23 October 2025
Why stock markets are rising despite bubble fears and what investors might considerFears over an AI bubble bursting, a potential banking crisis brewing, and renewed trade jitters between the US and China have served to put investors on the edge of their seat in recent weeks.
We’ve seen several sessions where financial markets have experienced a sharp jolt, but they’ve subsequently resumed an upwards trajectory.
While no-one knows...
23 October 2025
Daily market update: US-China tensions, Lloyds, Unilever, TeslaUS-China relations don’t look to be in the best place ahead of Trump’s visit to Asia.
Talk of new restrictions on goods that either contain or are made with US software being sold to China would suggest the Trump administration is playing hard ball, sending a message to Xi Jinping that the US will not be pushed around.
Trump has form in threatening...
22 October 2025
Netflix results soured by tax issue, but all eyes on potential bid for Warner Bros DiscoveryA complicated tax issue has put a dampener on Netflix’s latest results, causing the share price to fall and ending the company’s strong run of beating forecasts.
The streaming platform had previously beaten earnings expectations for six quarters in a row. A tax matter in Brazil has put a spanner in the works and taken investors by surprise, even...
22 October 2025
Daily market update: Barclays, Reckitt, Halfords, ITVMarkets were patchy in early trading as investors spent time to digest a plethora of corporate announcements.
The FTSE 100 was the strongest market among major European indices. A lower-than-expected reading of UK inflation makes a near-term cut to interest rates more likely and this boosted housebuilders. It also led to weakness in the pound which...
21 October 2025
Daily market update: Unilever, Coca-Cola HBC, Bunzl, Segro, ShawbrookIt’s hard to imagine that markets were in panic mode only four days ago. It’s like all the troubles faded away over the weekend, and investors are back in risk-on mode.
Wall Street enjoyed a particularly strong session on Monday, and that optimism has extended to Asia and Europe on Tuesday. The focus is now on US interest rate cuts, the new...
20 October 2025
Daily market update: UK banking stocks, L’Oréal, Kering, B&MA big recovery in Asian markets helped give the FTSE 100 a lift as investors look to put a difficult week behind them.
Helping the market’s mood were signs that a trade agreement might still be possible between the US and China before the 1 November deadline, and slightly better-than-expected Chinese economic growth.
News the ruling party in Japan...
17 October 2025
Daily market update: Why banking shares are leading markets lowerWhile everyone has been watching the tech sector for signs of a bubble, it’s the banking sector that’s the root cause of a minor market sell-off today..
US banking stocks were notably weak yesterday as investors worried about exposure to bad loans. That spread to Europe on Friday, with Barclays, Standard Chartered, NatWest and HSBC all dragging the...
17 October 2025
Russ Mould: Tesla, Amazon and the UK banks reporting next weekJoin Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director, as he discusses Telsa and Amazon's upcoming results. He'll also take a look at Barclays, Lloyds and NatWest, ahead of their reports coming out next week.
17 October 2025
Banking stocks and United Airlines: what’s happened on the US market this weekAs the US government shutdown entered its second week, there was little in the way of macro-economic news apart from the release of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book.
The Beige Book is a qualitative assessment of economic conditions, published eight times a year and the latest report showed US economic activity was flat in recent weeks with overall...
16 October 2025
Daily market update: Centrica, Nestle, Whitbread struggles and Travis PerkinsRachel Reeves might be reaching for a buck’s fizz after the UK economy showed growth in August after contracting in July. However, the celebration may be short lived as a 0.1% expansion is minuscule and lower than the 0.2% growth expected by some economists.
We’re just six weeks away from the Chancellor’s Budget and the nation is eager to know how...
15 October 2025
Daily market update: CMA calls for vet market transparency, Capita faces finesMarkets have been lifted by the rekindling of rate cut expectations in the US after comments from Fed chair Jerome Powell which highlighted sluggish hiring were taken as an indication that not one, but two further cuts were very much on the table for 2025.
Buoyed by continued deal making in the frothy AI sector, investors seem prepared to overlook...
13 October 2025
Daily market update: US, China wobble, gold sparkles, LSE boosts AI workJust as it looked as if the US and China were making baby steps to repair their relationship, Donald Trump throws a spanner in the works.
A new threat of high tariffs on Chinese goods coming into the US spooked investors in the East, with Asian markets showing a sea of red, following a similarly bad session for Wall Street last Friday.
This new...
10 October 2025
AI stocks, Tesla, Pepsi and Delta: what’s happened on the US market this weekUS stocks marched to new record highs this week despite the government shutdown, spurred on by further AI excitement as chip maker Advanced Micro Devices inked a chip supply deal with ChatGPT owner OpenAI.
The multi-year deal is expected to bring in billions of dollars in annual revenue and gives OpenAI an option to buy up to 10% of the chipmaker.
...
10 October 2025
Daily market update: gold miners, Hays, defence stocks, IbstockThe FTSE 100 was stuck in the mud as the rest of Europe ploughed ahead at the end of the trading week.
Strength in consumer stocks and utilities was offset by weakness in miners and healthcare.
Gold miners sold off as investors took some profits following the storming run for the metal price. There was bound to be a pullback at some point given...
10 October 2025
Russ Mould: A look at JPMorgan, Bellway and Whitbread ahead of their forthcoming resultsJoin Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director, as he discusses the third-quarter results from JPMorgan Chase and delves into domestic updates from Bellway and Whitbread.
9 October 2025
Broader access to IPOs as two big names prepare to join the UK stock marketTwo of the biggest flotations on the London market this year will allow retail investors to participate in their IPO (initial public offering). Financial services group Shawbrook and tinned food specialist Princes Group are keen to get the public involved, rather than the old model of restricting IPOs to institutional investors.
This is significant...
9 October 2025
Daily market update: HSBC, tech rally, Lloyds, Mobico, TSMCAnother day, another record closing level for both AI chip giant Nvidia and the tech-heavy Nasdaq index in the US, says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
Investors who have held their nerve are cleaning up, yet the drums of worry are banging louder each day.
Concerns around excessive valuations, elevated levels of government borrowing...
8 October 2025
Daily market update: FTSE 100, gold miners, Lloyds, Anglo American, TeslaAfter a miserable day on Wall Street yesterday, European markets opened with a spring in their step,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
The FTSE 100 was propelled by Lloyds enjoying a relief rally amid relatively positive news on the motor finance scandal, while Endeavour Mining continued to shine off the back of gold surpassing $4...
7 October 2025
Daily market update: Shell, house prices, Tesla and B&MThe FTSE 100 held firm at the market open on Tuesday as strength in energy stocks was offset by weakness in miners and banks, says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
The broader Stoxx Europe 600 index was also flat despite the best efforts of construction group Skanska which stood tall after a bullish broker note.
Futures prices imply a...
6 October 2025
Big dividends: The highest yielding stocks on UK stock marketOne of the UK stock market’s key attractions is the rich bounty of dividends on offer. There are companies with a history of returning copious amounts of money to shareholders and that makes the UK a fertile hunting ground for income investors.
At a headline level, the FTSE 100 yields 3.2% based on forecast payments. While 3.2% is less than you’d...
6 October 2025
Daily market update: Japanese markets, Aston Martin, Mondi, Shawbrook IPOThe FTSE 100 briefly touched new highs on Monday but soon became sluggish as investors continue to weigh the risks posed by shutdown in Washington.
Japanese stocks were much livelier as it emerged the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had selected Sanae Takaichi to be its new leader, meaning she looks set to become the country’s first female prime...
3 October 2025
Daily market update: FTSE 100 hits fresh all-time high, cost pressures hit WetherspoonThe FTSE 100 reached new record highs in early trading on Friday as investors shrugged off concerns about the US government shutdown.
News of OpenAI’s valuation reaching $500 billion, making it the world’s most valuable private company, helped fire enthusiasm in the tech sector and push US indices to new records yesterday.
There is growing...
3 October 2025
US stocks hit records on AI as government shutdown shrugged off, Nike steps up its recoveryDespite the feared US government shutdown coming to pass, investors have shrugged off the news as Wall Street indices have reached fresh record levels.
The focus instead has been on the continued buzz around the AI sector as OpenAI’s latest fundraise revealed its valuation had hit a record level for a private company at $500 billion.
Stocks linked...
3 October 2025
Russ Mould: What to look out for in the UK real estate investment trust spaceAJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould dives into the world of real estate investment trusts, specifically looking at UNITE who publish third-quarter results next week.
2 October 2025
UK active fund managers bounce back in historic year for the stock marketIn the battle of the manager versus the machine, humans have been punching above their weight with UK funds so far this year. In both the UK All Companies and UK Equity Income categories, the top 10 performers were dominated by actively managed funds.
Fund managers will be jumping for joy given the active fund industry has faced growing criticism...
