Market News Feed
ALL-MARKETS
Default all-market view
AI Daily 5 entries
LONDON MARKET CLOSE: HSBC reclaims top spot as FTSE 100 hits new high
- FTSE 100 Hits Record High: The FTSE 100 reached a new record close of 10,806.41, up 1.2%, driven by strong results from HSBC and gains in mining stocks.
- HSBC Leads Gains: HSBC shares hit an all-time high, rising 7.9%, after reporting better-than-expected Q4 2025 results, with adjusted pretax profit of USD8.59 billion.
- Mining Stocks Rise: Mining companies Fresnillo, Antofagasta, and Anglo American gained 7.3%, 5.7%, and 4.4% respectively, as metals prices increased.
- St James's Place Surges: The asset manager rose 6.6% after reporting strong 2025 results and announcing increased shareholder returns.
- Diageo Plunges: Diageo shares fell 13% after cutting full-year sales guidance and halving its dividend due to challenging trading conditions.
- Global Markets Positive: European and U.S. markets also rose, with the CAC 40 up 0.5%, DAX 40 up 0.8%, Dow Jones up 0.4%, and Nasdaq up 1.0%.
- Nvidia Earnings Anticipation: Investors awaited Nvidia’s earnings release, focusing on revenues, chip demand, and data centre revenue.
- Currency and Bond Markets: The pound was stable at USD1.3537, the euro rose to USD1.1804, and the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield widened to 4.05%.
- Commodities: Gold rose to USD5,204.64/ounce, silver gained 4.1%, and copper increased 0.9%, while Brent oil fell to USD70.76/barrel.
- Upcoming Results: Thursday’s corporate calendar includes full-year results from Rolls-Royce, WPP, London Stock Exchange, and Howden Joinery.
LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: Record highs in Europe before Nvidia reports
- European Stocks Rise: European markets, including London's FTSE 100, Paris' CAC 40, and Frankfurt's DAX 40, moved higher on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 and CAC 40 hitting record highs.
- FTSE 100 Performance: The FTSE 100 rose 1.0% to 10,785.62, briefly touching a record high of 10,788.25. The FTSE 250 and AIM all-share also gained 0.7% and 0.2%, respectively.
- HSBC Boosts FTSE 100: HSBC shares rose 5.8% after upgrading its return on tangible equity (RoTE) guidance to 17% or better from 2026 to 2028, up from "mid-teens" previously.
- St James's Place Gains: St James's Place added 5.9% after reporting better-than-expected 2025 results and increasing shareholder returns to 70% of underlying cash results, up from 50%.
- Mining Stocks Rally: Fresnillo led the FTSE 100 with a 6.1% gain, supported by rising gold and silver prices. Anglo American and Antofagasta also rose 4.7% and 4.4%, respectively, amid strong demand for precious metals.
- Diageo Declines: Diageo fell 8.2% after reducing annual guidance, halving its dividend, and forecasting a 2-3% decline in full-year organic net sales due to weakness in the US.
- iFOREX Debuts in London: iFOREX Financial Trading debuted on the London Stock Exchange, trading 5.1% above its IPO price of 195p, at 205.00p midday.
- Currency and Bond Markets: Sterling fell to USD1.3499, the euro to USD1.1774, and the dollar rose to JPY156.80. Yields on 10-year and 30-year US Treasuries widened slightly to 4.05% and 4.70%, respectively.
- US Markets Outlook: The Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq were expected to open 0.1% and 0.2% higher, respectively, with Nvidia up 0.8% pre-market ahead of its earnings report.
- Commodities: Brent crude fell to USD70.91 per barrel, while gold rose to USD5,173.89 per ounce, driven by geopolitical tensions and industrial demand.
LONDON BROKER RATINGS: Shore cuts Standard Chartered to 'sell'
Here is the provided text formatted as bullet points in HTML:
html
- 25th Feb 2026 09:30
- The following London-listed shares received analyst recommendations Wednesday morning and on Tuesday:
- FTSE 100
- DZ raises Anglo American to 'buy' (hold) - fair value 4,300 (2,900) pence
- Barclays raises Anglo American price target to 3,850 (3,550) pence - 'overweight'
- Citigroup raises Standard Chartered target to 1,830 (1,775) pence - 'neutral'
- Shore Capital cuts Standard Chartered to 'sell' (hold) - price target 1,490 (1,500) pence
- JPMorgan raises Shell price target to 3,400 (3,200) pence - 'overweight'
- JPMorgan raises BP price target to 500 (470) pence - 'neutral'
- RBC raises Centrica price target to 225 (215) pence - 'outperform'
- Goldman Sachs raises Centrica price target to 232 (205) pence - 'buy'
- Kepler Cheuvreux cuts Severn Trent to 'hold' (buy)
- Kepler Cheuvreux cuts United Utilities to 'hold' (buy)
- Barclays cuts Convatec price target to 322 (325) pence - 'overweight'
- UBS cuts Croda International price target to 4,320 (4,360) pence - 'buy'
- FTSE 250
- Barclays raises OSB Group price target to 730 (620) pence - 'overweight'
- JPMorgan cuts Unite Group price target to 710 (725) pence - 'overweight'
- Jefferies cuts Unite Group price target to 512 (629) pence - 'hold'
- Deutsche Bank Research cuts Johnson Matthey price target to 2,120 (2,400) pence - 'buy'
- Berenberg cuts Johnson Matthey price target to 2,250 (2,550) pence - 'buy'
- SMALL CAP, AIM and OTHER MAIN MARKET
- Barclays raises BHP Group price target to 2,770 (2,500) pence - 'equal weight'
- JPMorgan cuts Magnum Ice Cream price target to 13 (14) EUR - 'neutral'
- Berenberg raises Cerillion price target to 2,200 (2,125) pence - 'buy'
- RBC cuts Brooks Macdonald price target to 1,750 (1,800) pence - 'sector perform'
- Related Shares:
LONDON MARKET OPEN: Stocks climb as AI fears recede by Diageo sinks
- Market Overview:
- London stock prices opened higher on Wednesday, driven by renewed confidence after a strong session in New York, as AI-related worries eased.
- Focus remains on Nvidia's earnings release after the New York closing bell.
- Indices Performance:
- FTSE 100: +0.8% at 10,763.76
- FTSE 250: +0.4% at 23,590.34
- AIM All-Share: +0.2 points at 815.73
- Cboe UK 100: +0.8% at 1,072.74
- European indices (CAC 40, DAX 40): +0.3% and +0.2% respectively
- Asian indices (Nikkei 225, Shanghai Composite, Hang Seng, S&P/ASX 200): +2.2%, +0.7%, +0.7%, and +1.2% respectively
- US indices (Dow Jones, S&P 500, Nasdaq): +0.8%, +0.8%, and +1.0% respectively on Tuesday
- Market Sentiment:
- Improved risk sentiment due to easing AI fears and a 7% drop in UK household energy bills.
- Tech and consumer discretionary stocks rallied after Anthropic announced a new AI plugin for HR and investment banking automation.
- Nvidia Earnings Anticipation:
- Expected to report strong results with revenues of USD65.9bn for the last quarter.
- Nvidia's stock price historically moves 4% on average after earnings reports.
- Currency and Commodity Movements:
- Sterling: Fell to USD1.3519
- Euro: Rose to USD1.1796
- USD/JPY: Rose to JPY156.09
- Brent Crude: Fell to USD70.90/barrel
- Gold: Rose to USD5,191.93/ounce
- Corporate Highlights:
- HSBC: +5.5% after upgrading RoTE guidance to 17% for 2026-2028, despite a 7.4% decline in annual pretax profit.
- Hiscox: +3.2% following annual earnings growth and a USD300 million buyback announcement.
- Diageo: -6.9% due to reduced annual guidance and a halved dividend payout.
- ME Group: -17% after delaying annual results due to audit delays.
- Augmentum Fintech: +25% on a GBP185.7 million takeover agreement at 111.0 pence per share.
LONDON MARKET EARLY CALL: FTSE 100 to rise before Nvidia reports
Here’s a bullet point summary of the text in HTML format:
html
- FTSE 100: Expected to open 51.1 points higher (+0.5%) at 10,732.09 on Wednesday, adopting a risk-on tone ahead of Nvidia earnings.
- Currency Movements:
- Sterling fell to USD1.3522 from USD1.3536.
- Euro rose to USD1.1802 from USD1.1787.
- Dollar edged up to JPY155.77 from JPY155.71.
- Asian Markets:
- Nikkei 225 (+2.2%), Shanghai Composite (+0.6%), Hang Seng (+0.5%), S&P/ASX 200 (+1.2%).
- US Treasury Yields: 10-year yield widened to 4.05%, 30-year yield to 4.70%.
- US Markets (Tuesday): Dow Jones (+0.8%), S&P 500 (+0.8%), Nasdaq Composite (+1.0%).
- Nvidia Earnings Focus: Markets await Nvidia’s earnings post-close, with expectations of:
- EPS beat vs. USD1.50 consensus.
- Solid Q1 FY27 guidance above USD72.5 billion.
- Bullish commentary from CEO Jensen Huang.
- Options imply a +/-4.4% post-earnings move, the smallest in nearly three years.
- Commodities:
- Brent crude fell to USD71.04/barrel.
- Gold rose to USD5,191.04/ounce.
- Economic Calendar (Wednesday):
- Eurozone inflation print at 1000 GMT.
- German GDP figures at 0700 GMT.
- Corporate Calendar (Wednesday):
- Diageo (Johnnie Walker, Guinness) half-year results.
- Haleon full-year numbers.
All Market News Today 470 headlines
AHT
14:35
Ashtead Group PLC
SPI
13:52
Spire Healthcare Group Plc
PCTN
13:50
Picton Property Income Ltd
BLND
13:48
British Land Company PLC
IGN
06:49
AB Ignitis grupe
IGN
06:35
AB Ignitis grupe
RCOI
06:02
Riverstone Credit Opportunities Income Plc
RCOI
06:01
Riverstone Credit Opportunities Income Plc
IGET
06:01
Invesco Perpetual Select Trust plc - Global Equity Income Share Portfolio
AI 0 headlines
Acquisitions 5 headlines
Agreement 3 headlines
Approvals 1 headlines
Authorisation 1 headlines
Awards 0 headlines
BTC 0 headlines
Blockchain 0 headlines
Breakthrough 0 headlines
BuyBack 1 headlines
Cancellations 1 headlines
CashOffer 0 headlines
Collaborate 0 headlines
ContractWin 0 headlines
Covid-19 0 headlines
Deals 0 headlines
Diamond 0 headlines
DirectorDealing 13 headlines
Discovery 0 headlines
Exceeded 0 headlines
FCA 0 headlines
FDA 0 headlines
Grants 0 headlines
InvestmentPlan 0 headlines
JV 0 headlines
Launch 1 headlines
Litigation 0 headlines
NewContract 3 headlines
Offers 2 headlines
Offtake 0 headlines
Orders 0 headlines
Partner 0 headlines
Patents 0 headlines
Placing 0 headlines
Positive 0 headlines
Proposals 0 headlines
Reports 11 headlines
IGN
06:35
AB Ignitis grupe
IGET
06:01
Invesco Perpetual Select Trust plc - Global Equity Income Share Portfolio
Results 27 headlines
RCOI
06:01
Riverstone Credit Opportunities Income Plc