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| 16.03.26 09:50:32 |
Trending tickers: Nvidia, Meta, Adobe and Unicredit |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
European stocks had a mixed start to trading on Monday, as conflict in the Middle East entered its third week.
In the UK, the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) rose 0.4% in early trading, while the pan-European STOXX 600 (^STOXX), Germany’s DAX (^GDAXI) and France's CAC 40 (^FCHI) all hovered around the flatline, at the time of writing.
Over in the US, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) rose 0.3%, while S&P 500 futures (ES=F) and Nasdaq 100 futures (NQ=F) gained around 0.5% and 0.6%, respectively.
Oil prices continued to surge on Monday morning, with brent crude futures (BZ=F) jumping 2% to $101.01 a barrel. The latest jump in crude prices came after the US struck Iran’s key Kharg Island oil hub, adding to global supply concerns, with continued disruption through the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route.
Read more: Oil prices top $100 after Kharg Island attack
US president Donald Trump warned in an interview with the Financial Times, published Sunday, that Nato faced a “very bad future” if allies failed to assist in opening up the Strait of Hormuz.
Concerns about rising oil prices pushing inflation higher is in focus this week, as a number of central banks are due to announce their latest interest rate decisions, including the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank.
With that in mind, here’s our daily roundup of the key trending stocks on Monday.
Nvidia (NVDA)
Chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) kicks off its biggest event of the year on Monday, with a keynote from CEO Jensen Huang.
Investors will be keeping a close eye on Huang’s speech at Nvidia’s GTC event, for updates on what the company is planning for the year ahead.
Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “All eyes at Nvidia’s Global Tech Conference will be on what Jensen Huang unveils, with investors hoping to see new chips designed for the next phase of the AI boom, potentially shaped by the company’s recent $20bn move to access Groq’s low‑latency technology.”
Read more:Gold price dips below $5,000 as Fed policy doubts linger
“If Jensen can show Nvidia has the hardware to lead not just in building AI, but in powering its everyday use, this event could be a key moment in building confidence that Nvidia will remain the defining name in the next leg of the AI race,” he said.
Shares in Nvidia (NVDA) were up nearly 1% in pre-market trading on Monday morning but are more than 3% in the red year-to-date.
Meta (META)
Another tech giant in the spotlight on Monday is Meta (META). Reuters reported over the weekend that the Facebook-parent is planning layoffs that could impact 20% or more of the company.
Story Continues
According to the report, which cited three sources familiar with the matter, no date has been set for the cuts and the magnitude has not been finalized.
Read more: Pound firms as markets brace for Fed and BoE rate decisions
Meta (META) had not responded to Yahoo Finance UK’s request for comment at the time of writing.
Shares were up more than 3% in pre-market trading on Monday but are down 7% so far this year.
Adobe (ADBE)
Design software company Adobe (ADBE) was trending on Monday, after shares slid 7.6% in the previous session.
The stock tumbled on Friday after Adobe (ADBE) CEO Shantanu Narayen announced he planned to step down, after 18 years in the role.
Stocks: Create your watchlist and portfolio
The announcement came alongside Adobe’s (ADBE) fiscal first quarter results, in which the company topped expectations. Adobe posted earnings per share (EPS) of $6.06 on revenue of $6.39bn (£4.81bn), versus estimates for EPS of $5.88 and revenue of $6.28bn.
Looking ahead, Adobe (ADBE) forecast second quarter revenue of $6.43bn to $6.48bn, compared to expectations for $6.43bn.
Unicredit (UCG.MI)
In Europe, shares in Unicredit (UCG.MI) dipped nearly 2%, after the Italian bank launched a bid for Germany’s Commerzbank (CBK.DE).
Unicredit (UCG.MI) said it had launched a voluntary exchange offer on Commerzbank (CBK.DE) in accordance with Section 10 of the German Takeover Act.
“The offer is designed to overcome the 30% cliff-edge that exists under German takeover law and foster constructive engagement with Commerzbank and its stakeholders in the coming weeks,” it said. “It is expected that UniCredit will achieve a stake in Commerzbank in excess of 30% without reaching control.”
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| 16.03.26 08:29:05 |
FTSE 100 LIVE: Stocks up as Trump pressures Nato to secure Strait of Hormuz |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) and European stocks ticked up as markets opened after a week of volatility, as president Donald Trump increased pressure on Nato allies to help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz.
The waterway is a critical hinge of global oil (BZ=F, CL=F) trade. On a typical day about 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies pass through it. But with targeted attacks due to the US-Israeli war with Iran, and a lack of clarity on how ships can now be insured to move oil, it has been all but closed for over a week, sending oil prices skyrocketing.
Trump told reporters this morning that it would be "very bad for the future of Nato" if allies don't help secure the Strait. He also said the US would look to China to help secure the channel.
Aboard Air Force One, Trump said he was speaking to "about seven" countries about "policing" the strait, adding that it is "a very small endeavour".
Both crude oil benchmarks climbed above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022 last week. In the latest development, US attacks on Kharg Island — Iran's main export hub — have deepened immediate supply fears while also posing future risks as Iran promises retaliation against US energy facilities in the region.
In early trading Monday, West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) crude advanced about 1.6% to around $100.37 per barrel, while brent (BZ=F) crude rose roughly 2% to hover above $100.
Market movers
FTSE 100 (^FTSE) gained 0.3% in early trade. The more domestically-focused FTSE 250 (^FTMC) was 0.2% higher. Over in Germany, the DAX (^GDAXI) traded just above the flatline. France's CAC 40 (^FCHI) was also marginally higher. The pan-European STOXX 600 (^STOXX) ticked up 0.2%. The pound rose about 0.2% against the dollar (GBPUSD=X), still trading near the $1.32 mark. The dollar index (DX-Y.NYB), which tracks the greenback against a basket of currencies, was almost flat, having gained about 1.6% in the past five sessions.
LIVE3 updates
23 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
Average price tag on a home jumped by around £3,000 in March, says Rightmove
The average price tag on a home jumped by around £3,000 in March, indicating a steady housing market so far despite global uncertainties, according to a property website.
Across Britain, the average asking price for a newly listed home in March was £371,042, Rightmove said.
This was 0.8% or £3,023 higher than the previous month and is typical for the increase usually seen at this time of year, the website said.
The return of monthly price growth reflects the start of the spring selling season.
But the pace of increases remains modest, in line with the average seen by Rightmove over the past 20 years but lower than the last two, according to the report.
Mortgage rate turbulence has been taking place in recent weeks.
Britain’s biggest lenders, and many smaller ones, have been hiking their rates as swap rates, which are used to price mortgages, have risen. The conflict in the Middle East has caused concerns about the impacts on the economy and rising prices. 46 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
US stock futures higher after weak week
US stock futures climbed early Monday as investors looked to stabilize after another weak week for equities, while keeping a close watch on surging oil prices from the war between the US and Iran.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) rose 0.3%, S&P 500 futures (ES=F) and Nasdaq 100 futures (NQ=F) both made gains of around 0.5%.
The cautious start to the week follows a third straight weekly decline for the S&P 500 (^GSPC), which finished Friday at its lowest level of the year and lowest point since November. 56 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
Good morning!
Hello from London. It's Lucy Harley-McKeown, gearing up for what promises to be another wild week in markets.
Data on the slate today includes the Office for National Statistics' retail and consumer price indices. Rightmove's (RMV.L) house price index will also give a read on the temperature if the property market.
In corporate earnings:
UK: Standard Life (SDLF.L), Foxconn (0FJ.F), Marshalls (MSLH.L)
US: Dollar Tree (DLTR)
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| 12.03.26 17:27:23 |
FTSE 100 falls on growing fears of prolonged war in Middle East |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
Stock prices in London closed lower on Thursday after Iran’s new leader called for the Strait of Hormuz to “remain closed”, raising fears of a prolonged war in the Middle East.
The FTSE 100 index closed down 48.62 points, 0.5%, at 10,305.15. The FTSE 250 ended down 212.60 points, 1.0%, at 22,168.74, and the AIM all-share closed down 6.59 points, 0.9%, at 767.02.
In European equities on Thursday, the CAC 40 in Paris closed down 0.7%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt ended 0.2% lower.
The pound fell to 1.3353 dollars on Thursday afternoon from 1.3410 dollars at the equities close on Wednesday. The euro stood lower at 1.1522 dollars from 1.1571 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading higher at 159.21 yen compared with 158.81 yen.
Stocks were under pressure and oil climbed on Thursday as Iran’s new supreme leader ordered the vital Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane to remain closed.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said stopping the Islamic republic’s “evil empire” was more important than crude prices.
Brent oil was higher at 98.65 dollars a barrel on Thursday afternoon from 91.93 dollars late Wednesday.
“The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used,” Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said.
He added that “a limited amount of” Iran’s revenge for US and Israeli strikes had “taken concrete form, but until it is fully achieved, this case will remain among our priorities”.
Mr Trump dismissed growing concerns, writing on social media that “of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stopping an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World”.
However, later on Thursday, deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said Iran has allowed ships from some countries to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
“Some countries have already talked to us about passing the strait and we have co-operated with them,” said Mr Takht-Ravanchi during an interview with AFP in Tehran.
“As far as Iran is concerned we feel that those countries that joined the aggression should not benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Stocks in New York were lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1.1%, the S&P 500 index fell 1.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite was 1.3% lower.
The yield on the US 10-year Treasury widened to 4.25% on Thursday from 4.21% on Wednesday. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury stretched to 4.88% from 4.85%.
Analysts said the latest US initial unemployment benefit claims show that the labour market is relatively stable, despite fears of AI-related redundancies.
Story Continues
The Department of Labour said US initial jobless claims in the week ended March 7 amounted to 213,000, edging down by 1,000 from 214,000 the week prior. The prior week’s level was upwardly revised from 213,000.
The latest reading was below the FXStreet cited consensus from 215,000.
“If AI were reshaping the workforce, we would expect a pick-up in both hiring and layoffs, but so far neither appears to be happening on a scale large enough to be noticeable in the headline figures,” Oxford Economics analyst Michael Pearce said.
Back in London, Rentokil Initial was the top blue-chip performer, as it closed up 5.2% after UBS raised the stock to ‘buy’ with a price target of 540 pence, up from 430p.
Several of the largest moves in the FTSE 100 were driven by stocks trading ex-dividend, meaning new buyers are no longer entitled to the next dividend payment.
Among those were HSBC, which closed down 6.1%, Entain, which fell 2.6%, and Schroders, which finished 2.7% lower.
M&G closed down 3.6% despite better-than-expected results, reflecting profit taking after a strong run and some disappointment at the lack of a share buyback.
JPMorgan analyst Farooq Hanif said: “This is a strong set of results from M&G.”
“Assets under management and administration, net flows, adjusted operating profit and operating capital generation are all ahead of consensus,” he added.
The London-based investment manager said adjusted operating pre-tax profit edged up to £838 million in 2025 from £837 million the year prior, ahead of £820 million company consensus.
On the FTSE 250 index, TP ICAP closed up 11% after reporting 2025 revenue of £2.35 billion, up 4.4% from £2.25 billion, and pre-tax profit of £230 million, up 7.5% from £214 million.
Revenue grew across all divisions except Energy & Commodities, where it fell 3%, as expected.
The firm also reduced net management and support costs despite inflation and higher UK national insurance.
Shawbrook closed down 12% despite reporting increased underlying profit.
The Essex-based digital banking platform reported interest income of £1.28 billion for 2025, up from £1.20 billion in 2024. Net interest income rose to £646.9 million from £590.9 million.
For 2026, Shawbrook reiterated its medium-term guidance. This includes eyeing a maiden ordinary dividend which would be payable in 2027, which it intends to “progressively build thereafter”.
Among small caps, On the Beach finished down 13% after temporarily withdrawing its full-year profit guidance following a sharp slowdown in bookings to key Mediterranean destinations.
The company suspended its previous adjusted pre-tax profit guidance of £39 million to £43 million for the year to the end of September, citing weaker demand for trips to Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.
Gold fell to 5,131.30 dollars an ounce on Thursday from 5,172.30 dollars at Wednesday’s close.
The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Rentokil Initial, up 24.10p at 491.40p, Airtel Africa, up 11.00p at 348.60p, SSE, up 83.00p at 2,704.00p, BAE Systems, up 70.00p at 2,298.00p, and Centrica, up 6.20p at 206.80p.
The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Persimmon, down 80.00p at 1,188.50p, HSBC, down 77.00p at 1,195.80p, Barclays, down 20.90p at 389.35p, Barratt Redrow, down 14.10p at 285.80p, and easyJet, down 16.80p at 380.80p.
Friday’s economic events calendar has UK gross domestic product data at 7am.
On Friday’s UK corporate calendar is a trading statement from housebuilder Berkeley Group with full-year results for Irish housebuilder Glenveagh Properties and radiator producer Stelrad.
Contributed by Alliance News
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| 12.03.26 09:14:31 |
Shell boss Wael Sawan sees pay jump almost 60% to £13.8m despite profit fall |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
The boss of Shell saw his pay package jump to £13.8 million for the past year despite delivering lower profits at the oil giant.
The FTSE 100 firm’s annual report showed chief executive Wael Sawan saw his total pay deal rise for 2025 by almost 60% compared with the previous year.
He received £1.9 million in his fixed salary, pension and benefits for the year, but saw this heavily eclipsed by around £11.8 million of bonuses.
This included a £2.7 million bonus for the year and a £9.1 million share award linked to longer-term targets.
The group’s finance boss, Sinead Gorman, saw her total pay deal jump to £8.5 million for 2025 from £7.25 million a year earlier.
The higher total pay deals came despite Shell reporting a worse-than-expected 22% plunge in annual profits last year.
Last month, the oil firm said underlying earnings – which strips out some commodity-price adjustments and one-off charges – dropped to 18.53 billion US dollars (£13.6 billion) for 2025 after a 40% plunge quarter-on-quarter in the final three months of the year.
The company has also outlined proposals to revamp its executive pay policy, which shareholders will vote on at its annual general meeting in May.
A Shell spokesman said: “Every three years, Shell seeks shareholder approval for a new executive director remuneration policy as a standard part of regulations for UK listed companies.
“The last vote was in 2023, so this is part of the usual cycle.
“The proposals have been published in the 2025 annual report today and will be voted on at the AGM (annual general meeting).”
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| 12.03.26 08:49:48 |
FTSE 100 LIVE: Markets dip and oil nears $100 a barrel as ships attacked in the Gulf |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) and European indices continued lower on Thursday as investors watch for developments in the Middle East, with oil (BZ=F, CL=F) prices soaring and attacks reported on three more cargo ships in the Gulf in the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
Tensions rose after US forces reportedly sank 16 Iranian vessels suspected of laying mines near the Strait of Hormuz.
Tanker traffic across the region has been affected following attacks on two tankers in the Iraq Ports loading area, leading to the closure of Iraqi ports. President Trump said Wednesday that the US is seeking to "finish the job" in the immediate future.
Hormuz has become a flashpoint in the conflict, with movements of ships carrying oil (BZ=F, CL=F) and commodities like fertiliser in and out of the passage halted due to the dangerous conditions.
Brent crude futures (BZ=F) contract prices were around the $93.30 a barrel mark, having briefly traded north of $100 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate futures (CL=F) were trading at the $91.10 mark. Liquefied natural gas (NG=F) prices also gained.
Governments around the world are grappling with the potential knock-on effect of an energy price crisis similar to the one that took hold following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A surge in oil (BZ=F, CL=F) and gas (NG=F) prices could stoke inflation and lead to higher interest rates.
Speaking in Kentucky yesterday, president Donald Trump said the decision by 32 countries to release oil (BZ=F, CL=F) reserves, also announced on Wednesday, would "substantially reduce oil prices".
"Oil will be coming down. That's just a matter of war that happens. You can almost predict it. I would say it went up a little bit less than we thought. It's going to come down more than we, than anybody understands," he said.
Market movers
The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) fell 0.6% in early trade, with banking group HSBC (HSBA.L) the top faller in the index. The more domestically focused FTSE 250 (^FTMC) dipped 0.4%. Mobile tower company Helios Towers (HTWS.L) slipped more than 4% following a set of results in which it raised its capital expenditure forecast. Over in Germany, the DAX (^GDAXI) sold off 0.4%. France's CAC 40 (^FCHI) dipped 0.6%. The pan-European STOXX 600 (^STOXX) fell 0.5%. The pound fell about 0.2% against the dollar (GBPUSD=X), still trading below the $1.34 mark. The dollar index (DX-Y.NYB), which tracks the greenback against a basket of currencies, gained 0.1%.
LIVE3 updates
34 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
UK house buyer demand dips as Iran crisis clouds interest rate outlook
Vicky McKeever writes:
House buyer demand in the UK has dipped, according to an industry survey, as conflict in the Middle East sparked more uncertainty around the outlook for interest rates.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said that its February UK residential market survey, published on Thursday, showed that the housing market is “still struggling for momentum, with renewed geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty weighing on buyer sentiment and near-term expectations”.
It comes as UK chancellor Rachel Reeves said it was too soon for major energy relief as the conflict in the Middle East dragged on.
The RICS survey showed that new buyer enquiries weakened further in February, with a headline net balance of 26% reporting falls in enquiries, down from 15%, noting declines in January.
In addition, a net balance of 12% reported falls in agreed sales, down from 9% who said this in January.
In the near term, a net balance of 2% expected a fall in sales activity, which marked the softest reading since November last year. However, the longer-term outlook was found to be more resilient, with a net balance of 17% of RICS survey respondents expecting sales activity to increase over the next 12 months.
Read more on Yahoo Finance UK 36 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
US futures pull lower
Our US team writes:
US stock futures fell early Thursday as investors grappled with rising oil prices following a second straight mostly down day on Wall Street.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) slumped 1%. Contracts linked to the S&P 500 (ES=F) and Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) both dropped around 0.9%.
Investors are also watching several economic releases after receiving the first of two inflation readings on Wednesday.
February's Consumer Price Index showed consumer prices rose 0.3% over the previous month and 2.4% year over year, in line with expectations. The latest reading of the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, arrives Friday. 44 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
Good morning!
Hello again. Lucy Harley-McKeown here. Today we'll be following oil closely, with the IEA monthly report on the slate and prices sky high once more.
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey is slated to speak at the Federation for Small Businesses conference on payments later on.
There's also the RICS report on the UK's residential housing market.
In corporate earnings here's what to look out for:
UK: Informa (INF.L), Savills (SVS.L), John Lewis Partnership, TP ICAP (TCAP.L)
Europe: BMW (BMW.DE), Generali (G.MI), RWE (RWE.DE), Vivendi (1VIV.MI), RTL (RTL.MI)
US: Adobe (ADBE), Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM), Dollar General (DG) and Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS)
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| 11.03.26 17:15:48 |
FTSE 100 falls as Iran war lifts inflation fears |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
Stock prices in London closed lower on Wednesday as uncertainty around the length of the war in the Middle East persisted and fears of higher inflation loomed.
The FTSE 100 index closed down 58.47 points, 0.6%, at 10,353.77. The FTSE 250 ended down 110.93 points, 0.5%, at 22,381.34, and the AIM all-share closed down 5.19 points, 0.7%, at 773.61.
In European equities on Wednesday, the Cac 40 in Paris closed down 0.2%, while the Dax 40 in Frankfurt ended 1.4% lower.
The pound fell to 1.3410 US dollars on Wednesday afternoon from 1.3458 at the equities close on Tuesday. The euro stood lower at 1.1571 dollars from 1.1648.
Stocks came under pressure on Wednesday as Iran continued to target energy infrastructure and shipping in the conflict with the US and Israel.
The US warned Iranians that it considers civilian ports in the Strait of Hormuz to be legitimate targets, alleging the Tehran government was using the facilities for military operations.
“The Iranian regime is using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz to conduct military operations that threaten international shipping,” the US military said in a statement.
“Civilian ports used for military purposes lose protected status and become legitimate military targets under international law.”
Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency said its member countries would unlock 400 million barrels of oil from their reserves – the biggest such release ever – to ease the impact of the Middle East war.
“The oil market challenges we are facing are unprecedented in scale, therefore I am very glad that IEA member countries have responded with an emergency collective action of unprecedented size,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol said in a statement.
Brent oil was higher at 91.93 dollars a barrel on Wednesday afternoon from 87.92 late Tuesday.
Oil majors climbed on the FTSE 100 as Shell shares rose 2.0% and BP was up 2.9% and led the blue-chip index.
Stocks in New York were lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.8%, the S&P 500 index was 0.2% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite fell slightly.
The yield on the US 10-year Treasury widened to 4.21% on Wednesday from 4.11% on Tuesday. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury stretched to 4.85% from 4.75%.
Analysts said US inflation “remains too firm” for the Federal Reserve to provide more support to the labour market, as consumer price inflation was steady in February, though this is likely to change later in the year.
The Bureau of Labour Statistics said consumer prices grew 2.4% on-year last month, in line with expectations cited by FXStreet, and matching January’s increase.
Story Continues
Back in London, Legal & General shares fell the most on the FTSE 100 and were down 6.8%.
Mixed results took the shine off a record share buyback and showed there remains “more work to do”, analysts said.
The London-based insurer and asset manager said core operating profit rose 5.9% to £1.62 billion in 2025 from £1.53 billion in 2024, below £1.65 billion Visible Alpha consensus.
RBC Capital Markets said the miss was driven by a mix of weaker Institutional Retirement and Asset Management business, as well as slightly higher group debt costs.
The broker said the Asset Management miss is “particularly surprising” given the increase in consensus estimates in company complied consensus between December and March.
Solvency II net surplus generation rose to £1.26 billion from £1.20 billion, which JPMorgan said was 2% below consensus on an adjusted basis.
RBC said although core operating profit was only “marginally weaker” than expectations, Solvency II was a “significant” miss, while further asset write-downs in Asset Management contributed to a net income miss.
More positively, L&G said it will begin a £1.2 billion share buyback programme this week, the largest in its history and ahead of £1.1 billion consensus, as part of plans to return around £P2.4 billion to shareholders over the next year.
On the FTSE 250 index, Balfour Beatty led the way as shares jumped 8.9%.
The construction firm said its long-term outlook remained positive amid “strong visibility” from its order book, as it recommended a higher dividend amid a statutory pretax profit jump.
Balfour Beatty said pretax profit surged 51% to £323 million in 2025 from £214 million in 2024.
The company recommended a final dividend per share of 9.8 pence for 2025, up 13% from 8.7p in 2024. This would bring the total payout for 2025 to 14p, up 12% from 12.5p.
Hochschild Mining sank 7.2% after it reported significant revenue and profit growth for last year, as its increased dividend was lower than markets had expected.
The London-based gold and silver miner – which has projects in Argentina, Brazil and Peru – said revenue rose 25% to 1.18 billion dollars in 2025, from 947.7 million dollars in 2024.
Hochschild declared a final dividend of 5.00 US cents, more than doubled from 1.94 cents per share for 2024.
Gold fell to 5,172.30 dollars an ounce on Wednesday from 5,228.60 at Tuesday’s close.
The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were BP, up 14.45p at 514.00p, Rentokil Initial, up 11.30p at 467.30p, Shell, up 63.50p at 3,244.00p, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, up 18.00p at 1,215.00p, and InterContinental Hotels Group, up 1.90p at 133.45p.
The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Legal & General, down 17.50p at 241.00p, Smiths Group, down 118.00p at 2,482.00p, ICG, down 71.00p at 1,527.00p, Fresnillo, down 138.00p at 3,654.00p, and Endeavour Mining, down 172.00p at 4,616.00p.
On Thursday’s economic calendar are US weekly jobless figures, as well as trade balance and building permits data.
Thursday’s UK corporate calendar sees full-year results for savings, insurance and investments firm M&G and publisher Informa.
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| 11.03.26 10:43:00 |
Legal & General Shares Sell Off After Mixed Results |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
The stock was one of the worst performers of the FTSE 100 after the group reported full-year results, with some key metrics coming short of market views.
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| 11.03.26 08:55:42 |
FTSE 100 LIVE: Markets lower and oil prices up as US says it 'eliminated' Iranian mine-laying ships |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) and European stocks fell as investors assess the evolving situation in the Middle East.
Overnight, the US released footage of what it says are attacks on several Iranian vessels. US Central Command said the targets "eliminated" 16 mine-layers near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait — a key shipping route — has become a focal point of the conflict, with oil prices sent on a roller coaster amid reports of its closure.
Earlier this week, brent crude futures (BZ=F) rocketed close to the $120 per barrel mark, before cooling. On Wednesday morning the price was around $86 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate futures (CL=F) were also around $85.69 per barrel.
Conflict in the Strait has also caused a sharp rise in liquefied natural gas (NG=F) prices, and blocked the shipping of key fertilisers which it is feared could cause knock-on inflationary effects in food prices.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the International Energy Agency proposed the largest release of oil (BZ=F, CL=F) reserves in its history in an attempt to cool oil prices. The release could be more than the 182m barrels of oil sent into supply in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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Market movers
The FTSE 100 dipped 0.8% after the opening bell in London. The top faller was Legal & General (LGEN.L), down more than 5% in early trade as investors parse results. Mining stocks also pulled the index lower. The more domestically focused FTSE 250 (^FTMC) fell 0.4%. Construction firm Balfour Beatty (BBY.L) was a bright spot in the index, up more than 10% following its latest set of results. Over in Germany, the DAX (^GDAXI) sold off 1.2%. Defence firm Rheinmetall (RHM.DE) dipped 5.2% despite reporting a rise in sales and a forecasted sales growth of 40% to 45% in 2026. France's CAC 40 (^FCHI) dipped 0.7%. The pan-European STOXX 600 (^STOXX) fell 0.8%. The pound hovered against the dollar (GBPUSD=X), still trading above the $1.34 mark. The dollar index (DX-Y.NYB), which tracks the greenback against a basket of currencies, gained 0.1%.
LIVE10 updates
4 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
Rachel Reeves answers questions about the spring statement
Scheduled for 9.45am, you can watch that here. I'll also be following for any 6 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
Porsche shares rise despite drop in profit
Vicky McKeever writes:
In Germany, luxury carmaker Porsche (P911.DE) reported a drop in annual profits in its results, published on Wednesday.
The company's operating profit came in at €413m (£357m) for 2025, which was 92.7% lower than the previous year.
Porsche (P911.DE) posted sales revenue of €36.27bn for its 2025 fiscal year, which 9.5% lower than 2024. Deliveries to customers fell 10.1% to 279,449 units.
The company said it was accelerating the further development of its product strategy, as well as streamlining its management structure and reducing costs in all areas.
"Since I took office, our management team has systematically analysed the situation and begun a series of initial targeted measures," said Michael Leiters, who became CEO of Porsche (P911.DE) in January.
"We will streamline our management structure, reduce hierarchies and cut back on bureaucracy," he said. "We have also already begun to focus more strongly on our core business."
The carmaker said it was once again anticipating "very challenging market conditions" for the 2026 financial year, citing pressure on the luxury market in China, as well as price competition and geopolitical uncertainty. With that in mind, Porsche (P911.DE) guided to sales revenue in the range of around €35bn to €36bn for the year ahead.
Porsche (P911.DE) shares edged up less than 1% on Wednesday morning but are down 17.4% year-to-date. 9 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
Stocks to watch at the US opening bell: Oracle
Oracle (ORCL) reported its third quarter earnings after the bell on Tuesday, beating expectations on the top and bottom lines and raising its 2027 revenue guidance to $90bn, sending the company's stock higher.
Shares jumped over 10% in premarket trading on Wednesday after the results.
The announcement comes amid reports that the company has axed plans to expand an AI data centre with OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) and that it’s preparing to cut thousands of jobs.
The AI infrastructure company is spending tons of cash on data centres, but investors aren’t quite sold on the idea.
Oracle stock has fallen steeply. After climbing to a high of $345.72 in September, the stock was trading at $149 as of Tuesday afternoon. Shares are now off 54% over the last six months and 23% since the start of the year.
For the quarter, Oracle saw earnings per share (EPS) of $1.79 on revenue of $17.19 billion, above analysts' expectations of EPS of $1.70 on revenue of $16.9bn. The company reported $1.47 and $14.1bn in the same period last year.
Oracle’s cloud segment brought in $8.9bn versus expectations of $8.8bn. Cloud infrastructure saw sales of $4.9 billion, ahead of estimates of $4.74bn. 11 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
FTSE 100 risers and fallers 26 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
Sterling boosted by repricing of Bank of England rate cut odds
Matthew Ryan, head of market strategy at Ebury, said: 34 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
London Gatwick hit by dip in short-haul flyers
Gatwick airport suffered a fall in profits last year as it was hit by a drop in short-haul flight passengers.
The West Sussex airport reported pre-tax profits of £422.9m in 2025, down 7.3% from £456.4m in the previous year.
It said 42.8m passengers travelled through its two terminals last year, which was a 1.1% year-on-year decline.
This was driven by a 1.9% drop in passengers on short-haul flights, which it attributed to “temporary issues related to aircraft availability”.
Manufacturer Airbus blamed its failure to deliver as many new aircraft to airlines as expected last year on shortages of Pratt & Whitney engines.
Gatwick said it recorded “particularly strong growth” in long-haul markets such as Sub-Saharan Africa (up 22%), the Far East and south Asia (up 24%) and the Middle East and central Asia (up 17%). 45 mins ago
Lucy Harley-McKeown
Balfour Beatty shares jump
FTSE 250 company Balfour Beatty saw its shares gain in early trade after it forecast growth in its profit from operations. Upcoming projects include a number in the UK power sector including in nuclear.
It also announced a £200m share buyback alongside a 12% increase in full-year dividends.
Underlying profit from operations from earnings-based businesses rose 16% to £293m ($393.6m). Today at 8:16 AM UTC
Lucy Harley-McKeown
Oil whiplash
Oil prices fell Tuesday following a now-deleted social media post by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, which claimed the US had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.
Futures for West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) dropped to as low as $76.73 per barrel before settling about 12% lower. Brent (BZ=F) crude declined more than 11%. Both oil benchmarks subsequently saw gains of over 4% in overnight futures trading.
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Lucy Harley-McKeown
US stock futures little changed ahead of inflation report
Our US team writes:
US stock futures were little changed Tuesday evening as investors braced for a closely watched inflation report that could help shape expectations for the economy and Federal Reserve policy.
Futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) rose 0.2%. Contracts on the S&P 500 (ES=F) and Nasdaq 100 futures (NQ=F) made 0.2% gains. Today at 8:09 AM UTC
Lucy Harley-McKeown
Good morning!
Hello from London. Lucy Harley-McKeown here with another jam-packed day ahead.
Today we'll be watching the US consumer price index for hints about inflation — that has the potential to move indexes more than anything else currently slated.
Also: chancellor Rachel Reeves will be defending her (rather benign) spring statement in a select committee.
The House of Lords select committees will be discussing stablecoins and the potential for crypto in the UK.
Oil has been a hot topic over the last two weeks, with brent crude breaking the $100 a barrel mark — that's why the OPEC monthly oil markets report will be one to watch.
On the earnings calendar:
UK: Legal & General (LGEN.L), Balfour Beatty (BBY.L), 4Imprint (FOUR.L), Gym Group (GYM.L), London Gatwick Airport
Europe: Rheinmetall (RHM.DE), Porsche (P911.DE)
US: The Campbell’s Company (CPB)
Asia/RoW: Foxconn (FXCOF) and Cathay Pacific (0293.HK)
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| 06.03.26 08:56:33 |
Die FTSE 100 ist im Livestreaming: Londoner Börse steigt, da der Persische Golf gestützt wurde, angesichts des anhalte |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
**Zusammenfassung**
Globale Aktienmärkte erlebten am Freitag eine teilweise Erholung, angetrieben von Neubewertungen im Zusammenhang mit dem andauernden Konflikt im Nahen Osten und seiner potenziellen Auswirkungen auf die Energieversorgung. Der FTSE 100, der DAX, der CAC 40 und der STOXX 600 erlebten Gewinne, obwohl der FTSE 100 weiterhin für einen signifikanten Wochenverlust auf Kurs war.
Der Schließung des Hormuz-Kanals, einer kritischen Schifffahrtsroute für etwa 20 % der globalen Öl- und Gasförderung, ist ein Hauptanliegen. Angriffe in der Region haben den Seeverkehr zum Stillstand gebracht und Unsicherheit über die Ölpreise geschaffen. Die Preise für Brent-Rohöl und West Texas Intermediate (WTI) stiegen als Reaktion darauf und spiegelten diese Besorgnis wider. Die USA lockerten vorübergehend die Sanktionen gegen den Handel mit russischem Öl mit Indien auf, mit dem Ziel, den Druck zu verringern, der durch Irans Handlungen ausgeübt wird.
Innerhalb des FTSE 100 führte die Share-Buyback-Ankündigung von IMI (einem spezialisierten Ingenieurbauunternehmen) zu den größten Gewinnen. Auch der FTSE 250 entwickelte sich positiv, gestützt durch die starken Ergebnisse von ITV. In Deutschland stieg der DAX leicht, und der CAC 40 in Frankreich verzeichnete ebenfalls Gewinne.
Allerdings blieben die breiteren Markttrends gemischt. Auch an der US-Börse herrschte Volatilität, wobei die Futures durch die andauernden Spannungen zwischen den USA, Israel und dem Iran und die Erwartungen an den bevorstehenden Bericht über die US-Arbeitslage beeinflusst wurden. Besorgnisse über eine Verlangsamung der US-Wirtschaft belasteten die Stimmung der Anleger.
**Einzelhandelssektor leidet:** Gleichzeitig sank die Einzelhandelsaktivität im Vereinigten Königreich aufgrund des anhaltend schlechten Wetters. Der Fußgängerverkehr in Einkaufszentren und auf der High Street brach ein, insbesondere in London, was Bekleidungs- und Schuhhändler negativ beeinflusste.
**Bausubstanz widerstandsfähig:** Trotz der allgemeinen wirtschaftlichen Herausforderungen zeigte der britische Immobilienmarkt Anzeichen einer Erholung. Halifax meldete, dass der durchschnittliche Hauspreis im Februar auf 301.151 Pfund stieg, was das stärkste Jahreswachstum in vier Monaten darstellt und die erste Zeit seit 2021 markierte, in der der durchschnittliche Hauspreis die 300.000-Pfund-Marke überschritt. Diese Aufwärtsbewegung deutet auf eine Erholung nach einer schwächeren Periode im Jahr 2025 hin, wobei jedoch die Erschwinglichkeit ein großes Problem bleibt.
**Wichtige Wirtschaftsdaten:** Die Ereignisse der Woche werden von wichtigen Wirtschaftsdaten bestimmt. Die Anleger beobachten die Veröffentlichung des US-Arbeitsberichtes genau, der wichtige Einblicke in die Gesundheit der US-Wirtschaft geben wird. Darüber hinaus werden die EU-Bruttoinlandsproduktionszahlen veröffentlicht, die einen Überblick über die europäische Wirtschaftskrise bieten. Auch die Finanzberichte von Lufthansa stehen auf dem Unternehmenskalender.
Die allgemeine Marktstimmung wird stark von geopolitischen Risiken und Bedenken hinsichtlich der Inflation und des Wirtschaftswachstums beeinflusst. Der bevorstehende Bericht über die US-Arbeitskräfte wird den Markurchaos bestimmen. |
| 06.03.26 06:00:47 |
Why FTSE offers a defensive play amid Iran conflict volatility |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
As geopolitical tensions in the Middle East send shockwaves through global markets, investors are once again hunting for a "safe harbour" to protect their capital. With the Strait of Hormuz facing disruptions and oil (BZ=F, CL=F) prices climbing, the UK’s blue-chip index is increasingly being viewed through a different lens than its high-growth peers in the US and Asia.
According to Jo Rands, portfolio manager at ClearBridge Investments, the UK market possesses a unique structural DNA that allows it to withstand global shocks better than most.
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With the current disruption centred around the Strait of Hormuz echoing past energy shocks, Rands points to 2022 as a vital roadmap for how the UK market behaves during a crisis. “[The last time] we last saw a sharp rise in oil (BZ=F, CL=F) prices was in 2022. Back then, UK large caps posted a low single-digit positive return, whereas the MSCI World Index was down around 20%,” Rands notes.
She describes this as a “massive difference in performance”, attributing the divergence to the specific sectors that dominate the London exchange.
The reason for this resilience lies in what the UK isn't, namely, it is not a tech-heavy index. Instead, it is built on sectors that people rely on regardless of the geopolitical climate.
Read more: Bank of England likely to hold interest rates as Iran conflict fuels energy shock
“Large caps in the UK are generally quite defensive,” Rands explains. “About a third of the market is in sectors that are not economically sensitive, eg pharma, utilities.”
Furthermore, as the Iran conflict puts upward pressure on fuel costs, the FTSE 100 acts as a natural hedge. “The UK has good exposure to those areas, 15% of the market is oil, gas and mining,” says Rands.
When energy prices spike, the earnings of giants like Shell (SHEL.L) and BP (BP.L) often rise, offsetting losses in other parts of the economy.
Underestimating the UK's ‘rumbling’ economy
While the defensive "maths" favours the UK, some strategists argue the markets true strength is being overlooked by global investors who have spent years avoiding investment in the UK.
Michael Browne, investment strategist at the Franklin Templeton Institute, suggests we may be fundamentally underestimating the UK’s ability to absorb punishment.
“The UK is an economy that since 2016 has had to deal with Brexit, Boris, Covid, Truss, Trump, Reeves, and goodness knows how many interpretations from the OBR on what has been going on,” Browne observes. “That’s quite a lot to chuck at one economy in a decade, and yet it keeps rumbling forward.”
Story Continues
Read more: Eurozone inflation hits 1.9% in February as energy price fears ramp up
Browne argues that this "rumbling" forward has created a business culture that is tougher than the headlines suggest. “There is some resilience here, and when I travel to some of the UK’s major cities, I’m impressed by the vitality I find among the business communities. There’s a sense that something is happening, but maybe we are just not picking up on it at this point in time.”
However, even a resilient market has its pressure points. Rands issues a note of caution for those expecting a carbon copy of the 2022 outperformance. While the “defensive core” of pharma and energy remains intact, the banking sector, which was a major engine of growth during the last inflationary spike, faces a different set of hurdles today.
Read more: Gold prices to hit $6,300 by end of year, says JPMorgan
“The other sector that helped the market in 2022, which may not help this time around, was banks,” Rands warns. “Banks started performing very well because they were coming from a position where interest rates had been around zero for a long period of time, but high inflation meant rates were starting to go higher. This meant all of sudden they started making money and banks were incredibly cheap.”
In the current environment, the narrative has shifted from “profit margins” to “risk”. Rands notes: “This time around, banks may not offer the same support. Let’s see what happens to interest rates but the market at the moment is concerned about credit quality and loan exposure.”
Read more:
Your passenger rights if a flight is cancelled due to the Iran conflict What is a spot bitcoin ETF and why it has sparked a crypto rally? Why the bitcoin trade 'is too large to ignore'
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