Shares & the stock market

14 May 2026

Markets are back to enjoying record highs after faltering in March. The MSCI World has reached new peaks in May and rewarded investors with a return of 26% over the past year, as of 12 May. Looking at the numbers, it looks to be business as usual, and good business at that. So why do so many of us feel uneasy?

It’s healthy to have some level of...

14 May 2026

The FTSE 100 was flat in early trading on Thursday as investors sat on their hands and awaited the latest developments in politics and geopolitics at home and abroad.

Gilt yields were steady as a potential challenge to Keir Starmer’s premiership continued to bubble away in the background, while domestic-facing stocks regained some of the losses...

13 May 2026

The FTSE 100 bounced back on Wednesday despite continuing tensions in the Middle East and as the political situation in the UK remained fraught.

Keir Starmer is set to meet with one of his mooted leadership rivals, health secretary Wes Streeting, ahead of the King’s Speech when the embattled prime minister is expected to announce a raft of...

13 May 2026

If the past few years have taught investors anything, it’s that geography doesn’t insulate you from global shocks. Japan, like Europe and the UK, is highly exposed to the ongoing energy crisis, relying heavily on imports to keep its economy moving.

With over 90% of its oil sourced from the Middle East, Japan sits squarely in the line of fire if...

12 May 2026

US markets could be losing a tailwind this year as companies slow their share buybacks in favour of capital expenditure.

Share buybacks reduce the number of shares in issue and mathematically provide a boost to earnings per share.

Let’s say you own an equal share in a business with three friends and one of them wants out. After agreeing on a price...

12 May 2026

Gilt yields have remained at elevated levels after Labour setbacks in local elections. The results fuelling speculation that Keir Starmer might struggle to cling on as prime minister.

The 30-year gilt yield is often a better measure of political sentiment than the usual 10-year benchmark rate, as the government typically issues long-term debt. The...

12 May 2026

Drama and turmoil on both sides of the Atlantic helped put the FTSE 100 firmly on the back foot on Tuesday.

Comments from Donald Trump that the Iran-US ceasefire was ‘on life support’ saw investors wobble in Asia and Europe – with the sell-off in the UK market exacerbated by domestic political events.

The 30-year gilt yield, which is sensitive to...

11 May 2026

Gilt yields jumped after a weekend of speculation around Keir Starmer’s position as prime minister says.

The 30-year gilt yield edged up to 5.649%, indicating that bond investors are uneasy about the political backdrop. Starmer’s big speech could be make or break for his position at the top, and the bond market’s negative reaction implies a sense...

8 May 2026

US markets continued to make new highs this week despite the fragile Middle East ceasefire driven by technology stocks and positive earnings upgrades.

With the earnings season in full swing the data shows that roughly four fifths of companies have beaten profit estimates and the average positive surprise has been 11%.

The S&P 500 is on track for...

8 May 2026

The FTSE 100 started Friday on the back foot as local election results trickled in and tensions simmered in the Middle East.

While officially the ceasefire between the US and Iran remains in place, an exchange of fire in the Strait of Hormuz has helped to extinguish some of the hope that a deal between the parties might be close.

For now, the move...

7 May 2026

European markets mostly continued yesterday’s strong session, which saw equities rally globally on hopes of a resolution to the Middle East conflict.

The exception was the FTSE 100 which fell 0.6% as energy stocks weighed on the index amid oil falling back below $100 a barrel.

Shell reported bumper profits, but the market had fully expected that...

7 May 2026

The lofty valuations of AI stocks in the past few years have dredged up memories for some of the time before the dotcom bubble burst in 2000.

This burst, which led to steep fall in the MSCI World over a period of two years, was due to overinvestment in internet companies that eventually couldn’t live up to their value despite the internet becoming...

6 May 2026

The market is celebrating an apparent late-night TACO Tuesday as the US pauses its plan to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz to focus on negotiations with Tehran.

A ceasefire which seemed to have been stretched to breaking point appears to be just about holding up. Hopes for de-escalation have been renewed by the latest...

6 May 2026

New research by AJ Bell explores the top financial goals at each stage in life and found that for Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X, the top three financial goals are retirement savings, money for travel and building an emergency fund.

Among those aged 61 and under, the older you are, the more likely you are to prioritise retirement savings (31% for Gen...

6 May 2026

The combined stock market value of the so-called Magnificent Seven of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla has hit a new record high of $22.5 trillion, finally passing last October’s peak as investors react a strong set of quarterly results from the six to have reported so far.

Nvidia’s first-quarter earnings are due on 20...

6 May 2026

Equity indices are often seen as a good way to achieve a broad spread of exposures to companies operating in different industries and thereby reduce stock risk, but it is important to be aware of concentration risk.

While much has been written recently about how the S&P 500 is dominated by its largest constituents, it is probably less well...

6 May 2026

After a chaotic March, April allowed investors to take a step back and process the situation in front of them. What markets saw, by and large, was a return to the norms of earlier this year.

The US made a strong recovery, as the Morningstar US Market index rose 7.2% during the month, while the Morningstar UK Index climbed up 2.4%. The indices are...

4 May 2026

Investing doesn’t have to be complicated when you use funds, and you’re never too old to get started. There are some easy steps for anyone whose interest has been piqued by the government’s push to get more people investing their money rather than letting it sit in cash.

A lot of people feel overwhelmed when looking for investments because the...

1 May 2026

US markets were surprisingly steady this week despite a barrage of macroeconomic news and big technology earnings.

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged as expected but four of its twelve policy members dissented, revealing the biggest lack of consensus at the Fed in 34 years.

In Jerome Powell’s last meeting as chair, he told reporters...

1 May 2026

The FTSE 100 took a step back on Friday on a mix of continuing concern about the situation in the Middle East, profit taking in the utilities sector and weakness among precious metals miners.

The latest US earnings season has been robust, which has helped prevent global markets from suffering big losses despite the impact of the Iran conflict. US...

30 April 2026

The relative calm the market has displayed so far over the Iran war has started to dissipate, with oil prices creeping higher on fears a timely resolution to the conflict is slipping away.

The FTSE 100 was helped by its oil and gas heavyweights but elsewhere there was heavy selling in Europe as the energy price shock threatens to intensify and with...

29 April 2026

Despite a decent showing from Asian markets, Europe was on the back foot as yesterday’s dip in oil prices reversed, reminding investors that inflation risks are still elevated.

UAE’s exit from oil producers’ cartel Opec might eventually lead to greater oil supplies from the region which could bring down oil prices, but it won’t happen overnight.

T...

29 April 2026

European defence stocks suffered their worst drop in five years in March while the iShares US Aerospace & Defence ETF saw nearly $1 billion of outflows in the week ending 24 April.

Many defence companies now sit below where they stood before the war in Iran began at the end of February 2026.

While this may seem counterintuitive, there are reasons...