Dan Coatsworth is AJ Bell's Head of Markets. Dan has been with the company since December 2012 and has more than 18 years' experience in the industry, following the markets and all things investing. He has a degree in Corporate Communications from Southampton Solent University.
Dan is involved in a lot of the content published by AJ Bell, which includes; providing market commentary, starring in our educational videos, writing for Shares Magazine and co-presenting our Money and Markets podcast, as well as hosting and presenting at events for customers – both in person and online.
Dan’s passion lies with educating customers all about investing and staying informed about market events. He previously worked for Teletext on the business and personal finance desks which taught him the importance of telling a story in as few words as possible. He has also appeared as a business commentator on Times Radio and LBC News and written investment-related articles for The Telegraph, Evening Standard, Mail on Sunday and The Week.
A fun fact Dan learned about investing early on was to not get caught up on the hype around certain stocks. He found this out himself when the first share he bought was a company trying to recover copper from a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean… this sounded exciting but sadly didn’t make him any money! Outside of work, Dan enjoys swimming and going to live gigs.
12 November 2025
What a share price jump or slump tells you about a CEO hireThe announcement of a new chief executive can have a pronounced impact on a company’s share price, good or bad. Guinness owner Diageo hiring former Tesco head Dave Lewis as its chief executive drove its share price up 5.2% on the day of the announcement.
That might not sound out of the ordinary until you realise the change in the company’s market...
12 November 2025
The pros and cons of income-focused ETFsWhile global equity tracker funds such as ETFs are firm favourites among everyday investors due to their simplicity and low costs, passive income products are less common in the average portfolio. That might change as more investors discover the options available.
Historically, investors gravitated towards actively managed funds in the search for...
7 November 2025
The path out of the pandemicSunday 9 November 2025 marks the fifth anniversary of a defining moment in stock market history. Pfizer/ BioNTech’s announcement of the first effective covid-19 vaccine gave investors confidence that the world could recover from a major pandemic.
News of the vaccine breathed new life into stock markets around the world, particularly in the UK...
5 November 2025
Marks & Spencer mounts a comeback after profit hit by cyberattackMarks & Spencer has laid bare the full impact of a gruelling cyber-attack on its earnings. Profits have nosedived as shoppers were unable to buy everything they wanted during a catastrophic summer for the retailer.
A £100 million insurance payout will help to soften the blow, yet there are bigger issues at hand which need to be resolved.
Its...
4 November 2025
Daily market update: Palantir, Tesla, BP, Domino’s Pizza, PrimarkRachel Reeves’ unusual stance of giving a big speech on the eve of the Budget has left investors with more questions than answers, and done nothing to remove uncertainty around taxes.
The bond market would be happy if the chancellor raises taxes as it would help to improve public finances and make the UK less risky from an investment perspective...
3 November 2025
Dividends explainedDiscover how to make the most of your investments with our guide to dividends. From ISA dividends to when companies pay dividends, learn more here.
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...
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...
20 October 2025
Four ways to get ahead with investingIf you’re new to investing or are a bit rusty and need a reminder, this article should put you on the right path.
STEP ONE: Write down what you want to achieveHaving a clear goal from the start can be a good incentive. Think how you might want to do more exercise and change your diet to improve your health and become stronger. That journey can...
15 October 2025
The growing strategy investors are using to manage US riskOver the past 12 months, AJ Bell has seen a sharp increase in its DIY investor customers buying global funds that deliberately exclude US assets, albeit from a small base.
We looked at a sample of products with this investment focus and found a notable uptick in both the number of customers holding them and the amount of money invested. The biggest...
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...
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...
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...
19 September 2025
What are exchange traded funds?Learn all you need to know about exchange traded funds (ETFs), including what they are, how they work and how to invest in ETFs.
18 September 2025
UK IPOs lag the US by volume, but the potential pipeline looks interestingA surge in the number of companies joining the stock market – known as IPOs or initial public offerings – in the US bodes well for an uplift in UK stock market listings as we head towards 2026.
It implies investors are eager to embrace new opportunities on the stock market, and they’re no longer panicking about the impact of tariffs and any...
18 September 2025
Fund managers turn their back on UK and European markets in favour of US sharesThe big rotation from the US stock market to cheaper regions such as the UK, Europe and emerging markets may have peaked, judging by what fund managers are saying around the world.
At the start of 2025 we saw a shift in investor behaviour as many people expressed concern about the outlook for the US economy and policies being adopted by the Trump...
11 September 2025
Paying for university: how parents are taking action to minimise debt pressures for their childrenAs the new intake of undergraduates start their degree course, the clock is ticking on parents of children aged under 18 to decide how to cover the cost of sending them to university.
Research by AJ Bell* finds that nearly half (46%) of parents of under-18s are now saving towards university costs, and a further 21% have done so in the past but are...
5 September 2025
How retail investor choices have evolved before and after Trump’s return to powerThe return of Donald Trump to the White House in January has fuelled big changes to ISA and pension portfolios for retail investors.
Analysis of buying and selling patterns on AJ Bell’s DIY investment platforms* over three distinct periods since the start of 2024 suggests that certain investors are falling into different camps.
Many of those happy...
4 September 2025
Why financial markets have been front page news this weekIt’s been an eventful week across financial markets amid a sell-off in government bonds, a decline in the value of the pound against the US dollar, and billions of pounds wiped off the value of UK medium-sized companies.
While this all sounds quite dramatic, there is no need to panic. There is a logical reason why we saw these movements, and it is...
29 August 2025
Is it better to invest early on?There’s nothing like a deadline to spur us into action. It’s why so many investors find themselves opening ISAs in the final few days of each tax year, just before 5 April.
But there are also investors who do things a bit differently, opening their ISAs in the first few days of each tax year – on 6 April or just after.
28 August 2025
What we learned from Nvidia’s results: China battle, a big new opportunity, and robotics planAI demand is not the problem for Nvidia, it’s more how politics has got in the way of its grand ambitions for global domination.
The company is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Nvidia has technology that countless companies are queuing up to buy, yet the US trade war has made it difficult to sell whatever it wants into China.
The Trump...
28 August 2025
Going viral: investing in the latest hot trendsEvery year without fail we get products that fly off the shelves. Thanks to social media, it doesn’t take long for the word to get around and certain items to go viral. This hype fuels demand, making these items even more desirable.
Companies love nothing more than for their products to be the talk of the town. Going viral can mean a bump in sales...
22 August 2025
Daily market update: FTSE reshuffle, Jackson Hole summit, Revolution Beauty“The FTSE 100 saw a subdued start on Friday after achieving a record close above 9,300 yesterday,” says AJ Bell Investment Analyst Dan Coatsworth.
“This followed more selling on Wall Street overnight, albeit of moderate persuasion, as investors fret about the message Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell might deliver at the Jackson Hole summit.
“Inv...
21 August 2025
Daily market update: WH Smith, Nvidia, Premier Foods, Hays“It’s not too often that the FTSE 100’s lack of technology exposure is a virtue but it has been this week,” says AJ Bell Investment Analyst Dan Coatsworth.
“Amid selling in Europe and the US, the UK’s flagship index tested new highs above 9,300. Old world economy stocks like banks, energy companies and insurers have been to the fore – with their...
14 August 2025
Bed and ISABed and ISA is a pair of deals where an investment is sold in a Dealing account and bought back in a Stocks and shares ISA. Learn about Bed and ISA rules.
6 August 2025
How grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends can give money to a child via a Junior ISAInvesting in a child’s future can be a rewarding gift for them and for you. Using a Junior ISA is a tax-efficient way of letting that money grow, and knowing your money could help them get ahead is deeply satisfying on a personal level.
Relatives or friends often give a child a toy or clothes for their birthday or at Christmas, or they donate cash...
1 August 2025
What we learned from Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple’s latest resultsBig US technology companies are back in the news after the latest set of earnings reports. Four of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ have just updated the market and all of them have smashed expectations with their quarterly numbers. However, not everyone enjoyed a positive share price reaction.
Meta was the standout name in terms of smashing market...
31 July 2025
Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest have made investors rich, but were the latest results any good?The UK banking sector has been a fantastic place to make money in 2025. Investors would have enjoyed an average 38% total return including dividends year-to-date across Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest.
All four have just reported their latest quarterly results and on the whole, they are doing well and investors are reaping the rewards.
NatWest’s...
29 July 2025
The cheapest stocks in the FTSE 100 as the index hits another record highAmid growing interest in UK stocks, particularly the FTSE 100 after it hit another record high, investors will be hunting high and low for opportunities.
Value-style investors like to sift through the rubbish bin to spot companies with the potential to bounce back. Quite often a stock looks cheap because the company faces near-term headwinds or...
24 July 2025
Why the UK stock market has done so well this yearIt’s been a wonderful time to invest in UK shares. The FTSE 100 recently went through the 9,000 level for the first time and has made a new record high on multiple occasions this year.
The 7.2% return between January and June was the best first-half run since 2021, when it went up 8.9%.
Year-to-date, investors would have made a 14.2% total return...
18 July 2025
Why Netflix shares have fallen on better-than-expected resultsAs the James Bond title goes, ‘The World Is Not Enough’ for Netflix as far as investors are concerned. They want more, more and more.
Better than expected quarterly results and upgraded full-year revenue and cash flow guidance weren’t enough to keep investors happy.
Shares in Netflix fell in pre-market trading following the results even though the...
18 July 2025
Daily market update: FTSE, GSK, BP, Reckitt, Burberry“The FTSE 100 is the ultimate tease, once again flirting above the 9,000 level before taking a step back,” says Dan Coatsworth, Investment Analyst at AJ Bell.
“What really matters is that the UK stock market is strutting its stuff and continuing to press ahead. It joined the rest of Europe by basking in the sun and trading higher than the previous...
17 July 2025
Daily market update: Ocado, EasyJet, Frasers, DFS, TSMC“Having seen a rapid retreat from the briefly attained 9,000 mark earlier this week, the FTSE 100 made steady progress on Thursday to put this milestone level back within reach,” says AJ Bell Investment Analyst Dan Coatsworth.
“Financial stocks were among the gainers, while specialist distributor Diploma led the way as it lifted its full-year...
16 July 2025
Money, money, money: why everyone will soon be talking about investingIt’s been a big week for important announcements that could have an impact on many people’s personal finances.
The government has laid out plans to get more people investing, the financial regulator has proposed initiatives to reform the UK stock market, and a review of lending rules could lead to more people getting on the housing ladder.
We’ll...
16 July 2025
Daily market update: FTSE 100, ASML, McBride“The spectre of inflation has returned to haunt markets after a period when investors’ attention has largely been centred elsewhere,” says AJ Bell Investment Analyst Dan Coatsworth.
“A higher-than-expected inflation reading in the US yesterday is one of the first data points to suggest tariffs are beginning to have some impact on prices. While this...
15 July 2025
Why companies cut dividends - and what it means for investorsDividends are one of the biggest attractions with investing. Receiving cash on a regular basis is a fantastic reward for taking the risk of buying shares or funds. Unfortunately, there are sometimes occasions when companies turn down the dividend taps for a short while.
Companies have no obligation to pay dividends to shareholders. Even when they...
15 July 2025
Daily market update: housebuilders, Rio Tinto, Thames Water, B&MDan Coatsworth, Investment Analyst at AJ Bell, says:
“It’s party time as the FTSE 100 has smashed through the 9,000 level. This is another big tick in what’s proving to be a momentous year for the UK stock market. It took eight years for the FTSE 100 to go from 7,000 to 8,000, yet only two years to break through 9,000. That suggests the market is...
14 July 2025
Daily market update: FTSE 100, DCC, Filtronic“The week begins with tariffs once again dominating the agenda for financial markets as US president Donald Trump suggests imports from Mexico and the European Union will be hit by levies of 30% from the beginning of August,” says AJ Bell investment analyst Dan Coatsworth.
“That has put indices in mainland Europe under significant pressure...
11 July 2025
Daily market update: UK economy, BP, Warehouse REIT“The UK economy being stuck in the mud and the threat of high tariffs on Canada won’t be a shock to markets, but they are hard to ignore,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.
“After a strong start to the week, investors ran out of energy on Friday. European indices were in the red and futures prices imply Wall Street will follow the...
10 July 2025
Daily market update: WPP, Vistry, Jupiter, TSMC, Dr Martens“The FTSE 100 has hit a new intraday high of 8,955 as the UK stock market continues to flex its muscles and show strength. Investors lapped up shares in the mining, oil and pharmaceutical sectors, showing a risk-on mood,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.
“European markets in general continue to shrug off Donald Trump’s daily...
10 July 2025
The next phase of tariffs is here: what investors can learn from past market turbulenceThe Trump administration has moved to the next phase of its tariff regime, sending letters to various countries detailing the rates that will apply to products supplied to the US.
US president Donald Trump might be treating it in the same way as a final notice letter if bills are unpaid. In essence, he is telling foreign trade officials to get...
9 July 2025
Daily market update: WPP, Jet2, drug companies, copper miners, housebuilders“There was a solid showing across European equity markets despite Trump’s tariff onslaught ramping up a gear,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.
“Copper prices soared on the prospect of 50% tariffs on copper imports into the US. The metal price had already been moving higher as buyers second-guessed tariff threats and stockpiled...
8 July 2025
Daily market update: Rio Tinto, Shein, Samsung, Greencore“The TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) trade is back on the table as the Trump administration’s latest announcements on tariffs offered some relief to financial markets,” says AJ Bell investment analyst Dan Coatsworth.
“While new levies were announced for 14 trading partners, news of a pause until 1 August to allow for further negotiations was...
7 July 2025
Daily market update: markets volatile as Trump outlines changes to tariff timeline, Tesla shares wobble“Countries and regions are bracing themselves for trade letters from the US as the Trump administration moves to the next phase of its tariff regime,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.
“Trump might be treating it in the same way as a final notice letter – get your act together and agree to a deal or be put back on the higher...
3 July 2025
What has beaten out private equity in UK takeovers this year?Private equity companies haven’t been as prolific or successful with UK takeovers this year as their reputation implies. It’s easy to suggest they are behind most bids, yet data tells a different story.
There were more trade buyers than private equity bidders on UK-listed takeovers in the first half of 2025, according to analysis by AJ Bell...
3 July 2025
Daily market update: Gilt yields pull back as Starmer calms markets, Currys in fine form“After yesterday’s political chaos around the future of Rachel Reeves as chancellor triggered a spike in UK government bond yields, prime minister Keir Starmer has now brought a sense of calm to markets,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.
“Starmer declaring his support for the chancellor has led to gilt yields pulling back and...
2 July 2025
Daily market update: European shares move higher amid progress with Trump tax-cut bill, Greggs, AstraZeneca“It’s a solid day for European equities as all the major indices moved higher amid progress in the US on policy plans to lower taxes and progress with trade negotiations,” says Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.
“Commodity producers, financials, utilities and industrials led the way on the UK stock market. The fact both risk-on and...
1 July 2025
Daily market update: Japan trade talk, Sainsbury's, SSE, National Grid“Asian markets saw mixed fortunes as investors waited for updates on trade talks and Trump’s tax-reduction bill,” says Dan Coatsworth, Investment Analyst at AJ Bell.
“The Nikkei 225 fared worst as it looked as if relations were strained between the US and Japan, which doesn’t bode well for tariff negotiations.
“Donald Trump took to social media to...
30 June 2025
Daily market update: Canada trade drama, Trump bill, Shein IPO, WH Smith“There is a lot going on to influence markets before the summer lull and investors’ animal spirits continue to fuel the equities space,” says Dan Coatsworth, Investment Analyst at AJ Bell.
“Investors seem confident trade deals will be struck, geopolitical tensions ease, and a major economic slump is avoided. The big unknown is whether investors are...
26 June 2025
Companies buying bitcoin see big share price gains: what could go wrong?There is a growing number of companies investing in cryptocurrencies, even though it might have no relevance to their day-to-day business. This emerging trend has caught the attention of certain investors, who have bid up shares in many companies to excessive valuations.
One example – a web design agency called The Smarter Web Company – saw its...
