5 September 2025
US shares tick higher on rate cut hopes, competition ruling boosts AlphabetAfter a difficult start US stocks recovered through the course of the week as hopes of a rate cut later this month solidified.
This followed jobless claims data for the week to 30 August which showed an increase to 237,000. This was above expectations and meant for the first time since April 2021 the world’s largest economy has more unemployed...
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
Russ Mould - A look at Dunelm, Associated British Foods & Pan African Resources ahead of their forthcoming resultsAJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould discusses what market analysts will likely look for when Ashtead, M&G and Ashmore report next week.
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...
4 September 2025
Daily market update: Eurocell, Jet2, Currys“The FTSE 100 pushed ahead as bond markets calmed down and the focus shifted to US jobs data,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Ahead of non-farm payrolls on Friday, sharply lower job openings across the Atlantic suggested a weakening in the labour market which could push the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates more aggressively.
“Ma...
3 September 2025
What kind of returns can I expect on my investments?This is the million pound question. Unfortunately, it comes with the answer that it’s impossible to know how your money will perform in the future.
Regardless of what you invest in, there’s simply no guarantee you will profit. However, we can look at what has happened in the past and learn some lessons from earlier investors. Just remember that...
3 September 2025
Daily market update: Alphabet, Hilton Food, Canal+, Watches of Switzerland“It’s another uneven day for financial markets as the worry list gets even longer,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“Having been troubled by a jump in long-dated government bond yields yesterday, equities got off to a wobbly start again as investors woke up to leaders of China, Russia and North Korea coming together in public for...
2 September 2025
Daily market update: Centrica, Nestle, Tesla, gold and silver“The FTSE 100 slipped in early trading on Tuesday as investors await the resumption of trading on Wall Street after yesterday’s Labor Day holiday,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
“Tobacco, utilities and banks acted as a drag on the UK index, failing to offset strength in energy and healthcare.
“Oil stocks and precious metals miners...
1 September 2025
Daily market update: defence stocks, Rolls-Royce, BYD, Domino’s Pizza“European markets enjoyed a decent start to the week, grabbing investors’ attention as US markets will be closed later for the Labor Day holiday,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Wall Street was weak last Friday as a key measure of inflation came in higher than expected. That negativity weighed on Japan where the Nikkei saw a big drop...
29 August 2025
Russ Mould: What analysts will be looking for when Ashtead, M&G and Ashmore report next weekAJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould discusses what market analysts will likely look for when Ashtead, M&G and Ashmore report next week.
29 August 2025
US stocks reach new records despite mixed Nvidia earnings and Fed turmoilInvestors will be relieved that US stocks managed to consolidate the big gains they chalked up on 22 August when Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell opened the door to a near-term interest rate cut.
Major indices hitting new record levels was an impressive show of resilience given the disquiet around the Trump administration’s effort to fire Fed...
29 August 2025
Daily market update: UK banks, US inflation data, Wood Group“The UK stock market ended the week on a sour note amid suggestions that the government could help to fill its fiscal hole with a new tax on the banking sector,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“Some of the biggest names in the FTSE 100 are lenders so if they’re out of favour on the stock market, it acts as a drag on the whole UK...
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...
28 August 2025
Daily market update: Nvidia, Tesla, Drax“The UK market was steady on Thursday morning after mixed trading in Asia and modest gains on Wall Street overnight,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Nvidia may have taken a bit of a tumble as its earnings proved mixed but that didn’t damage investor sentiment too much on a broader scale.
“A modest recovery in the dollar, despite the...
27 August 2025
Daily market update: FTSE 100, Nvidia, JD Sports, National Grid“A small rally on Wall Street last night set the tone for a calmer session in Europe on Wednesday,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“Trump’s latest meddling with the Federal Reserve had threatened to cast a dark cloud over global markets, yet investors didn’t enter the panic zone.
“The FTSE 100 advanced 0.2% to 9,280, led by oil...
26 August 2025
Daily market update: Costa Coffee, British American Tobacco, Bunzl“A jump in US Treasury yields indicates that bond investors aren’t happy about how Trump continues to meddle with the Fed and threaten its independence,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“Equity markets were in the red across Europe and Asia, and futures prices imply Wall Street will follow suit when it opens for trading later today...
22 August 2025
Tech and retail put Wall Street under pressure as investors turn to Jackson Hole for Fed cluesAI enthusiasm has been the primary driver of gains in the market recently, but US equities appear to be entering bubble territory, according to some experts, leaving leading US indexes limp.
The S&P 500 extended its losing streak to five days on 21 August, pressured by a fall in retail and tech stocks and concerns about the trajectory of interest...
22 August 2025
Russ Mould: NVIDIA and the wider Magnificent 7AJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould discusses NVIDIA's upcoming second-quarter results, what analysts are expecting and how they may affect the wider Magnificent 7.
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...
20 August 2025
Daily market update: AI fears, Anglo American, Pop Mart“Despite the sell-off in the US overnight, emanating from the technology sector, UK stocks were pretty steady in early trading on Wednesday,” says AJ Bell head of financial analysis, Danni Hewson.
“The index was not helped by the hotter than expected UK inflation report – which gave sterling a modest lift. A stronger pound hits the relative value...
19 August 2025
Daily market update: BHP, Intel, Palo Alto Networks“The FTSE 100 dipped a little in early trading after selling on Wall Street and in Asia overnight,” says AJ Bell head of financial analysis Danni Hewson.
“Markets seem to be exercising some caution ahead of the Jackson Hole meeting later this week and as talks over a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine remain inconclusive.
“Earnings from...
18 August 2025
Daily market update: Jackson Hole in focus and LandSec office sale“The FTSE 100 ticked higher on Monday morning but was still firmly below the intraday record highs achieved on Friday morning,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
“Any optimism that the summit between President Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin would yield immediate progress towards a peace deal proved misplaced, but the market will...
15 August 2025
Stocks make new highs as rate cut hopes outweigh macro headwindsUS stocks climbed to new highs this week with the small cap Russell 2000 index leading the gains on expectations for a rate cut at the September meeting of Federal Reserve policymakers.
Futures markets priced in more than a 90% chance of a quarter of a percentage point cut to official rates after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg...
