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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Rolls Royce Holding | 1,463.0 | 6.0% |
| Halma | 3,574.0 | 4.8% |
| Antofagasta | 3,704.0 | 4.4% |
| Lion Finance Group | 11,590.0 | 4.0% |
| Lloyds Banking Group | 115.6 | 3.9% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Rentokil Initial | 352.0 | -20.6% |
| RELX | 2,675.0 | -6.9% |
| London Stock Exchange Group | 8,606.0 | -6.4% |
| Experian | 2,898.0 | -5.8% |
| Sage Group | 967.4 | -5.3% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 Year |
| UK 100 INDEX | 10,897 | -0.1% | 19.3% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 52,208 | 1.2% | 17.4% |
| DAX INDEX | 25,612 | 0.6% | 5.6% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 61,867 | 0.7% | 50.6% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 8,968 | -0.8% | 2.6% |
| Commodity | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 83.59 | 1.03% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 89.42 | 1.45% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 4,103 | 0.0% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 647 | 2.6% |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 is called to open +8 points at at 10,905. Stocks in London are set to open in the green on Friday, after equities in New York roared higher on Thursday.
U.S. stocks rallied Thursday, rebounding from the prior day’s sell-off when the Federal Reserve decided to hold rates steady. Microsoft and semiconductors helped drive the gains.
The Nasdaq finished 2.8% higher at 25,122.18, ending a six-day losing streak. The Dow Jones surged 613.92 points, or 1.2%, to end the day at 52,208.06, while the S&P 500 climbed 1.7% to settle at 7,437.63.
Microsoft shares jumped 16%, after reporting growth from its Azure business. Semiconductors rallied, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) higher by more than 8%. Micron Technology surged 18%, while Advanced Micro Devices were up more than 13%.
In contrast, Meta Platforms was down 8% after issuing a soft revenue forecast and a 91% drop in second-quarter free cash flow.
IAG reported a 16% drop in second-quarter profit on Friday, weighed down by soaring fuel costs and weak travel demand linked to the Middle East conflict, and said it now expects capacity to be flat this year. IAG, which also owns Iberia and Aer Lingus, said its fuel costs for the year would range between EUR8.3 billion and EUR8.6 billion, slightly lower than the roughly EUR9 billion forecast in May. The carrier posted an operating profit of EUR1.41 billion ($1.62 billion) for the quarter, lower than the EUR1.68 billion reported a year earlier, but slightly ahead of the EUR1.37 billion forecast by analysts in a company-compiled poll.
NatWest reported a better than expected first-half operating profit before tax of £4.3 billion ($5.8 billion) on Friday and raised its performance guidance for the year, as it grew income while keeping costs under control. NatWest said it now expects to make a return on tangible equity greater than 19% in 2026, up from previous guidance of above 17%. The bank’s profit for January to June was above analysts’ forecasts for £4 billion and up 20% from £3.6 billion in the same period a year ago. NatWest also announced an interim dividend of 12 pence per share and said it would consider share buybacks from full year 2026, six months earlier than previously planned.
UK
ITV (ITV) – Interim Results
IMI (IMI) – Half Year Results
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) – Q2 Results 2026
Intertek Group (ITRK) – Half Year Results
Melrose Industries (MRO) – Half Year Results
NatWest Group (NWG) – Half Year Results
Rightmove (RMV) – Half Year Results
Taylor Wimpey (TW.) – Half Year Results
US
AbbVie Inc (NYSE:ABBV) PMO
Anglogold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) PMO
Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX) PMO
Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) PMO
UK
Senior (SNR) – 2026 Interim Results
US
Palantir Technologies Inc Ordinary Shares – Class A (NASDAQ:PLTR) AMC
Snap Inc Class A (NYSE:SNAP) AMC
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:VRTX) AMC
EU Core Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices
EU Employment Cost Index
Chicago PMI
Michigan Consumer Expectations Index
Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index
UoM 1-year Consumer Inflation Expectations
UoM 5-year Consumer Inflation Expectations
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 6th August 2026:
BT Group
Reckitt Benckiser Group
Informa
Lloyds Banking Group
Schroders
Barclays
SEGRO
Unilever
RELX
Standard Chartered
AstraZeneca
St. James’s Place
Rolls-Royce Holdings
UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 6th August 2026:
Jupiter Fund Management
Telecom Plus
Man Group
Inchcape
Lancashire Holdings
Avon Technologies
Helios Towers
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