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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Antofagasta | 4,000.0 | 10.6% |
| Fresnillo | 3,912.0 | 4.8% |
| Anglo American | 3,661.0 | 4.6% |
| Glencore | 507.7 | 4.5% |
| Endeavour Mining | 4,702.0 | 4.3% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| BT Group | 203.3 | -2.5% |
| National Grid | 1,348.5 | -2.0% |
| Diageo | 1,761.0 | -2.0% |
| Severn Trent | 3,158.0 | -1.9% |
| SSE | 2,604.0 | -1.7% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 Year |
| UK 100 INDEX | 10,686 | 1.2% | 22.0% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 49,836 | 0.6% | 11.4% |
| DAX INDEX | 25,278 | 1.1% | 10.7% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 57,144 | 1.0% | 45.9% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 9,007 | 0.5% | 7.0% |
| Commodity | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 64.97 | 4.24% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | ||
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 4,999 | 2.5% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 is called to open +10 at 10,696. The UK 100 looks set to open modestly higher this morning, having closed at another record high on Wednesday, supported by cooling UK inflation and rising expectations for a March Bank of England rate cut, while strength in miners and defence names underpinned gains.
Stateside yesterday saw the S&P move higher on Wednesday, supported by gains in key technology names, as traders weighed the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s most recent policy meeting. The broad-based index climbed 0.56% to end at 6,881.31, while the Nasdaq added 0.78% to close at 22,753.63. The Dow Jones rose 129.47 points, or 0.26%, and settled at 49,662.66. Nvidia shares advanced 1.6% on the heels of Meta Platforms announcing Tuesday that it’s going to use millions of Nvidia’s chips in its data centre buildout.
Asian markets moved higher overnight, led by technology stocks. South Korea’s KOSPI surged to a record high on gains in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix amid strong AI chip demand and pricing power. Australia’s ASX 200 hit a new peak as mining and bank stocks rallied, helped by softer labour data that reduced expectations for further rate hikes. Japan’s Nikkei also advanced, supported by a weaker yen and export optimism. Trading volumes remained subdued with China and Hong Kong still closed for Lunar New Year holidays.
Centrica paused its share buyback programme on Thursday after 2025 group core profit dropped nearly 39%. The company reported adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of 1.42 billion pounds for 2025, ahead of the 1.29 billion pounds expected by analysts on average in an LSEG poll.
Mondi cut its 2025 dividend by about 60%, after reporting a drop in annual adjusted core profit on Thursday, due to tepid demand and low pulp prices. The British company said it planned to prioritise cost savings amid tough macroeconomic conditions, having laid off about 1,000 employees in the past year.
Rio Tinto on Thursday reported a 14% drop in annual net profit, but kept its full-year payout to shareholders flat as underlying earnings remained steady. The world’s second-biggest miner by market value said it made a net profit of $9.97 billion in 2025, down from $11.55 billion a year earlier. Underlying earnings totalled $10.87 billion, down just 0.9% year over year but below a consensus estimate of roughly $11.03 billion collated by Visible Alpha. Directors of Rio Tinto declared a final dividend of $2.54 a share, which the miner said was equal to 60% of underlying earnings. A year ago, the company paid out $2.25 a share, also equal to 60% of underlying earnings. The miner says it aims to pay shareholders 40-60% of underlying earnings as dividends on average through the cycle. Rio Tinto’s full-year dividend of $4.02 a share was in line with a year ago and above a Visible Alpha-compiled consensus of roughly $3.97 a share. The miner said the “overall neutral impact of price movements reflects the growing importance of our diversified model.” Rio Tinto earned 7.6% less for iron ore from its Australian mines in 2025 versus the year earlier, although prices for copper and aluminium from its global operations increased. The company’s Australian iron-ore mines still accounted for more than half of group earnings. Rio Tinto has sought to lessen its reliance on iron ore via investments in other commodities, including copper and lithium. Until two weeks ago, it was in talks with Glencore about combining some or all of their businesses, a tie-up that could have created the world’s biggest mining company and copper producer. However, differences on price couldn’t be bridged. Under U.K. rules, Rio Tinto cannot pursue Glencore for at least six months, except in specific circumstances, such as a rival suitor emerging. Analysts expect management will return their focus to plans laid out in an investor briefing in December to cut costs and sell assets in a bid to simplify the business. The miner said “market testing” of its borates and titanium businesses is underway, “together with the monetization of infrastructure.”
UK
Centrica (CNA) – Full Year Results
Mondi (MNDI) – Full Year Results
Rio Tinto (RIO) – Full Year Results
US
Anglogold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) PMO
Deere & Co (NYSE:DE) PMO
Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) PMO
Jackson Financial Inc (NYSE:JXN) AMC
Lemonade Inc (NYSE:LMND) AMC
Newmont Corp (NYSE:NEM) AMC
Occidental Petroleum Corp (NYSE:OXY) AMC
UK
Anglo American (AAL) – Full Year Results
Segro (SGRO) – Full Year Results
TBC Bank Group (TBCG) – Full Year Results
US
Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE:BRK.B) AMC E
EU Economic Bulletin
German Buba Monthly Report
ECB’s Cipollone speech
ECB’s De Guindos speech
Fed’s Bostic speech
Fed’s Bowman speech
US Initial Jobless Claims
Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Survey
Fed’s Kashkari speech
EU Consumer Confidence
US Pending Home Sales
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 19th February 2026:
Imperial Brands
easyJet
Games Workshop Group
GSK
Shell
BP
Barclays
AstraZeneca
UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 19th February 2026:
Moonpig Group
Plus500
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