Markets have entered negative gamma – buckle up Opinion Dealers are forced being to buy rallies and sell dips, increasing volatility. That should serve as a warning. Although markets currently appear calm and resilient, beneath the surface they are becoming more fragile, says Helen Thomas Markets are entering a profoundly unstable moment for the global price of risk. The supply shock emanating from the [...]
Fifa World Cup sponsors outperform FTSE 100 and S&P 500 Sport Business Major Fifa World Cup sponsors outperform FTSE 100 returns by a factor of five and the S&P 500 by three as brands look to dominate the conversation during the tournament. IG research looking at the performance of major World Cup sponsors saw an average return of 7.1 per cent during tournament cycles – from 30 [...]
‘Confidence exits UK economy’: FTSE 100 dips below 10,000 mark Economics The FTSE 100 dipped below the 10,000 mark as stocks plunged on Thursday on fears the war in the Middle East was set to bring regional energy production to a halt. Traders sold off assets en masse over the course of the day, with the FTSE 100 falling by some 2.5 per cent amid turmoil [...]
Trump declares ‘America is back!’ as US markets touch record highs January 28, 2026 Renewed AI-hype helped the S&P 500 break through the 7,000 mark for the first time ever on Wednesday, while the dollar clawed back some ground after a bruising few weeks. Equities soon pared their gains, falling below the 7,000 benchmark a few hours after the opening bell, and the S&P 500 had swung back into [...]
US tech stocks tumble after data centre setback sparks investor concerns December 18, 2025 US tech stocks fell on Wednesday after news that software company Oracle had lost a key backer for its data centre project, reigniting investors’ concerns about AI companies’ spending. The tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 1.8 per cent to $22,693.32 (£ 17,975.06), finishing at its lowest level since late November, while Oracle fell 5.4 per cent to [...]
Oaktree Capital co-founder voice doubts that macroeconomic fears caused gold’s rally October 20, 2025 Howard Marks, co-founder of investment firm Oaktree Capital, has voiced his scepticism over gold’s rallying run, believing economic conditions have not caused the surge and there is “no intelligent way to assess the intrinsic value”. Speaking on The Master Investor podcast with Wilfred Frost, Marks attributed the precious metal’s long standing run to popularity, believing [...]
‘IPO jungle drums starting to beat’: City grandees eye autumn flurry August 14, 2025 Global equities climbed to a record high on Wednesday, aided by yet another day in the green for the FTSE 100 that has sparked a rare bout of optimism among City grandees that life could be breathed into the Square Mile’s beleaguered IPO market this autumn. Stock markets in London, New York and across Europe [...]
FTSE 100 passes 9,000 points for first time July 15, 2025 The FTSE 100 hit another all-time high on Tuesday, sailing past the 9,000-point barrier for the first time ever despite continued uncertainty around tariffs acting as anchor on other major stock markets. London’s blue-chip equities index hit 9,016.98 points in early trades, taking its overall gains for the year up 10.3 per cent. Its constituents [...]
UK suffers second highest fall in wealth of any major economy in 2024 June 19, 2025 Average wealth in Britain fell the second most of any major economy in 2024, according to a closely followed global study, piling fresh scrutiny on the country’s battle to stem an exodus of its wealthiest residents and kickstart its flagging economy. According to UBS’s annual Wealth Report, mean household wealth in Britain fell 3.6 per [...]
GoDaddy recovers from huge loss as revenue jumps May 14, 2025 The European arm of GoDaddy, the US internet domain registry and web hosting company, has returned to the black after recovering from a loss of almost $70m (£52.6m). The Nottingham-headquartered division has reported a pre-tax profit of $4.2m (£3.15m) for 2024 after having slumped to a loss of $68.2m (51.2m) in 2023. New accounts filed [...]