2 March 2026
Daily market update: oil, gold, inflation, interest rates, defence stocksThe uncertainty factor reigns again.
Scenes in the Middle East have caused widespread nervousness across financial markets. The US attacks on Iran have caused oil prices to soar amid fears of disruptions to supplies, pushing up costs for businesses and consumers. That ranges from costing more to fill up the car to making it more expensive to run...
2 March 2026
The defence sector is booming. Can investors still jump in?The defence sector has been booming the past 18 months, driven by a peak in geopolitical conflicts and governments dedicating higher budgets to military and cyber security resources.
Global military expenditure hit £2.7 trillion in 2024, the highest level on record, according to data from HanETF. Investors who took up holdings in defence off the...
27 February 2026
Russ Mould: The trio of insurers to watch out for in the coming weekAJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould runs through what analysts will be looking for when insurers Beazley, Admiral and Aviva report in the coming week.
27 February 2026
Are weight-loss drugs a threat to the restaurant industry? Are weight-loss drugs a threat to the restaurant industry?The increasing number of people on GLP-1s have worried some investors about the profitability of the restaurant industry. Those on GLP-1s tend to eat less and cut back on alcohol which pulls down spending per head. Desserts and alcohol tend to be higher margin items, which exacerbates the...
27 February 2026
Martin Gamble on US Markets: Why Nvidia’s latest results spooked investorsUS stock markets were relatively flat on the week despite a negative market reaction to results from chip giant Nvidia on 25 February.
After initially rallying in after-hours trading Nvidia shares sank as much as 5.5% when markets reopened on 26 February as investors questioned the sustainability of the AI boom and lofty valuations of technology...
27 February 2026
Why Trump's tariff shock hasn't spooked marketsThe debate over US tariffs has dominated market conversations for more than a year. But the recent Supreme Court ruling declaring President Trump’s previous tariff actions illegal has changed the landscape. In response, the administration introduced a temporary 10% blanket tariff, with plans to raise it further. However, after a brief wobble on...
27 February 2026
Daily market update: IAG, Senior, Hays, Warner BrosThe FTSE 100 is now less than 1% away from hitting 11,000, suggesting the milestone is perfectly in reach in a matter of days or hours rather than months.
Two months in, it looks like 2026 could be a second bumper year in a row for investors putting their faith in UK stocks if current performance trends continue.
Rightmove regained its poise after...
27 February 2026
Discover the stocks powering the rise of the FTSE 100 indexNot so long ago the blue-chip FTSE 100 index was considered a ‘dinosaur’ benchmark, full of ‘old economy’ stocks, but in the last few months its performance has eclipsed both the S&P 500 and tech-centric Nasdaq Composite indices by a wide margin.
In a world of ‘sticky’ inflation where physical assets matter again and the valuation of so-called ‘new...
26 February 2026
Daily market update: Nvidia, Rolls-Royce, London Stock Exchange GroupThe FTSE 100 is on quite a run and drawing ever closer to the 11,000 level.
Advancing once again, the blue-chip UK index has this time been propelled by superstar engineer Rolls-Royce which is going from strength to strength, and London Stock Exchange Group staging a recovery.
Kitchen seller Howden Joinery also continued its run of quietly getting...
25 February 2026
The US market might be more promising than it seemsInvestors’ obsession with the US seems to be waning as returns from the country’s flagship S&P 500 index slowed from 24.5% in 2024 to 17.9% in 2025 and made an uncertain start to 2026.
So, it may seem surprising that in our latest rebalance, the AJ Bell investment team chose to increase the proportion of assets we hold in the US. Notably, our...
25 February 2026
Daily market update: FTSE 100, HSBC, TrainlineThe FTSE 100 resumed its upwards charge after well-received results from HSBC reenergised the market.
The UK index hit a new intraday high of 10,778 in early trading as HSBC did some heavy lifting alongside Shell, and RELX extended yesterday’s recovery rally after a nasty AI-related sell-off last month.
The strong showing from the UK stock market...
24 February 2026
Daily market update: Warner Bros, Standard Chartered, CrodaWhile investors looked a bit dazed from a wobbly start to the trading week, market movements on Tuesday would suggest they’re regaining their balance rather than falling over.
European indices were down a touch amid weakness in financials and pharma, yet the FTSE 100 was propped up by strength in oil and consumer goods sectors. Futures prices imply...
23 February 2026
Daily market update: tariff uncertainty, gold, MONY, Johnson MattheyThere is some trepidation in the air after last Friday’s ruling from the Supreme Court.
While tariffs are generally not seen as market friendly, investors had absorbed the trade policies announced by the Trump administration last year and were just hoping for some certainty and stability.
Last week’s intervention from the Supreme Court delivers...
20 February 2026
Russ Mould: Big Earnings Day. What to expect from NVIDIA, Diageo and HSBCAs the world's largest company by market capitalisation, NVIDIA's performance and guidance are crucial for investors. Russ explores what the expected sales growth, earnings per share, and the impact of AI infrastructure spending are. He also highlights what to look out for when Diageo and HSBC report on the same day.
20 February 2026
Daily market update: FTSE 100, retailers, Klarna, Anglo AmericanThe FTSE 100 started off its final trading session of the week in decent fettle, although remained a distance from its recent record highs above 10,700.
Threats of military action against Iran from the Trump administration, if the country doesn’t make a deal on its nuclear programme, created some jitters in the market yesterday – with selling in US...
20 February 2026
How to get early access to the biggest IPOs including SpaceXPeople love a chance to jump ahead of the queue, especially when it’s an exclusive club everyone is trying to be a part of.
The joy of strolling up to the front with a casually knowing nod while others crane their necks to catch a glimpse of the room they’re waiting to go into is somewhat akin to investing in a company before it floats on the stock...
20 February 2026
Discover where the ISA millionaires investThe UK’s ISA ‘Super Investors’ who have built up sizeable portfolios are a lesson in the benefits of diligent saving and clever or opportunistic stock and fund picking.
AJ Bell can now reveal the latest trends for its ISA Super Investors – individuals with Stocks and shares ISA portfolios worth more than £1 million, as well as Junior ISAs that have...
19 February 2026
Daily market update: Centrica, Nestle, Rio Tinto, Mondi, DebenhamsInvestors got a nasty shock from Centrica’s results, causing the shares to slump and drag the UK market down in the process.
While Centrica is in the bottom half of the FTSE 100 by weighting, a large downward movement from its shares still had meaningful influence on the UK stock index.
The UK market was also dragged down by the market reaction to...
18 February 2026
When to call it quits on an investmentIf you were invested in an index fund last year, there’s a good chance that your investment made money. In the past year, the MSCI World returned 12.8%, the FTSE returned 25.8% and, despite it’s early wobble, the S&P 500 returned 8.4% (all in pounds sterling and based on data from FE Fundinfo).
But this success might leave some investors with a...
18 February 2026
Daily market update: oil prices, BAE Systems, Glencore, motor financeThe FTSE 100 made new record highs above 10,600 as inflation dropped more sharply than expected to a 10-month low.
This increases the chances of an interest rate cut when the Bank of England meets next month – which is typically good news for stocks and shares in general. It is also a positive for the FTSE 100 given the likely knock-on effect on...
17 February 2026
Daily market update: BHP, Antofagasta, InterContinental Hotels, DebenhamsThe FTSE 100 continues to edge quietly higher and is comfortably outperforming the US stock market so far this year.
The FTSE 100 is up 5.6% versus a 0.1% decline in the S&P 500. The gap is even wider against the tech-heavy Nasdaq index which is down 3% year-to-date.
Driving the UK market higher on Tuesday was a rebound in the plethora of stocks...
17 February 2026
How to invest in the US with less exposure to tech and AIThe recent loss of momentum in the technology and AI space has had a big impact on the US market, where many of the largest tech companies are based. This shift has led to an alternative version of the flagship S&P 500 stock index whose movements are driven equally by each individual company – rather than being determined based on their size –...
16 February 2026
Daily market update: UK takeovers: Beazley and Pinewood TechnologiesA strong showing from financials helped to support the FTSE 100 on a quiet day for corporate news.
NatWest, Barclays and Prudential took the top spots on the FTSE 100 risers’ list. The industrials and real estate sectors were also in demand, while housebuilders were out of fashion amid negative broker comment. Gold was down nearly 1% to trade just...
13 February 2026
Russ Mould: Analysts dig into Antofagasta, Glencore, Rio Tinto, Anglo American numbers ahead of their updatesAJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould lists the companies scheduled to report in the week, and takes a closer look at what analysts expect from Antofagasta (ANTO), Glencore (GLEN), Rio Tinto (RIO) & Anglo American (AAL).
13 February 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, CiscoUS stock markets took a sharp move down on 12 February led by continued weakness in technology with the Nasdaq Composite dropping nearly 2% over the week.
Investor confidence has been shaken by the threat of AI to disrupt several sectors including software, legal, insurance and financial services.
The January non-farm payrolls report, delivered a...
