Russ Mould is AJ Bell's Investment Director. He has a Master's degree in Modern History from the University of Oxford and more than 30 years' experience of the capital markets.
He started out at Scottish Equitable in 1991 as a fund manager, where he had responsibility for the Nordic and Swiss equity markets. In 1993, Russ joined SG Warburg, now part of UBS investment bank, and worked there as an equity analyst covering the technology sectors for 12 years. He has also worked on IPOs and M&A deals. Russ was voted best analyst in the semiconductor sector in 2001 by Institutional Investor and reached the level of Managing Director in 2003 when he became head of UBS' global semiconductor research effort.
A member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (MSCI), Russ is responsible for providing written and video content for customers and clients. He also helps to build the company’s profile in print and broadcast media as part of AJ Bell's wider PR and brand team, working alongside the Investment Committee.
Russ joined Shares Magazine as technology correspondent in 2005 and took on the post of Editor in 2008. He was appointed as AJ Bell's Investment Director in 2013 following the company's acquisition of Shares' parent company, MSM Media. Russ regularly creates content across the AJ Bell website, including the Daily Market Update and Chart of the Week, and he hosts his own 'Breaking the Mould' weekly video series.
Outside of work, Russ is a qualified cricket coach, Italian speaker and avid fan of Doctor Who and NFL.
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...
2 October 2025
Daily market update: OpenAI, Tesco, Thames Water, stamp duty holidayYesterday, the FTSE 100 bucked a weak market open by rising above its peers in Europe. Today, it’s done the opposite, says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Strength among financials and miners wasn’t enough to offset weakness in utilities, tobacco and energy stocks.
Experian’s shares tumbled after the emergence of a new competitive...
1 October 2025
Daily market update: Diversified Energy, Nike, Taylor Wimpey, Topps TilesThe US government shutdown has left investors wondering what might happen next, with a minor pullback on European equity markets and weaker futures prices for Wall Street, says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell. The FTSE 100 bucked the negative trend, rising 0.4% thanks to a surge in pharmaceutical stocks.
AstraZeneca, Hikma and GSK...
30 September 2025
Daily market update: gold, Smith & Nephew, Royal Mail, ASOS, AG BarrThe FTSE 100 was lower on Tuesday as investors started to fret about the prospect of a government shutdown in Washington, says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Relations between the Democrats and Republicans are frostier than an Alaska morning, so markets are not confident on the prospects of agreeing a deal before midnight tonight.
One of...
29 September 2025
Daily market update: FTSE 100, gold, GSK, AstraZenecaThe FTSE 100 was firmly higher on Monday after the market took reassurance from Friday’s reading of US inflation, says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
The fact the PCE number – closely followed by the Federal Reserve when making interest rate decisions – came in bang in line with expectations helped create a positive mood on Wall Street...
26 September 2025
Daily market update: new tariffs, TikTok, PennonThere was a peculiar end to the week for financial markets as Asian indices were in the red while European indices moved higher, says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Asia was dragged down by weakness in pharmaceutical stocks as investors worried that numerous players would be caught up in a twist to Trump’s tariff regime.
There was also...
25 September 2025
Daily market update: Mitchells & Butlers, H&M, Babcock, DFSThere was a sea of red across European markets as healthcare, real estate, financials and industrial stocks were out of fashion, says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Weakness in names such as HSBC and AstraZeneca would suggest a more cautious tone among investors, but not a complete shift in sentiment.
Futures prices imply progress for...
24 September 2025
Daily market update: JD Sports, Greggs, Alibaba, Beauty TechThe FTSE 100 was off to a poor start on Wednesday, taking its cue from losses in the US overnight as Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell painted a mixed picture on the outlook for interest rates, says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Powell’s measured take, as he seeks to balance risks posed by inflation and a stuttering labour market, was...
23 September 2025
Daily market update: OpenAI-Nvidia tie-up, Kenvue, Kingfisher, Raspberry PiThe FTSE 100 ticked higher on Tuesday as US shares were higher despite the hoo-ha around visa fees, says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Helping to draw focus from this issue was Nvidia’s $100 billion tie-up with OpenAI which helped US indices and some Asian markets to new record levels.
There was a split of opinion on whether this...
22 September 2025
Daily market update: FTSE 100, gold, airport cyberattackLike a teenager still adjusting to being back at school, the FTSE 100’s recent lethargy continued as the index traded lower at the start of the new trading week, says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
US indices may have clawed their way to new record highs last Friday and the Nikkei 225 bounced back on Monday, but UK stocks were held back by...
