23 January 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Kraft Heinz, Netflix, Procter & GambleWhat was shaping up to be a disaster of a week for US indices, curtailed by Martin Luther King Day, turned out instead to be at worst mixed.
President Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on European countries over Greenland and hints at the use of military force to acquire the territory if it wasn’t possible to do so by other means put markets on...
23 January 2026
How investors reacted to the latest Donald Trump dramaDonald Trump’s moves on Greenland threatened to cause the biggest upset on financial market since last April’s Liberation Day, an event that knocked shares for six.
Fortunately, a U-turn on 21 January by the US president subsequently brought a sense of calm. It was good reminder for investors to not panic in times of turmoil.
It’s fascinating to...
22 January 2026
Saba fails at Edinburgh Worldwide but investment trust activism enduresActivist investor Saba’s latest setback in its push for change in the investment trust universe is unlikely to be the end of the story. The disruptor has lost in its campaign to reform Edinburgh Worldwide but it still has holdings in plenty more trusts.
AJ Bell’s inaugural report on activists in the investment trust world shows Saba has stakes in...
22 January 2026
Daily market update: markets rebound, B&M, The Works, WickesDonald Trump’s TACO bell has rung once again, much to the joy of financial markets.
Trump has form in chickening out of his threats, and investors are pleased he confirmed no plans to use military action to take Greenland or to impose new tariffs on parts of Europe.
Following a strong session for Wall Street last night, Asian and European markets...
21 January 2026
Daily market update: JD Wetherspoon, Currys, JD Sports, BurberryThe FTSE 100 held up in early trading on Wednesday despite a rebound in UK inflation and continued uncertainty over Greenland.
The hope will be that some form of compromise can be found as Donald Trump meets with European leaders and speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
After a difficult day on Wall Street yesterday, US futures point to a...
20 January 2026
Daily market update: markets lower with Greenland in focus, Kraken, GSKDespite a difficult start to the week it feels like the market is still in wait-and-see mode over whether there will be a full-blown trade war between the US and Europe.
Since the market close last Friday, the French and German flagship indices are down 2.5% and 2.3%, partly thanks to French luxury goods firms’ and German carmakers’ substantial...
19 January 2026
Discover the most popular funds and trusts for incomeA big reason lots of people invest in the stock market is to get income and funds are a popular option because they offer the added benefit of diversification.
Unlike when you invest in an individual company, which can pause or cancel its dividend at a management team’s discretion, the risk of your income stream being meaningfully disrupted is much...
19 January 2026
Daily market update: Trump's tariffs, gold, FTSE 100, WHSmith, WorkspacePlot out the timeline of policy announcements since Trump returned to the White House and it’s longer than the Bayeux Tapestry.
Financial markets have been subjected to a barrage of heavy-hitting decisions by Trump during his second term, with endless twists and turns. A new tougher stance on tariffs towards parts of Europe in Trump’s quest to own...
16 January 2026
Russ Mould: Analysts look at Netflix, JD Sports and B&M ahead of forthcoming updatesAJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould runs through the names of companies scheduled to report updates in the coming week (w/c 19 January), specifically looking at what analysts expect from Netflix (NFLX), JD Sports (JD.) and B&M (BME).
16 January 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Netflix, banks’ earningsThis week got off to an inauspicious start after the Justice Department served Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell with a subpoena, threatening a criminal indictment.
In a highly unusual turn of events Powell gave a public statement and video where he accused the administration of political pressure and putting the independence of the Fed under...
16 January 2026
Daily market update: FTSE 100 pulls back, talk of YouTube deal with the BBCInvestors have been kept on their toes year-to-date with non-stop geopolitical issues, and mixed messages from the business world. A quieter day on the corporate reporting calendar gave investors a chance to catch their breath and take stock of events.
European indices quietened down, with small losses in the UK, France, Spain, and Germany. Asia...
15 January 2026
Daily market update: GDP, Dunelm, TSMC, Taylor Wimpey, AsdaThe UK stock market was flat despite positive GDP news.
The FTSE 100 is not a direct play on the UK economy given the multitude of overseas earners. The flat performance was a result of gains in financials and industrials being offset by weakness in oil producers and miners.
Brent crude fell by 3.2% to $64.40, a substantially larger movement than...
15 January 2026
Trump 2.0 one year on: here are the market winners and losersTuesday 20 January 2026 marks one year since Donald Trump returned to the White House. It’s been a testing period for consumers and businesses, amid extraordinary levels of unpredictable behaviour by the president which have had consequences globally.
Trump’s decisions have shaken up the status quo and put the world on a different path. Financial...
14 January 2026
Daily market update: SSE, Costa, BP, Vistry, PearsonThe FTSE 100 is going from strength to strength, hitting yet another new record high.
The blue-chip index of UK stocks hit 10,171 in early trading, propelled by a good spread of industries. Endeavour Mining was boosted by ongoing strength in the gold price, with the metal hitting $4,639 per ounce. Gold has become an investor favourite over the past...
13 January 2026
Daily market update: Persimmon, Games Workshop, Rentokil, WhitbreadThe FTSE 100 held steady just below its recent record highs early on Tuesday despite the ongoing geopolitical tensions which have been a feature of 2026 so far.
This followed a new record for the Nikkei 225 overnight in Japan. A weak yen, which boosts an export-reliant economy, and the possibility of increased stimulus helped generate significant...
12 January 2026
Daily market update: gold, Barclays, British Land, Heineken, Auction TechnologyMarkets dipped as investors feared about the independence of the Federal Reserve.
US prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into Fed chair Jay Powell over a renovation of the central bank’s headquarters. Powell implied the root of the issue was the Fed’s refusal to cut interest rates as fast as Trump wants, rather than any matters involving...
10 January 2026
Copper surges past oil amid talks on £200 billion mining mergerThe price of copper and oil have tended to move in lockstep historically as both have been barometers of the health of the global economy. Both commodities, sometimes namechecked as ‘Dr. Copper’ and ‘Dr. Oil’ are pro-cyclical, which means they thrive at times of economic expansion.
That connection seems to have broken down of late with copper...
9 January 2026
Russ Mould: Builders, Recruiters & Retail: Which companies to look at in the week aheadThis week, Russ Mould dives into a packed UK reporting calendar, from housebuilders like Persimmon to recruiters PageGroup, Hays and Robert Walters, plus consumer names Whitbread and Dunelm. He explores key metrics to look at and what these results could signal for the economy.
9 January 2026
Daily market update: mining mega-merger talks, TSMC, Sainsbury’sThe FTSE 100 solidified its position above 10,000 on Friday after a mixed week which has seen the index attain fresh record levels.
The mood music around UK stocks remains positive, even if Christmas updates from the retail sector have not inspired too much cheer – a downbeat update from the British Retail Consortium on footfall only adding to the...
9 January 2026
Why the UK stock market is gaining new fansThe UK stock market hit a new high at the start of 2026, with the FTSE 100 index breaking through the 10,000 level for the first time and extending last year’s solid run. The 25.8% total return from the FTSE 100 in 2025 was the fifth best year for the UK index since inception in 1984.
US strikes on Venezuela on 3 January 2026 failed to derail the...
9 January 2026
TSMC scales new heights, Constellation Brands: US markets this weekUS markets made a positive start to 2026 with gains seen across the board and new all-time highs for the S&P 500 index and the small cap Russell 2000 index, which gained almost 4%.
Investors were bombarded with a raft of macroeconomic data which showed US services activity expanding in December at the fastest pace in more than a year, notching up...
8 January 2026
UK takeovers busy but large deals could slow in 2026It was another blockbuster year for UK-listed takeovers, with 64 companies receiving a bid during 2025, according to analysis by AJ Bell. Of these, 51 deals have either completed or are still live, and 13 bid situations fell by the wayside.
Bid activity was mostly concentrated in the mid and small cap universe, with only one FTSE 100 stock – Anglo...
8 January 2026
Daily market update: Trump's defence spending proposal, Tesco, Shell, GreggsWatch the bond market closely as Trump’s proposal to radically increase defence spending could put even more pressure on the already sky-high US national debt.
While Trump insists any extra spending would be paid for by tariffs, bond markets might not be as convinced. Equity markets are already looking a bit doubtful, with futures prices implying a...
7 January 2026
Shareholders urged to decide on the future of Edinburgh Worldwide Investment TrustInvestors have an important say in the future of Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust being targeted by hedge fund Saba Capital.
Saba’s proposals to make changes at the trust and with the trust’s board have been put forward as ordinary resolutions for investors to vote on. These only require a simple majority, or more than 50% of votes cast, to...
7 January 2026
Job security for FTSE 100 bosses much higher than for their football counterpartsShareholders are not necessarily famous for their patience, but they seem to possess more of it than football boardrooms or supporters.
Recent events at Manchester United suggest as much, and there were, once more, fewer changes in FTSE 100 CEOs than English league football managers in 2025.
Fourteen FTSE 100 firms saw a change in chief executive...
