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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Convatec Group | 256.6 | 13.0% |
| Croda International | 3,261.0 | 9.3% |
| Diageo | 1,851.0 | 3.9% |
| Burberry Group | 1,213.5 | 3.3% |
| Antofagasta | 4,213.0 | 3.2% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Melrose Industries | 640.4 | -4.4% |
| Rentokil Initial | 445.7 | -3.0% |
| Standard Chartered | 1,789.0 | -2.4% |
| BP | 467.6 | -2.4% |
| Rightmove | 415.5 | -2.1% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 Year |
| UK 100 INDEX | 10,681 | -0.0% | 23.2% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 49,175 | 0.8% | 12.7% |
| DAX INDEX | 24,986 | 0.0% | 11.5% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 58,583 | 2.2% | 53.2% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 9,128 | 1.2% | 10.6% |
| Commodity | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 66.07 | 0.66% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 71.17 | 0.57% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 5,188 | 0.9% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 603 | 0.6% |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 is called to open +50 at 10,730. The UK 100 looks set to open higher this morning, having finished marginally lower as gains in miners and utilities were offset by financials weakness.
US equities rebounded yesterday, led by technology and consumer discretionary as enthusiasm around new AI plug-ins eased disruption concerns. The Dow Jones rose 0.76% to 49,174.50 and the S&P 500 gained 0.77% to 6,890.07, while the Nasdaq advanced 1.05% with semiconductors and software recovering after recent weakness. AMD jumped on a large AI chip supply agreement with Meta and Keysight Technologies surged on upbeat guidance. Healthcare lagged while banks softened. Treasury yields remained steady, with the 10-year around 4.04%, reflecting balanced growth expectations and policy uncertainty.
Asian equities extended the global rebound, with Japanese and South Korean benchmarks hitting record highs on strong technology flows ahead of Nvidia earnings. Memory-chip leaders Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rallied to record highs, while Hyundai Motor advanced on reports of a multi-billion investment plan. The Nikkei rose nearly 2% and the Kospi gained over 2%, supported by export strength and a weaker yen. Hong Kong tech stocks recovered and mainland Chinese markets advanced following the Lunar New Year reopening. Australia’s ASX 200 reached a record high, supported by strong earnings from Woolworths and gains in BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals.
Diageo has today lowered its annual sales forecast for the second time in almost four months and cut its dividend, as its first results under new boss Dave Lewis showed weak US demand still weighing on the world’s biggest spirits maker. Lewis, who took over in January, faces the challenge of reducing debt and reviving growth amid tariff-related uncertainty in the US, slowing demand in China, fragile global consumer sentiment, and evolving drinking preferences among some consumers. The company, which also makes Johnnie Walker whisky, said it now expects 2026 organic sales to fall 2%-3%, compared with its earlier forecast of flat to slightly lower sales.
Haleon reported a slowdown in fourth‑quarter revenue growth on Wednesday, as a delayed flu season hit sales of its respiratory-health products. A weak cold and flu season, particularly in North America and Central and Eastern Europe, weighed on Haleon’s respiratory product sales, compounding the impact of weak U.S. consumer spending and rising competition that has steered shoppers away from seasonal and discretionary brands toward cheaper alternatives, particularly in its struggling Smokers’ Health range. The Sensodyne maker’s organic revenue grew 2.1% over the three months through December, compared with 3.4% in the prior quarter. For 2026, the company expects organic revenue to grow between 3% and 5%, compared with market expectations of 4.4% growth, according to a company-compiled poll.
HSBC saw pre-tax profits fall to £22.1 billion in 2025 – a drop of £1.8 billion on the previous 12 months. Delivering its annual results, the lender said the fall was mainly down to £3.6 billion of adverse impact across items including legal provisions, organisational simplification and the sale of its French-retained portfolio of loans. Profits after tax fell by £1.4 billion to £17.1 billion across the year. Pre-tax profits in the final quarter of 2025 rose by £3.3 billion to £5 billion on the same period in 2024.
UK
HSBC Holdings (HSBA) – Full Year Results
Diageo (DGE) – Full Year Results
Haleon (HLN) – Full Year Results
Hiscox (HSX) – Full Year Results
Aston Martin Lagonda (AML) – Full Year Results
St James Place (STJ) – Full Year Results
US
IonQ Inc (NYSE:IONQ) AMC
MARA Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:MARA) AMC E
NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) AMC
Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) AMC
Snowflake Inc (NYSE:SNOW) AMC
Synopsys Inc (NASDAQ:SNPS) AMC
The Trade Desk Inc (NASDAQ:TTD) AMC
UK
Ocado Group (OCDO) – Full Year Results
Drax Group (DRX) – Full Year Results
Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR) – Full Year Results
LSE Group (LSEG) – Full Year Results
Howden Joinery (HWDN) – Full Year Results
Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) – Full Year Results
WPP (WPP) – Full Year Results
Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) – Full Year Results
US
Baidu Inc (NASDAQ:BIDU) PMO
Viatris Inc (NASDAQ:VTRS) PMO
Block Inc (NYSE:XYZ) AMC
Rocket Lab Corp (NASDAQ:RKLB) AMC
Intuit Inc (NASDAQ:INTU) AMC
President Trump speech
German GfK Consumer Confidence Survey
German Gross Domestic Product
EU Non-Monetary Policy ECB Meeting
EU Core Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices
Fed’s Schmid speech
Fed’s Musalem speech
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 26th February 2026:
Alliance Witan
Unilever
UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 26th February 2026:
Ashmore Group
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