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LONDON MARKET CLOSE: FTSE 100 hits record high as rate cut hopes rise
- London Stock Market:
- FTSE 100 closed up 0.8% at a record high of 10,556.17.
- FTSE 250 rose 0.8% to 23,555.82; AIM all-share fell 0.6% to 806.61.
- Cboe UK 100 and 250 up 0.6% and 0.7% respectively; Cboe small companies down 0.5%.
- European Equities:
- CAC 40 (Paris) up 0.5%; DAX 40 (Frankfurt) up 0.8%.
- Currency Movements:
- Pound fell to USD1.3531 from USD1.3629.
- Euro down to USD1.1830; Dollar up against yen at JPY153.61.
- UK Unemployment:
- Unemployment rate rose to 5.2% in Dec 2025 from 5.1% in Nov 2025.
- Payrolled employees fell by 121,000 (0.4%) year-on-year.
- Analysts suggest increased likelihood of BoE rate cut in March due to fading inflation pressures.
- Corporate Performance:
- Antofagasta fell 5.7% despite 53% rise in pretax profit to USD3.16 billion; revenue below expectations.
- Raspberry Pi shares jumped 36% on social media-driven AI demand speculation.
- SSP Group up 6.6% on UBS 'buy' rating; Applied Nutrition up 6.2% on raised revenue forecast.
- boohoo Group down 6.7% on equity raise and debt reduction plans.
- Commodities:
- Brent oil down to USD67.17/barrel; Gold down to USD4,882.00/ounce.
- Top FTSE 100 Performers:
- Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (+260.00p), Barratt Redrow (+11.70p), Airtel Africa (+10.40p), Pearson (+25.80p), Compass Group (+58.00p).
- Top FTSE 100 Fallers:
- Endeavour Mining (-176.00p), Antofagasta (-129.00p), Weir Group (-80.00p), Anglo American (-79.00p), Fresnillo (-80.00p).
- Upcoming Economic Data (Wednesday):
- UK CPI and PPI at 0700 GMT; French CPI; US building permits and industrial production.
- Corporate Calendar (Wednesday):
- Full-year results from BAE Systems, Glencore, and others.
LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: Stocks mixed as UK rate cut chances rise
- FTSE 100 Performance: Up 46.63 points (0.5%) at 10,520.32 midday on 17th Feb 2026, as investors digest UK labour data and monitor US-brokered Russia-Ukraine talks.
- UK Labour Figures: Unemployment rate rose to 5.2% (3 months to Dec 2025), with average earnings growth slowing to 4.2%, below consensus. Analysts predict BoE rate cuts in March, boosting FTSE 100 outlook.
- Russia-Ukraine Tensions: Ukraine accused Russia of launching 29 missiles and 396 drones, undermining peace efforts, with one fatality and power cuts reported.
- FTSE 250 & AIM: FTSE 250 up 0.1% at 23,408.08; AIM All-Share down 0.6% at 806.63.
- Cboe Indices: Cboe UK 100 up 0.4%; Cboe UK 250 marginally down; Cboe Small Companies down 0.4%.
- Top Performers: Barratt Redrow led FTSE 100 (+3.7%), followed by Persimmon (+2.0%) and Land Securities (+1.6%).
- Lagging Stocks: Antofagasta down 3.8% after missing revenue and profit expectations; Springfield Properties down 4.5% on AIM despite profitable land sales.
- Commodity Stocks: Tertiary Minerals down 5.6% despite bullish outlook for copper and silver; MTI Wireless Edge up 17% on strong revenue and earnings growth.
- European Markets: CAC 40 (+0.2%), DAX 40 (+0.1%); ZEW investor sentiment worse than expected in Germany and eurozone.
- Currency Movements: Pound lower at USD1.3575; Euro at USD1.1837; Dollar weaker against yen (JPY153.11).
- US Markets: Dow Jones (-0.1%), S&P 500 (-0.3%), Nasdaq (-0.8%) called lower after long weekend.
- Commodities: Brent oil up at USD68.92/barrel; Gold down at USD4,928.32/ounce.
- Upcoming Data: Canada consumer inflation and US New York manufacturing index expected later on Tuesday.
LONDON BROKER RATINGS: Peel Hunt cuts InterContinental Hotels - 'hold'
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- 17th Feb 2026 09:50
- The following London-listed shares received analyst recommendations Tuesday morning and on Monday:
- FTSE 100
- Peel Hunt cuts InterContinental Hotels to 'hold' (add)
- Morgan Stanley raises Schroders to 'equal-weight' - price target 612 pence
- HSBC raises Unilever price target to 5,100 (4,800) pence - 'hold'
- Goldman Sachs raises Airtel Africa price target to 302 (223) pence - 'neutral'
- Berenberg raises GSK price target to 2,000 (1,660) pence - 'hold'
- JPMorgan raises St James's Place target to 1,740 (1,726) pence - 'overweight'
- FTSE 250
- UBS raises SSP to 'buy' - price target 245 pence
- Berenberg raises Applied Nutrition price target to 290 (280) pence - 'buy'
- SMALL CAP
- Peel Hunt cuts Ecora Royalties to 'hold' (buy) - price target 154 (115) pence
- Goldman Sachs raises AIB price target to 9.20 (8.80) EUR - 'neutral'
- Barclays raises Glanbia price target to 18 (17) EUR - 'overweight'
- Related Shares:
LONDON MARKET OPEN: FTSE 100 green, UK unemployment rises
- London Stock Market:
- FTSE 100 opened up 0.4% at 10,511.91.
- FTSE 250 up 0.1% at 23,404.51; AIM all-share down 0.3% at 809.04.
- Antofagasta was the lowest FTSE 100 stock, down 3.3%, despite reporting a 53% rise in pretax profit to USD3.16 billion in 2025.
- Raspberry Pi was the highest FTSE 250 performer, up 11%; SSP followed with a 6.7% gain after a UBS upgrade.
- Plus500 was the worst performer, down 6.3%, after top executives sold a 2.1% stake to Goldman Sachs.
- UK Economic Data:
- Unemployment rate rose to 5.2% in the three months to December, above the 5.1% consensus forecast.
- Payrolled employees fell by 130,000 (0.4%) on-year; average earnings (including bonuses) increased 4.2%, missing the 4.6% consensus.
- European Markets:
- CAC 40 in Paris up 0.2%; DAX 40 in Frankfurt down 0.1%.
- Germany’s annual inflation rate rose to 2.1% in January, driven by accelerating food prices.
- Corporate News:
- Boohoo confirmed a GBP35 million equity fundraise and advanced discussions for financial flexibility, reaffirming its turnaround plan.
- Acuity RM gained 1.4% after winning a GBP178,497 three-year contract with the British government.
- Global Markets:
- Nikkei 225 in Tokyo down 0.4%; Chinese and Hong Kong markets closed for New Year celebrations.
- S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney up 0.2%; US markets were closed on Monday.
- Commodities & Currencies:
- Brent oil down to USD67.83/barrel; gold lower at USD4,922.86/ounce.
- Pound weaker at USD1.3587; euro at USD1.1843; USD/JPY at 152.78.
- Upcoming Events:
- ZEW economic sentiment surveys from the eurozone and Germany expected later Tuesday.
LONDON MARKET EARLY CALL: Stocks down ahead of UK jobs figures
- London Stocks: Set to open lower on Tuesday, influenced by upcoming eurozone and German economic data, and ongoing US-Iran negotiations.
- US-Iran Talks: Tehran notes a shift in the US stance on Iran's nuclear program as talks resume in Geneva. President Trump warns of consequences if a deal isn't reached.
- FTSE 100 Futures: Indicate a 0.2% decline (16.7 points) at Tuesday's open, following a 0.3% rise on Monday.
- UK Labour Market: Unemployment expected to hold at 5.1% for Dec quarter, with PAYE payrolls pointing to a 20k job loss in January, the fifth consecutive monthly decline.
- Bank of England (BoE): Data unlikely to deter a 25bp rate cut at the mid-March MPC meeting, with CPI figures also critical.
- Currency Movements: Sterling and euro slightly lower against the USD; dollar weaker against the yen.
- Global Markets: New York markets closed Monday for Washington's Birthday; Nikkei down 0.4%, Shanghai and Hong Kong closed for Chinese New Year; S&P/ASX 200 up 0.2%.
- Commodities: Gold and Brent oil prices lower early Tuesday.
- Corporate Calendar: Full-year results expected from Antofagasta, Intercontinental Hotels, Coca-Cola Europacific, and others.
- Economic Calendar: UK unemployment and German consumer inflation data due Tuesday.
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