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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Phoenix Group Holdings PLC | 580.0 | 10.7% |
| International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. | 289.0 | 4.7% |
| JD Sports Fashion PLC | 74.5 | 4.6% |
| Fresnillo PLC | 938.0 | 4.3% |
| Entain PLC | 653.8 | 3.9% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Tesco PLC | 324.2 | -12.7% |
| Marks And Spencer Group PLC | 320.7 | -9.1% |
| Sainsbury (J) PLC | 232.4 | -8.8% |
| Spirax Group PLC | 6,920.0 | -2.7% |
| WPP PLC | 621.4 | -1.7% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 YEAR |
| UK 100 INDEX | 8,680 | 0.6% | 12.4% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 41,842 | 0.9% | 7.9% |
| DAX INDEX | 23,155 | 0.7% | 29.1% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 37,845 | 1.2% | -4.8% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 7,860 | 0.1% | 2.4% |
| Commodities | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 67.99 | 0.61% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 71.49 | 0.59% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 3,016 | 0.5% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 496 | 0.0% |
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The UK 100 called to open +27 points at 8,702. The UK 100 looks set to open higher once again this morning, continuing to fight back from last weeks decline.
Stocks rose Stateside on Monday, building on their comeback from a four-week rout on Wall Street exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s chaotic tariff policy rollout and falling consumer confidence. The S&P gained 0.64% to close at 5,675.12, while the Nasdaq climbed 0.31% and ended at 17,808.66. The Dow Jones also advanced 353.44 points, or 0.85%, to end at 41,841.63. The 30-stock index was bolstered by gains in Walmart and International Business Machines. All three of the major averages posted back-to-back gains.
Asian stock markets are trading mostly higher today, following positive cues from Wall Street overnight. Traders continued to pick up stocks at reduced levels after recent weakness but remained cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy announcement on Wednesday. While the Fed is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged, investors are looking for signals in the accompanying statement and projections regarding the outlook for rates. Meanwhile, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, and the Swiss National Bank are also set to announce their monetary policy decisions later in the week.
Japanese stocks are surging on Tuesday, extending their upward momentum from the last two sessions, as the Nikkei 225 moves well above the 37,900 level. Gains are seen across most sectors, with financials and technology stocks leading the rally. The benchmark Nikkei Index closed the morning session at 37,943.23, up 546.71 points, or 1.46%, after touching an intraday high of 38,004.20. The advance follows a strong finish on Monday. Among major stocks, SoftBank Group is up nearly 1%, while Fast Retailing, the owner of Uniqlo, is adding 1.5%. Automakers are also performing well, with Honda gaining over 2% and Toyota advancing nearly 3%.
Hong Kong stocks climbed for a second consecutive session on Tuesday, buoyed by hopes that a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could ease trade tensions between the two largest economies. Gains in US-listed Chinese technology stocks overnight also contributed to the upbeat sentiment. The Hang Seng Index advanced 1.8% to 24,578.14, building on the 0.8% gain from Monday. The Hang Seng Tech Index saw a sharper rise, climbing 2.4%. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index added 0.2%, while the Shanghai Composite Index edged up 0.1%. Technology stocks led the rally, mirroring strong performances in US markets.
Close Brothers Group reported a statutory operating loss before tax of £103.8 million for the first half of 2025, primarily due to a £165 million provision related to motor finance commissions. Despite this, the company achieved a pro-forma CET1 capital ratio of 13.4% following the sale of Close Brothers Asset Management, which simplified the group and allowed a sharper focus on its lending business. The group continues to implement cost management initiatives, expecting annualized savings of £25 million by the end of the financial year, and maintains a strong balance sheet with a CET1 ratio significantly above the requirement.
Trustpilot Group has announced the initiation of a new share buyback programme, aiming to repurchase up to £20 million worth of its ordinary shares. This move follows previous successful buyback programmes and is part of the company’s strategy to maintain an efficient balance sheet and return excess capital to shareholders. The buyback will be managed by Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG, and is intended to reduce the company’s share capital by cancelling all repurchased shares.
UK
Computacenter (CCC)
Genel Energy (GENL)
Close Brothers Group (CBG)
Trustpilot Group (TRST)
US
XPeng (XPEV) PMO
UK
Essentra (ESNT)
M&G (MNG)
Softcat (SCT)
US
Signet Jewelers (SIG) PMO
German ZEW Survey – Current Situation
German ZEW Survey – Economic Sentiment
EU ZEW Survey – Economic Sentiment
US Building Permits
US Housing Starts
US Industrial Production
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 20th March 2025:
Hikma Pharmaceuticals
Pearson
Beazley
UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 20th March 2025:
Goodwin
Chemring Group
BlackRock World Mining Trust
Patria Private Equity Trust
HgCapital Trust
Ruffer Investment Company
Law Debenture Corporation
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