What are the main events for today?
EUROPEAN SESSION In the European session, the main highlight was the UK employment report. The data came mostly in line with expectations, so the reaction was muted. Looking ahead, we don’t have much on the agenda other than the German ZEW index. It’s expected to improve to 50.0 vs 45.8 prior but it’s not going […]
Could Lloyds shares reach £1.50 in 2026?
Image source: Getty Images Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY) shares were one of the darlings of the UK stock market in 2025. Over the course of the year, the British bank saw the value of its shares rise by 79%. They’re now changing hands for more than £1 for the first time since the global financial […]
What Trump is threatening on Greenland is very different, says Bessent
What Trump is threatening on Greenland is very different than the other trade deals The worst thing other countries can do is to escalate trade tensions against the US We’ll see a strong economy this year US to have real GDP growth of around 4% to 5% Fed chair announcement could be as early as […]
9.7% dividend yields! Should I buy these FTSE income shares?
Image source: Getty Images There are plenty of high-yield income shares listed on the UK stock market. But right now, Harbour Energy (LSE:HBR) and Energean (LSE:ENOG) stand out from the crowd with both offering a dividend yield of 9.7%. With both oil & gas shares taking a bit of a tumble over the last 12 […]
UK November ILO unemployment rate 5.1% vs 5.1% expected
Prior 5.1% Employment change 82k vs 30k expected Prior -16k Average weekly earnings +4.7% vs +4.6% 3m/y expected Prior +4.7%; revised to +4.8% Average weekly earnings ex bonus +4.5% vs +4.5% 3m/y expected Prior +4.6% December payrolls change -43k Prior -38k; revised to -33k As a general reminder, the UK labour market report is still […]
5 risks UK investors must understand before buying dividend shares in 2026
Image source: Getty Images When mortgage rates are falling and savings accounts yield 3%, if lucky, the appeal of dividend shares is impossible to ignore. The FTSE 100‘s average 3.4% yield looks attractive on paper, and some names — such as Legal & General at 8.1% — seem to offer mouth-watering returns. Yet this income […]
PBOC sets USD/ CNY central rate at 7.0006 (vs. estimate at 6.9576)
The PBOC follows a managed floating exchange rate system that allows the value of the yuan to fluctuate within a certain range, called a “band,” around a central reference rate, or “midpoint.” It’s currently at +/- 2%. Previous close was 6.9640 PBOC injects 324bn yuan, 7-day reverse repos, unchanged rate 1.4%. Earlier: PBOC set 5- […]
Cody Bradford To Return From UCL Surgery In May
Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford is working back from last June’s internal brace procedure. Reporting from the end of the regular season suggested Bradford could make an atypically quick recovery and be ready for the start of Spring Training, but it seems the Rangers are now planning for the southpaw to miss the first month or so […]
Gold tops $4,700 for the first time as the surge higher continues
Up, up, and away! Gold bulls really couldn’t wish for a better start to the new year. And it’s all thanks to one man. The first week was filled with geopolitical tensions involving Venezuela. The next was an attack on Fed independence and added geopolitical risks with Iran. This week, it’s a combo of geopolitical […]
Citi downgrades European stocks on Greenland tariff tension
Citi cuts Europe to neutral as Greenland-linked tariff risks cloud the outlook, while Japan emerges as the regional preference. Summary: Citi downgrades European equities to neutral Decision driven by US–EU tension over Greenland Tariff uncertainty weighs on earnings outlook EU considers retaliation on $108bn of US goods Japanese stocks upgraded to overweight Citigroup has downgraded […]
