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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Endeavour Mining | 4,530.0 | 4.3% |
| Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust | 1,235.5 | 2.1% |
| Persimmon | 1,449.5 | 1.9% |
| Centrica | 191.0 | 1.8% |
| DCC | 4,662.0 | 1.8% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Burberry Group | 1,115.0 | -4.7% |
| Smiths Group | 2,530.0 | -3.3% |
| AstraZeneca | 13,508.0 | -2.7% |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings | 1,208.0 | -2.6% |
| Airtel Africa | 351.6 | -2.5% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 Year |
| UK 100 INDEX | 10,154 | 0.5% | 18.7% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 49,016 | 0.0% | 9.6% |
| DAX INDEX | 24,823 | 0.3% | 14.7% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 53,376 | 0.0% | 35.4% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 8,928 | 0.1% | 5.7% |
| Commodities | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 64.14 | 1.55% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 69.42 | 1.49% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 5,549 | 2.4% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 627 | 5.9% |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 is called to open +34 at 10,188. The UK 100 is forecast to bounce back from yesterdays drop, the UK’s blue-chip index is called 34 points to the good.
US equities ended Wednesday broadly flat following a volatile session around the Federal Reserve decision. The S&P 500 briefly pushed above 7,000 before fading, the Nasdaq edged higher, and the Dow closed little changed. The Fed held rates at 3.5%–3.75%, removed language highlighting downside employment risks and acknowledged signs of labour-market stabilisation. Chair Jerome Powell described the economy as being on a “solid footing,” reinforcing expectations that policy will remain on hold in the near term. Technology stocks were mixed and highly stock-specific. Meta and Tesla advanced, supported by positive post-close earnings reactions, while Microsoft fell, as investors focused on the scale and durability of AI-related capital expenditure. Semiconductors provided selective support. Micron shares moved higher alongside broader chip strength, reflecting positive sector sentiment rather than company-specific news. Sector performance was narrow, with technology and energy outperforming, while healthcare, consumer staples and real estate lagged, keeping overall market breadth slightly negative.
Asian markets paused after recent gains as investors digested mixed US mega-cap earnings and the Fed’s steady policy stance. Technology shares eased from elevated levels following weeks of AI-driven strength, with profit-taking evident across North Asia. Japan and mainland China traded close to flat, while Hong Kong edged lower after a strong prior session. Risk appetite remained cautious, with investors favouring selective positioning over broad exposure.
The metals rally intensified further. Gold surged toward $5,600/oz, lifting year-to-date gains beyond 27%, while silver briefly touched a record $119.34 amid supply tightness and momentum buying. Copper hit all-time highs, reinforcing inflation concerns, while oil prices climbed to multi-month highs on geopolitical tensions involving Iran and Venezuela.
EasyJet posted a wider first-quarter loss on Thursday, as it absorbed costs from a strategic expansion into Italian airports, though the carrier said bookings for the crucial summer season were building strongly. EasyJet reported an operating loss of 76 million pounds ($105.14 million) in the three months ended December 31, compared with last year’s first-quarter operating loss of 40 million pounds. “This year, the traditionally busy January booking period has seen record levels in both volume and revenue, as bookings continue to build for Summer 2026,” the company said in a statement. The first quarter of the year is often the most loss-making one for airlines as travel dips in the winter months. In November, EasyJet lifted its medium-term target for its lucrative holiday business but projected weaker winter sales. The airline’s holiday business continued to grow, posting a 50 million pound pretax profit in the quarter as customer numbers jumped 20%.
Lloyds Banking Group today upgraded its guidance for this year after reporting a 12% increase in statutory pre-tax profits to £6.6 billion for 2025. The group now expects its return on tangible equity, which is a key industry measure, to exceed 16% in 2026. That compares with last year’s 12.9% and the 15.7% seen in the fourth quarter. Chief executive Charlie Nunn said: “Looking ahead to 2026 and the culmination of the five year strategy we set out in 2022, our continued business momentum and strategic delivery enable us to upgrade guidance. “The sustained strength in performance means we are well positioned for 2026 and beyond.” He intends to set out the next stage of the group’s strategy in 2026. Today’s results showed remediation costs of £968 million, including £800 million related to the potential impact of motor finance commission arrangements. The underlying impairment charge rose from £433 million to £795 million, which Lloyds said was a strong and stable credit performance. The figure was broadly flat at £177 million in the fourth quarter. It intends to pay a dividend of 2.43p a share, which increases the total for the year by 15% to 3.65p.
UK
Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) – Full Year Results
Glencore (GLEN) – Full Year Production Update
Antofagasta (ANTO) – Q4 Production & Operational Results
Primary Health Properties (PHP) – Trading Update*
Wizz Air (WIZZ) – Q3 Results
Greencore Group (GNC) – Q1 Trading Update
Hilton Food Group (HFG) – trading Update
ITM Power (ITM) – Half-Year Results
easyJet (EZJ) – Q1 Trading Update
Rank Group (RNK) – Interim Results
Henry Boot (BOOT) – Trading Statement
US
Blackstone Inc (NYSE:BX) PMO
Mastercard Inc Class A (NYSE:MA) PMO
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd ADR (NYSE:TAK) PMO
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc (NYSE:TMO) PMO
Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) AMC
Visa Inc Class A (NYSE:V) AMC
UK
Airtel Africa (AAF) – Q3 Results
US
American Express Co (NYSE:AXP) PMO
Aon Class A (NYSE:AON) PMO
Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX) PMO
Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE:XOM) PMO
Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE:VZ) PMO
EU Business Climate
EU Consumer Confidence
EU Economic Sentiment Indicator
US Initial Jobless Claims
US Nonfarm Productivity
US Unit Labor Costs
ECB’s Cipollone speech
US Factory Orders
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 29th January 2026:
None
UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 29th January 2026:
Pennon Group
Victrex
SSP Group
Hollywood Bowl Group
Supermarket Income REIT
Primary Health Properties
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