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AI Daily 5 entries
LONDON MARKET CLOSE: FTSE 100 up in quiet trade as defence stocks rise
- London Stock Market:
- FTSE 100 closed up 0.3% at 10,473.69, buoyed by banking and defence stocks.
- FTSE 250 ended down 0.2% at 23,375.47; AIM all-share down 0.1% at 811.41.
- NatWest led FTSE 100 with a 4.8% rise, starting a £750 million share buyback program.
- Defence stocks (Melrose Industries, Babcock International, BAE Systems) rose after PM Keir Starmer’s call to increase defence spending.
- Pinewood Technologies (FTSE 250) plunged 33% after Apax Partners withdrew takeover interest.
- European Markets:
- CAC 40 (Paris) up 0.2%; DAX 40 (Frankfurt) down 0.5%.
- Currency Movements:
- Pound marginally higher at $1.3629; Euro down at $1.1854; Dollar up against Yen at ¥153.44.
- Commodities:
- Brent oil up at $68.42/barrel; Gold up at $4,985.30/ounce.
- Notable Movers:
- Top FTSE 100 risers: NatWest, Melrose Industries, Babcock International, BAE Systems, Metlen Energy & Metals.
- Top FTSE 100 fallers: Mondi, Barratt Redrow, St James's Place, Relx, Berkeley Group.
- Pebble Beach Systems (small cap) jumped 25% on a £1.3 million contract win.
- Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday: UK unemployment data, German/Canadian CPI, NY Empire State Manufacturing Index.
- Full-year results expected: Antofagasta, InterContinental Hotels Group, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.
- Market Context:
- Thin trading due to US (Washington's Birthday) and Canadian (Family Day) holidays.
- AI-related fears impacting stocks like Pinewood Technologies.
LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: Stocks rise, US rates expected to stay high
- London Stock Market:
- FTSE 100 up 0.3% at 10,473.99, boosted by defence and financial stocks.
- FTSE 250 up 0.2% at 23,481.20; AIM all-share up 0.1% at 812.49.
- Cboe UK indices also saw gains: Cboe UK 100 up 0.4%, Cboe UK 250 up 0.3%, and Cboe small companies up 0.1%.
- NatWest led FTSE 100 with a 4.5% rise after initiating a £750 million share buyback program.
- Defence stocks surged: Babcock (+3.6%), Melrose (+3.6%), and BAE Systems (+2.9%).
- Political and Economic Context:
- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for Europe to "step up" on defence and security, potentially bringing forward the 3% GDP defence spending target to 2029.
- US-Iran talks set to resume in Geneva, with uncertainty over Iran's enriched uranium stockpile.
- US financial markets closed for Washington's Birthday; Canadian markets closed for Family Day.
- Sector Performance:
- Hunting (+5.5%) led FTSE 250 after Buccaneer Energy reported a 100% surge in oil well production using Hunting's solution.
- Pinewood (-31%) plummeted after Apax Partners withdrew takeover interest, sparking AI disruption fears.
- Pebble Beach (+13%) rose on a new £1.3 million contract with a US streaming company.
- Tungsten West (+10%) gained on supply agreements for the Hemerdon project restart.
- Global Markets and Commodities:
- European equities: CAC 40 (+0.4%), DAX 40 marginally higher.
- Currency: Pound at $1.3647, Euro at $1.1864, Dollar at ¥153.47.
- Commodities: Brent oil down to $67.75/barrel, Gold up to $5,004.12/ounce.
- Economic Data and Sentiment:
- US January employment report showed 130,000 jobs added, reducing expectations for near-term Fed rate cuts.
- Investors anticipate higher US interest rates for longer, influencing global market sentiment.
- Other News:
- UK and California signed a clean energy and climate action agreement at the Munich Security Conference.
- Persimmon (-0.4%) partnered with Zoopla to boost brand awareness and buyer enquiries.
LONDON BROKER RATINGS: RBC cuts Schroders, LBBW says 'hold' Unilever
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- 16th Feb 2026 09:53
- The following London-listed shares received analyst recommendations Monday morning and on Friday:
- FTSE 100
- Oddo BHF raises AstraZeneca price target to 16,500 (14,100) pence - 'outperform'
- Deutsche Bank research raises British American Tobacco price target to 5,100 (4,900) pence - 'buy'
- Citigroup raises British American Tobacco price target to 4,900 (4,850) pence - 'buy'
- HSBC cuts Glencore price target to 500 (515) pence - 'hold'
- Bank of America raises Unilever price target to 6,000 (5,700) pence - 'buy'
- LBBW cuts Unilever to 'hold' (buy) - price target 5,500 pence
- Goldman Sachs raises Unilever price target to 5,400 (5,135) pence - 'neutral'
- Goldman Sachs raises Vodafone price target to 85 (78) pence - 'sell'
- Citigroup cuts Barratt Redrow price target to 490 (506) pence - 'buy'
- Goldman Sachs cuts Barratt Redrow price target to 440 (445) pence - 'buy'
- Citigroup raises NatWest price target to 840 (810) pence - 'buy'
- JPMorgan raises NatWest price target to 750 (730) pence - 'overweight'
- RBC raises Marks & Spencer price target to 375 (350) pence - 'sector perform'
- RBC raises Kingfisher price target to 375 (350) pence - 'outperform'
- RBC cuts Schroders to 'sector perform' (outperform) - 610 (440) pence
- Bank of America cuts Relx price target to 3,700 (4,500) pence - 'buy'
- FTSE 250
- Deutsche Bank Research raises IG price target to 1,400 (1,375) pence - 'buy'
- Barclays raises Ashmore price target to 180 (150) pence - 'underweight'
- SMALL CAP
- Goldman Sachs cuts Bank of Ireland price target to 17.60 (17.80) EUR - 'buy'
- Berenberg raises Fevertree Drinks price target to 920 (790) pence - 'hold'
- Barclays cuts Magnum Ice Cream price target to 13.50 (14.70) EUR - 'equal weight'
- Barclays raises Smurfit Westrock target to 4,100 (3,500) pence - 'overweight'
- Related Shares:
LONDON MARKET OPEN: FTSE 100 green, Helium One climbs after flow tests
- London Stock Market:
- FTSE 100 up 0.2% at 10,465.05.
- FTSE 250 up 0.1% at 23,448.75.
- AIM all-share up 0.2% at 813.47.
- NatWest led FTSE 100, up 3.7% after announcing a GBP750 million share buyback programme.
- Rio Tinto down 1.9% due to suspension of Simandou iron ore project after a worker's death.
- Hunting up 3.5% on FTSE 250 following successful pilot test results in East Texas.
- Helium One surged 24% on AIM after completing ESP testing in Tanzania.
- European Equities:
- CAC 40 (Paris) up 0.1%.
- DAX 40 (Frankfurt) up 0.3%.
- Asian Markets:
- Nikkei 225 (Tokyo) down 0.2%.
- S&P/ASX 200 (Sydney) up 0.2%.
- Hang Seng (Hong Kong) up 0.6%, closed for Lunar New Year until Friday.
- Mainland China markets closed for Lunar New Year celebrations.
- US Markets:
- Closed on Monday for 'Washington's Birthday'.
- Friday's close: Dow Jones up 0.1%, S&P 500 up 0.1%, Nasdaq down 0.2%.
- Global Events:
- Iran's foreign minister in Geneva for indirect nuclear talks with the US mediated by Oman.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Hungary to sign a civilian-nuclear cooperation agreement.
- India defending new trade deal with the US amid opposition from farmers' unions.
- Commodities:
- Brent oil up slightly at USD67.52 per barrel.
- Gold down at USD5,006.73 per ounce.
- Currencies:
- Pound higher at USD1.3643.
- Euro down at USD1.1858.
- Dollar up against the yen at JPY153.42.
- Upcoming:
- Eurozone industrial production data expected later on Monday.
LONDON MARKET EARLY CALL: Stocks up, US-Iran talks planned this week
- 16th Feb 2026 07:00: London stocks expected to open higher, with FTSE 100 futures up 0.1% (15.1 points) despite financial markets being closed in China, Canada, and the US.
- US Department of Homeland Security faces partial shutdown as lawmakers debate funding for Trump's immigration policies, coinciding with Washington's Birthday.
- Switzerland announces Oman will host US-Iran talks in Geneva, focusing on limiting Iran's nuclear program.
- Sterling rises to USD1.3645, up from USD1.3626 on Friday; euro flat at USD1.1868; dollar strengthens to JPY153.13 against the yen.
- US markets ended mixed on Friday: Dow +0.1%, S&P 500 +0.1%, Nasdaq -0.2%.
- Asian markets on Monday: Nikkei 225 down 0.2%, Hang Seng up 0.6% (closed at noon for Spring Festival), S&P/ASX 200 up 0.2%.
- Japan's Q4 2025 GDP grew 0.1%, missing expectations of 0.4% and recovering from a 0.7% contraction in Q3.
- Gold dips to USD4,999.14/ounce, down from USD5,016.78 on Friday, attributed to a stronger USD and reduced inflation pressure.
- Brent oil rises to USD67.76/barrel, up from USD67.48 on Friday.
- Corporate calendar: Sartorius reports full-year results; no significant UK events scheduled.
- Economic calendar: Eurozone industrial production data due Monday.
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16:48
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