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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| JD Sports Fashion PLC | 93.9 | 7.0% |
| Marks And Spencer Group PLC | 358.6 | 3.5% |
| Persimmon PLC | 1,130.0 | 3.1% |
| Next PLC | 12,130.0 | 3.0% |
| IMI PLC | 2,316.0 | 2.9% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Babcock International Group PLC | 969.0 | -7.5% |
| Fresnillo PLC | 1,625.0 | -4.2% |
| BAE Systems PLC | 1,721.0 | -3.9% |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC | 1,059.5 | -2.1% |
| Endeavour Mining PLC | 2,436.0 | -2.0% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 Year |
| UK 100 INDEX | 9,189 | 0.3% | 11.1% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 44,922 | 0.0% | 10.0% |
| DAX INDEX | 24,423 | 0.5% | 33.0% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 42,913 | -1.5% | 12.6% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 8,918 | 0.3% | 11.5% |
| Copper (Comex) | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 62.58 | 0.37% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 66.23 | 0.67% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 3,323 | 0.2% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 450 | 0.3% |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 called to open -12 points this morning at 9,162. The UK 100 index finished last night 31.48 points higher at a record 9189.22 but is forecast to drop slightly at today’s opening bell. After data out this morning showed that the UK’s annual rate of inflation today rose to 3.8%, the highest level since January 2024. July’s reading compared with June’s print of 3.6% and City forecasts for a figure of 3.7%. Inflation has risen from 2.6% in March, fuelled by higher employment costs. It is seen hitting 4% this autumn.
In Asia this morning, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 has fallen 1.5%, while the Hang Seng index and Shanghai Composite are closer to their opening marks.
Stateside yesterday, saw tech stocks last night come under heavy selling pressure as Palantir Technologies closed the session 9% lower and Nvidia down by 3.5%. The Nasdaq Composite fell by 1.5% and the S&P 500 index weakened 0.6%, whereas the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended slightly higher. The tech sell-off was blamed on interest rate jitters ahead of this week’s Jackson Hole economic symposium.
Costain Group reported strong financial performance for the first half of 2025, with an increase in operating profit and margin despite a decrease in revenue. The company is confident in achieving its operating margin target for the fiscal year 2025, supported by a robust forward work position of £5.6 billion and high bidding activity levels. The government’s new Infrastructure Strategy and regulatory investments in key sectors provide significant growth opportunities for Costain, enhancing its market positioning and shareholder value.
OSB Group reported resilient financial performance for the first half of 2025, with strategic progress aligning with management expectations. The Group achieved a 1.2% growth in its net loan book and a 13.7% return on tangible equity, despite a decrease in net interest income and profit before tax due to more costly spreads and a fair value loss on financial instruments. The company continues to focus on its transformation programme and loan book diversification, while maintaining strong liquidity and capitalisation. The interim dividend increased by 5%, reflecting the Group’s commitment to delivering strong returns for shareholders.
UK
Costain Group (COST)
Lion Finance Group (BGEO)*
Ithaca Energy (ITH)
OSB Group (OSB)
US
Baidu (BIDU) PMO
The Estee Lauder Companies (EL) PMO
UK
Hays (HAS)
US
Walmart (WMT) PMO
Intuit (INTU) AMC
Zoom Communications (ZM) AMC
PBoC Interest Rate Decision
German Producer Price Index
UK Consumer Price Index
UK Producer Price Index
UK Retail Price Index
EU Core Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices
FOMC Minutes
Fed’s Bostic speech
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 21st August 2025:
Legal & General
Mondi
Schroders
Imperial Brands
Entain
Convatec Group
InterContinental Hotels Group
Babcock international
Anglo American
UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 21st August 2025:
Plus 500
XPS Pension Group
Shafesbury Capital
Ibstock
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