Shares & the stock market

19 March 2024

Markets choppy ahead of UK inflation data, Unilever tops FTSE 100, AstraZeneca snaps up Fusion in $2.4 billion deal and Ted Baker staring into high street abyss

“It’s been a choppy day on London markets, with investors hyper aware that they could be in for a bumpy ride over the next couple of days,” says AJ Bell Head of Financial Analysis Danni Hewson.

“The consensus is that inflation will have fallen in the next set of figures out tomorrow morning and that the Bank of England will continue its rate freeze...

19 March 2024

Japan sees first rate hike in 17 years, Nvidia unveils new tech and Unilever to spin off ice cream division and cut jobs

“It’s not often that equities rise after an interest rate hike, but that’s exactly what happened in Japan,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“The Bank of Japan’s monetary policy decision is hugely significant. Japan’s cost of borrowing has gone up for the first time in 17 years after its wish for inflation finally came true. Japan’s...

18 March 2024

Markets boosted ahead of central bank decisions as Apple in talks with Alphabet over potential Gemini AI tie-up

“Tech stocks helped bolster nerves ahead of another data fuelled week when central bankers will once again take centre stage and we’ll all jump down the interest rate rabbit hole,” says Danni Hewson, Head of Financial Analysis at AJ Bell.

“How far off is the first cut? Probably further than we thought it was going to be at the start of the year...

18 March 2024

FTSE 100 higher on China news, Haleon hit by Pfizer selling, Marshalls and Focusrite warn on profit, Sainsbury’s sees £59 million wiped off market value after weekend from hell and Currys defiant with latest trading update

“The FTSE 100 ticked higher at the start of the week with bargain hunters swooping on Reckitt after a big sell-off last week linked to baby food legal claims,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“Mining stocks moved higher as Chinese industrial production was above expectations. Given the world’s second largest economy is the most...

15 March 2024

FTSE flat, more bullish comments lift IAG, Scottish Mortgage signals £1 billion buyback, CMA looking at Barratt’s Redrow deal and Vodafone to cut dividend again

“Even though Microsoft hit a new record high on Wall Street yesterday, the major US indices found it hard to keep a level footing and that trend extended to Asia on Friday,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“With the prospect of the Fed potentially waiting until later in the summer to cut rates, investors are getting impatient. The...

15 March 2024

Persimmon shares fail to perk up despite absence of further bad news

“Persimmon’s full-year results for 2023 offer no additional bad news and the guidance for 2024 even offers a glimmer of hope, as chief executive Dean Finch points toward a modest increase in completions, but the share price is not taking much notice,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

“This may be due to uncertainty over when the Bank...

14 March 2024

Producer prices rattle Wall Street, Irn-Bru maker AG Barr announces job cuts and housebuilders lifted by upbeat Vistry report

“With less than a week to go until the next meeting of US central bankers, markets are having to face up to the prospect that the path to a pivot will be a long and winding one,” says Danni Hewson, Head of Financial Analysis at AJ Bell.

“After markets broadly managed to shrug off last week’s hotter than expected inflation data, today’s producer...

14 March 2024

Breaking the Mould: Why are investors ignoring the gold price spike?

In this week’s Breaking the Mould, we look at why gold’s surge to fresh peaks above $2,150 an ounce is attracting almost no attention, and why it’s rising in price when markets are in risk-on mode.

14 March 2024

FTSE 100 flat after spike in oil, OSB slumps despite buyback, Deliveroo targets positive cash flow in 2024 and Trainline on growth track in UK and Europe

“The FTSE 100 was broadly flat early on as a tick higher in oil prices lifted index heavyweights BP and Shell,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“This helped outweigh some big names trading without the rights to their dividend and weakness engendered by fears the move higher in crude, off the back of lower US inventories, might make...

13 March 2024

UK stocks up on positive GDP news, US sees another tech rally, Balfour Beatty shares soar on results and chatter about tie-up between Liontrust and Artemis

“A pick-up in the UK economy and a rally in US tech shares on Wall Street last night helped to sustain the positive momentum on the markets,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“In line with the consensus estimate, UK GDP grew by 0.2% in January thanks to expansion in the services sector.

“While the figure is tiny, the fact it is...

12 March 2024

UK funds suffer worst outflows on record

The UK funds industry is going through a dark age: £51 billion has been withdrawn from funds by UK retail investors in the past two years. Add in institutional outflows and the number rises to £108 billion. The scale of these withdrawals is absolutely unprecedented.

For some context, in the depths of the financial crisis the fund industry still saw...

12 March 2024

UK markets rally, vet industry probe hurts CVS and Pets at Home shares, Domino’s sales growth slows and Persimmon maintains dividend as profit halves

“European markets opened with a spring in their step, with the FTSE 100 up 0.9% and the DAX rising 0.3%,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“The blue-chip UK index was led by a rally in financials including a 3.1% gain from Prudential and a 2% rise from Standard Chartered. Interestingly, nearly all sectors were in positive territory...

11 March 2024

FTSE 100 firm despite weakness in Asia, Elliott pulls out of takeover battle for Currys, Bidstack appoints administrators and LoopUp to delist

“The FTSE 100 overcame a modest drop at the open to trade broadly flat after weakness in the US last Friday and subsequent falls in Asia at the start of the new week,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“The UK index’s limited tech exposure may have spared it from losses given the weakness on Wall Street originated in that sector...

8 March 2024

FTSE 100 lower despite gains in US and Asia, non-farm payrolls in focus, Informa nearly doubles dividend, Costco hit by revenue miss and Frasers burned by Matches setback

“The FTSE 100 dipped despite a strong showing in Asia and the US last night, dragged lower by some heavyweights like Rio Tinto and AstraZeneca putting up modest losses,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“Globally, investor sentiment has been lifted by comments from Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell that he and his colleagues are not...

7 March 2024

Breaking the Mould: how are UK housebuilders faring?

In this week's episode of Breaking the Mould, Russ Mould, AJ Bell's Investment Director, focuses on the housebuilders sector as three FTSE 350 firms are scheduled to provide their shareholders with an update in the coming week.

7 March 2024

FTSE 100 lower, Virgin Money in takeover talks, Marks & Spencer co-CEO leaving, big ad decline at ITV, Aviva results please investors, Darktrace impresses and Entain hit by regulation

“The FTSE 100 dipped at the open to continue its rather lackadaisical progress over the last month, with investors awaiting a catalyst which might push them in either direction,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“The impact of banking giant HSBC trading without the rights to its latest dividend accounts for a good chunk of the UK...

6 March 2024

UK markets move higher amid chatter about ‘British ISA’ and contrasting fortunes for construction sector ahead of Budget

“Has the prospect of a British ISA fired up the UK stock market? Speculation is rife that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will unveil plans at the Budget to encourage more people to invest in UK stocks,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“In theory, that could provide a tailwind for UK equities if a significant number of investors invest...

4 March 2024

FTSE 100 lower after Nikkei breaks through 40,000, Bitcoin close to record level and Hipgnosis Songs Fund hit by valuation and dividend shock

“After starting on the front foot, the FTSE 100 dipped in a seesaw start to the session. The index was dragged lower by financials ahead of this week’s UK Budget,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“A cautious mood pervaded despite Japan’s Nikkei 225 breaking new ground to trade above the 40,000 mark. The push for the index to new all...

1 March 2024

S&P 500 set for 16th weekly rise in past 18 weeks, Rightmove losing estate agency customers, ITV exits streaming venture with BBC

“The US stock market is on track to end the week on another positive note, extending a stellar run since autumn 2023, with both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 having hit new record highs yesterday,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“Futures prices imply another good day for US markets on Friday. If the S&P 500 closes the day higher than 5...

29 February 2024

FTSE 100 ticks higher ahead of key US inflation reading, Ocado makes progress with solutions business and International Consolidated Airlines profit above pre-pandemic levels

“The FTSE 100 ticked higher on Thursday morning after moderate weakness in the US overnight and mixed trading in Asia,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“Several stocks, including Barclays, were lower as they traded ex-dividend, but strength in Glencore as the Chinese market continued to rebound, as well as other names with links to...

29 February 2024

Why investors must think about the yen when they look at Japanese markets

“Japan’s Nikkei 225 index is finally grabbing some headlines – and attention from investors – as it finally exceeds 1989’s peak and motors on to new highs, but anyone wishing to allocate money to the Tokyo market must keep an eye on the yen,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

“In sterling terms, the Nikkei trades a fraction below the...

29 February 2024

Breaking the Mould – March 2024: UK Insurance sector

In this week's episode of Breaking the Mould, Russ Mould, AJ Bell's Investment Director, discusses the insurance sector as several firms from this industry are poised to release their results and declare their final dividends for 2023.

28 February 2024

Reckitt crashes on sales miss, Vodafone in talks to sell Italian arm and Halfords breaks down after another profit warning

“The FTSE 100 managed to avoid being dragged down too far by Reckitt’s disappointing fourth quarter numbers which also triggered a minor sell-off in Unilever,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“ Vodafone came to the rescue after its shares jumped on talks to potentially sell its Italian operations. The telecoms group has been stuck...

27 February 2024

FTSE 100 lifted by miners, more talk about Shein choosing to list in the UK and key Disney executive departs

“The FTSE 100 ticked higher on Tuesday, despite modest losses on Wall Street overnight, as markets found a moment of calm after a series of big macro-economic and corporate announcements,” says AJ Bell Head of Financial Analysis Danni Hewson.

“Mining companies did a lot of heavy lifting for the index, as leading commodities consumer China took...

26 February 2024

FTSE flat, Bunzl warns on margins, Warren Buffett bemoans lack of ‘meaningful’ opportunities and housebuilders under the spotlight in competition probe

“The FTSE 100 kicked off the new week with a whimper as the index struggled to move,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.

“Bargain hunters continued to bid up HSBC after last week’s big share price slump and AstraZeneca was also in demand, but these stocks weren’t enough to put the UK market into first gear. The FTSE was stuck in...