23 July 2025
Daily market update: FTSE 100, Wetherspoon, Fresnillo“News of a trade agreement between the US and Japan is fostering optimism among investors that further deals might be reached before punishing tariffs come into force,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The news helped drive the FTSE 100 to a new record high and saw gains in other markets across mainland Europe – with focus likely to...
22 July 2025
Daily market update: Admiral, AstraZeneca, Centrica“Higher than expected government borrowing pushed up UK gilt yields and pulled down the UK stock market,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“10-year gilt yields briefly nudged up to 4.645%, which is the market’s way of saying it isn’t impressed with the state of public finances. Soaring debt interest payments haven’t helped and the...
21 July 2025
Daily market update: Japanese equities, BP, Ryanair, water utilities“Markets were muted at the start of the new trading week as investors awaited updates on US trade negotiations,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“There is now less than a fortnight before the 1 August deadline for the new tariff regime to kick in, and we still don’t have framework deals between the US and many regions including the...
18 July 2025
US indices hit new records, Netflix slips despite earnings beatThe US market continues to endure a rollercoaster ride but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices still reached record levels on 17 July.
Earlier in the week, speculation President Donald Trump might be about to fire Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell created real nervousness among investors but this eased through the course of the week.
The second...
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
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
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
How dividends can boost your returnsDividends might be classed as income, but if you reinvest them, they can make a valuable contribution to your overall investment growth over the long term. This article looks at the impact of dividend reinvestment and what you might need to watch out for.
The main potential benefit is that you can harness the power of compounding returns. Put...
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...
9 July 2025
FTSE 100 dividend growth grinds to a halt, but buyback bonanza continuesWhile dividend growth has slowed in the FTSE 100, the index has far outpaced the US’s S&P 500 in 2025, and the pound continues to outdo the dollar.
The FTSE 100 has provided a 9.6% total return so far this year, compared to just 2.1% from the S&P 500, as the US has started to lag on the global stage.
Whether this trend continues or not remains to...
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
The link between economic growth and stock market performanceIf a country’s economic growth slows down or speeds up, many assume that its stock market will mirror that performance. There is a close relationship between the two, yet it is not as simple as saying the rate of GDP will be the precise amount you will make from a fund tracking a particular country’s stock market.
Investor expectations drive...
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
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...
2 July 2025
Russ Mould: What to expect from UNITE, Vistry & PageGroup updatesRuss Mould, AJ Bell's Investment Director, talks us through what to expect from UNITE, Vistry & PageGroup company updates.
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...
27 June 2025
Russ Mould: What to expect from Sainsbury's, M&S and Currys in the coming weekRuss Mould, AJ Bell's Investment Director, dives into recent announcements from Sainsbury's, M&S and Currys, and details of what to look out for in upcoming releases.
27 June 2025
Trump ups heat on Powell and Fed, Nvidia hits new record highTo say Donald Trump likes picking fights is an understatement, and with his dust-up with Elon Musk seemingly in the past, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is Trump’s next target. The US president has been throwing critical bombs at Powell for weeks, demanding immediate rate cuts, while a couple of Powell’s colleagues had also called for lower...
