Central banks typically raise interest rates to fight inflation, and the latest reading suggests the Bank of...

16 June 2026

SpaceX made its public market debut last week and AJ Bell DIY customers took up the opportunity with more vigor than any other IPO in the past.

The public relished the opportunity to buy into SpaceX’s stock market offer, judging by demand on AJ Bell’s DIY platform.

We saw more than five times the number of applications to buy shares than any IPO...

16 June 2026

The FTSE 100 held firm as investors absorbed the latest news from the Middle East.

Brent crude oil prices were steady at $82 per barrel, with a full retreat closer to pre-war levels unlikely to come until a concrete deal is in place and there is clear evidence shipping is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. The reaction in government bond yields...

15 June 2026

Markets have finally got the news they’ve longed for since the beginning of March as the end of the Iran war is more clearly in sight.

The framework deal is a major step forward to ending the conflict, although it is still not officially signed and remains light on detail. Markets seem cautiously optimistic there won’t be any setbacks to getting...

12 June 2026

Investors keen to join the race to space didn't sit on their hands waiting for the SpaceX IPO, which happened on 12 June. They had already strapped in for the journey by snapping up other space stocks and funds in recent months.

Space-related investments feature heavily in the most popular purchases on the AJ Bell DIY investor platform over the...

12 June 2026

The S&P 500 was on track to log its first weekly pullback since March driven by a sharp sell-off in technology stocks, until President Trump cancelled strikes against Iran and signalled a deal could be announced soon.

This prompted a sharp turnaround for the major indices on 11 June with the S&P 500 gaining 1.7%, the Nasdaq Composite up 2.5% and...

11 June 2026

Despite continuing uncertainty about the fate of any peace deal in the Middle East, the FTSE 100 forged ahead on Thursday.

As has often been the case during the Iran conflict, the UK’s flagship index has found support from its collection of energy companies and more traditionally defensive names. Miners and other China-linked stocks were lifted by...

10 June 2026

With market attention on AI and the next frontier in space, investors with a more contrarian mindset will be searching unloved parts of the UK stock market for underappreciated gems.

With this mindset, we’ve identified companies that fit the bill using a simple strategy. But before looking at the stocks, it’s essential for investors to understand...

10 June 2026

Yesterday’s selloff on Wall Street didn’t turn out to be too disastrous, with the Nasdaq clawing back much of its losses by the end of the session. That has helped to avoid contagion on the markets, albeit investors are slightly nervous about the heightened volatility this week.

There are many reasons why markets are wobbly. The prospect of...

9 June 2026

The wind keeps changing direction on the Iran war, meaning investor sentiment is running hot and cold depending on the rhetoric.

The Brent crude oil price has become a proxy for whether markets think the Middle East conflict will soon be resolved or not, and today’s 1% drop to $93.32 per barrel would suggest renewed optimism.

Markets have bounced...

9 June 2026

Since minting a fresh all-time high in early January 2026 of $5,340 per troy ounce the gold price has fallen 18.5%. In doing so it is toying with bear market territory, generally defined as a 20% drop from the most recent peak.

Despite the war in the Middle East, an event which might normally be expected to see gold’s safe haven credentials in...

8 June 2026

Hopes have been dashed for the two key things investors desperately wanted – an end to the Iran war and interest rates not to go up.

Investors have been on the edge of their seat waiting for a breakthrough in Middle East negotiations. Renewed fighting between Iran and Israel has thrown cold water on the prospect of a resolution any time soon...

5 June 2026

US markets were mixed in the first week of June with the technology-led Nasdaq Composite index taking a breather after a strong run and the benchmark S&P 500 flat.

A poor reception for chip maker Broadcom's latest earnings led to selling across the AI space.

Data from the Supply of Institute Management showed both the manufacturing and services...

5 June 2026

The FTSE 100 held its ground on Friday as its lack of tech and AI exposure proved to be a benefit.

Broadcom’s failure to keep pace with soaring AI-related expectations with this week’s earnings and outlook prompted a wave of selling among related companies and led to weakness across Asia and Wall Street. The correction was compounded by a...

5 June 2026

Chip companies Micron and SK Hynix have been the latest companies to reach valuations of $1 trillion dollars, joining just 13 other names including Nvidia and Apple.

Shares in semiconductor outfit Marvell Technology soared recently when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang suggested it could join the trillon dollar club.

It's an undeniable sign of success, even...

5 June 2026

For investors looking for ways to make their money work hard during the upcoming football World Cup, it might seem like common sense to invest in the host country, given the economic benefits from people spending on travel, hotels, food and drink, and infrastructure upgrades to put on the games.

But in fact, when we look back at the historical data...

5 June 2026

With another month to go before the calendar flips into the second half of 2026, the number of announced UK takeovers has already reached 28, equivalent to more than one per week.

The latest big name to attract potential bid interest is budget airline EasyJet, with US investment firm Castlelake the suitor.

Energy firm Drax’s £548 million offer for...