17 July 2026
Daily market update: Asian markets slump, Netflix, BurberryThe FTSE 100 managed to shake off a big sell-off in Asian markets to trade modestly higher on Friday morning.
The index’s contingent of defensive utilities and tobacco stocks, as well as its big energy names, helped it advance when many of its global counterparts are stuck in the mud.
The news from the Middle East suggests that a restoration of the...
16 July 2026
Daily market update: Ocado, Foxtons, TSMC and UK takeoversThe FTSE 100 took its cue from weak trading in Asia and fell back amid a lower open for most other European markets.
Brent crude oil prices remain near one-month highs as tensions continue to mount in the Middle East.
Fragile sentiment is leading to a continued pullback in memory chip stocks after their gravity-defying run as investors fret about...
15 July 2026
Discover UK stocks with strong earnings momentumEarnings momentum can be a powerful factor driving the performance of company shares.
Stocks experiencing upward revisions to earnings estimates tend to outperform the market while those experiencing downgrades tend to underperform.
A recent example is animal genetics company Genus, which said on 14 July that trading in the second half was better...
15 July 2026
Daily market update: B&M, Paypal, Barratt Redrow, ASMLWeak Chinese economic data has spooked investors in the mining sector, causing a sell-off amid fears that the Asian superpower might scale back commodity purchases.
China’s GDP grew by 4.3% in the second quarter year-on-year, below the 4.5% to 5% target. The data reading took the market by surprise and might stir speculation that the Chinese...
14 July 2026
Daily market update: BP, Debenhams and Watches of SwitzerlandThe FTSE 100 was steady after a renewed surge in oil prices as Donald Trump reinstated a blockade on Iranian ports.
Investors feel like they’ve hit rewind on a movie they didn’t enjoy first time round. The ability to get shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is once again compromised thanks to the renewed tensions between Tehran and Washington.
For...
13 July 2026
Daily market update: EasyJet and PageGroupGlobal stocks may be falling off the back of renewed tensions between the US and Iran, but the FTSE 100 is an exception thanks to its chunky energy sector exposure.
Index heavyweights BP and Shell are beneficiaries of a concerted move higher in oil prices. This upwards shift in crude reflects concern about the fate of the fragile truce between...
10 July 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Pepsico, US banks, NetflixUS markets were back on the front foot this week with the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite index leading the charge, gaining 1.5%, and the Dow Jones Industrials scaling to a new high.
Brent Crude oil prices briefly rose above $80 per barrel after President Trump announced an end to the ceasefire with Iran.
Minutes from the last Federal Reserve...
10 July 2026
Daily market update: EasyJet, Vodafone, SK Hynix, HaysMarkets were in a calmer frame of mind at the end of the trading week, with gains across much of Asia and Europe, and oil prices easing back.
Vodafone soared after a major shareholder change, taking BT along for the ride. Miners were also in demand as investors regained their risk appetite. Among mid-caps, EasyJet flew higher as a new party entered...
10 July 2026
Terry Smith makes radical changes to stem poor performanceA disappointing first half saw the Fundsmith Equity fund report a 3% fall compared with a 11% gain for the MSCI World index, which means the £12 billion global equity fund now lags its benchmark over three, five and 10-years.
It is worth pointing out the fund remains ahead of the benchmark since launching nearly 15 years ago, having delivered...
9 July 2026
Daily market update: AstraZeneca's latest updateAstraZeneca’s latest update was more bitter than sweet as it said the drugs don’t work.
A setback for a promising treatment knocked its share price for six and acted as a major drag on the FTSE 100.
It meant the UK market was the only major European index to be in the red as others including the Dax and CAC 40 staged a comeback after yesterday’s...
8 July 2026
You might be investing in SpaceX without realising itInvestors who opted not to buy shares in SpaceX’s record-breaking IPO last week may want to double check whether or not they’re due to have a stake in Elon Musk’s newly-listed venture in the near future.
Chances are that if you hold a global or US tracker fund in your portfolio then you will have some SpaceX exposure before too long.
How you could...
8 July 2026
Daily market update: Vistry and Jet2The best performing country index year-to-date is now in a bear market. It’s a bizarre situation where investors backing this index could have made huge money in the first six months of the year, yet suffered a big drop in recent weeks.
Someone who bought a fund tracking South Korea’s Kospi index at the start of 2026 would have made a 116% return...
7 July 2026
Here’s what’s happening with UK bank sector dividend yieldsDomestically focused UK bank shares in Lloyds, NatWest and Barclays have made significant gains versus the UK’s premier benchmark, with average gains of around 50% over the past year, meanwhile the FTSE 100 is up 20%.
Some of the recent performance strength is related to fears that interest rates might need to stay higher for longer to tackle...
7 July 2026
Daily market update: Shell, Samsung, Capita and Young'sEnergy and consumer non-cyclical stocks lifted the FTSE 100 as investors looked for opportunities away from the tech space.
Although Samsung’s results were stellar, investors are getting nervous about the scale of money ploughing into AI and whether it’s a bubble waiting to burst.
This is where the UK stock market has an advantage. In an...
6 July 2026
Daily market update: SK Hynix, ITV, EasyJet and OcadoThe UK market was alive with M&A action among mid and large caps, with the FTSE 100 propelled by a broad range of sectors.
GSK and BAE Systems were the biggest contributors to the FTSE in terms of index points, while IAG locked into the tailwind from EasyJet’s bid update.
South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix has ridden the memory chip boom this year...
3 July 2026
What is the k-shaped economy?Every few weeks, the financial news likes to throw a new catchy phrase into the mix, leaving the rest of us to figure out what it means. The ‘k-shaped economy’ seems to be the latest one that’s stuck.
But what is it, and is there anything to it?
The k-shaped economy is the theory that as a nation recovers from economic hardship, its wealth splits...
3 July 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Nike stumbles, profit taking in semiconductor stocksIn a shortened trading week due to the 250th Independence Day holiday on 3 July, US stock markets finished with a flurry, emboldened by increased hopes of a benign interest rate backdrop after June’s non-farm payrolls report came in weaker than expected.
Traders scaled back expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate hikes, with chances of an...
2 July 2026
Why property is hot for buyers – but cold for investorsUK REITs (real estate investment trusts) are under pressure but buyers are still circling. What’s going on?
UK REITs and commercial property stocks have lagged the wider market, weighed down by higher interest rates, changing working patterns, and economic uncertainty. Yet private equity and overseas buyers continue to target the sector.
In this...
2 July 2026
Daily market update: Currys, asian markets wobble and awaiting US job dataAsian markets wobbled on renewed fears around excessive AI spending and whether all the good news for the chip supply firms was fully priced in.
European markets managed to keep their cool and push ahead as investors rotated away from tech into more defensive-style sectors. Healthcare and utilities were in demand, with AstraZeneca doing a lot of...
1 July 2026
Britain’s consistent winners: Stocks that keep deliveringIt is highly unusual for share prices to consistently perform well year after year. That is the nature of stock markets; they twist and turn in unexpected ways, which makes it hard to stay the course.
We like a challenge, and this begs the question: are there any stocks that have delivered strong returns like clockwork?
After all, stock prices are...
1 July 2026
Why FTSE 100 investors are in line for a record payout in 2026This article uses data from our quarterly Dividend Dashboard report. To dive into more detail and find out more about the biggest dividend payers and growers you can read the full guide .
Despite all the turbulence seen in the first six months of the year, forecasts for aggregate FTSE 100 earnings and dividend payments for 2026 are up slightly...
1 July 2026
Daily market update: Greggs, Associated British Foods and NikeA new twist with the US/Iran peace talks caused ripples across the market as investors grow tired of non-stop setbacks.
Iran said it would not meet with visiting US envoys, causing equities to pull back and investors to switch to a risk-off mood.
Commodity producers weighed down the FTSE 100, although support from pharma and defence stocks helped...
30 June 2026
Daily market update: Sainsbury's, Siemens Energy, Maersk and IWGGermany’s DAX index led the charge as European markets put their front foot forward.
The DAX rose 0.8%, propelled by Siemens Energy which was the talk of the town after an upbeat analyst briefing.
Positive sentiment didn’t extend to shipping giant Maersk despite raised guidance. The shares initially jumped at the market open, but the gains quickly...
29 June 2026
Daily market update: BT, Verizon and British American TobaccoAll eyes are back on the Middle East after renewed tensions despite efforts to bring the war to an end.
Brent crude oil nudged up 0.4% to $72.26 per barrel after a weekend of fighting. The scale of the price hike wasn’t as bad as it could have been, helped by reports the US and Iran would stand down once again. Investors will want greater...
27 June 2026
What the 2026 'super El Nino' could mean for marketsEvery El Nino event in the past 60 years has had a significant impact on financial markets, triggering spikes in commodity prices, higher inflation, bond market volatility and sharp sector divergences across stock markets.
With scientists predicting 2026 could usher in one of the biggest El Nino events in history, this article explains what El Nino...
