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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Rio Tinto | 6,641.0 | 5.2% |
| Burberry Group | 1,280.0 | 5.0% |
| Bunzl | 2,086.0 | 4.9% |
| Anglo American | 3,401.0 | 4.9% |
| JD Sports Fashion | 82.1 | 4.8% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Experian | 3,070.0 | -4.9% |
| Admiral Group | 2,948.0 | -4.2% |
| London Stock Exchange Group | 8,782.0 | -2.2% |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings | 1,255.0 | -2.0% |
| Sage Group | 1,025.0 | -1.6% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 Year |
| UK 100 INDEX | 10,138 | 0.1% | 18.6% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 49,077 | 1.2% | 11.1% |
| DAX INDEX | 24,561 | 0.6% | 15.6% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 53,689 | 1.7% | 35.4% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 8,849 | 0.8% | 5.0% |
| Commodity | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 60.49 | 0.23% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 65.04 | 0.31% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 4,835 | 0.1% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 580 | 0.5% |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 is called to open +72 at 10,210. UK 100 futures are up 0.76%, pointing to a firmer open as global risk sentiment improves further. European markets are set for a stronger session after President Trump last night backed down on his threat of tariffs in the row over his demand for Greenland.
Data out this morning showed public sector borrowing in December today fell to £11.6 billion, an improvement of £7.1 billion or 38% on the figure a year earlier. The total for the financial year to December was £140.4 billion, 0.2% less than in the same nine-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to December borrowing on record. Central government receipts were £94 billion in December, which was £7.7 billion or 8.9% more than in December 2024. Tax receipts increased by £4.6 billion to £70 billion, including an uplift of £2.5 billion in income tax.
US equities staged a strong rebound on Wednesday after President Trump confirmed that tariffs scheduled for February would not go ahead and ruled out the use of force in relation to Greenland. The Dow Jones rose 1.21%, the S&P 500 gained 1.16%, and the Nasdaq advanced 1.18%, marking the strongest daily gain since late November. Volatility eased sharply, with the VIX falling back to 17 after spiking earlier in the week. Treasury markets stabilised after recent stress, with long-end yields retreating from multi-month highs. The US dollar firmed modestly as investors unwound defensive positioning.
Associated British Foods, which warned on profit earlier this month, confirmed on Thursday that underlying sales at its Primark clothing business fell 2.7 % in the Christmas quarter.
B&M European Value Retail today made a further cut to profit guidance, despite reporting a return to underlying sales growth in the UK during December. The downgrade reflects the impact of deeper investments in clearing discontinued lines as part of the company’s Back to B&M Basics strategy. It now expects full-year underlying earnings of between £440 million and £475 million, down from previous guidance of £470 million to £520 million. UK like-for-like sales in the company’s “Golden Quarter” fell 0.6% on a year earlier, although the company reported 3% growth in December and said it saw similar trends in early January. Chief executive Tjeerd Jegen said: “I remain confident that the actions we are taking will restore sustainable like-for-like sales growth at B&M UK over the next 12 to 18 months and provide a strong foundation for future growth.”
Wickes posted a 5.3% rise in like-for-like sales growth for the second half of the year on Thursday, driven by strong sales in its retail segment and continued rebound in its design and installation business.
UK
Associated British Foods (ABF) — Trading Statement (including Primark)
B&M European Value Retail (BME) — Trading Statement
Harbour Energy (HBR) — Trading Statement
Wickes Group (WIX) — 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
Record (REC) — Trading Statement
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
The Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) PMO
German Buba Monthly Report
ECB Monetary Policy Meeting Accounts
US Gross Domestic Product
US Initial Jobless Claims
EU Consumer Confidence
US Personal Consumption Expenditures
US Personal Income
US Personal Spending
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 22nd January 2026:
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UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 22nd January 2026:
WH Smith
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