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LONDON MARKET CLOSE: FTSE 100 pauses rally as Iran tensions escalate
- FTSE 100 closes lower: Down 59.14 points (0.6%) at 10,627.04, breaking its winning streak due to a sharp fall in Centrica shares.
- Oil majors rise: BP and Shell shares climbed 2.0% and 0.5% respectively, supported by surging Brent oil prices (USD71.71/barrel) amid Middle East tensions, particularly in Iran.
- European equities decline: CAC 40 in Paris down 0.4%, DAX 40 in Frankfurt down 0.9%.
- Currency movements: Pound slumped to USD1.3455, euro lower at USD1.1768, dollar higher against yen at JPY154.90.
- Centrica falls 4.7%: Paused share buybacks to invest in infrastructure, including nuclear power, with analysts calling 2026 guidance "weak."
- Mondi shares up 1.2%: Slashed dividend due to a "prolonged cyclical downturn" in the packaging industry.
- Raspberry Pi retreats 6.9%: Despite sharp gains earlier in the week, still up 36% over the last week.
- Thruvision Group jumps 20%: Secured GBP500,000 in new contracts for walk-through people-screening technology at UK custodial facilities.
- US markets lower: Dow Jones down 0.5%, S&P 500 down 0.3%, Nasdaq down 0.2%.
- Federal Reserve minutes: Some policymakers believe rate hikes should not be ruled out if inflation remains above target.
- Upcoming economic data: UK public sector net borrowing, retail sales, flash PMI readings, US PCE, and GDP data on Friday.
- Corporate results due: Anglo American, Segro, and TBC Bank Group to release full-year results.
LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: Stocks down after "nasty shock" from Centrica
- London Stock Market:
- FTSE 100 down 0.8% at 10,605.68, FTSE 250 down 0.4% at 23,586.05, AIM all-share down 0.1% at 811.05.
- Centrica (owner of British Gas) down 5.8% after reporting a sharp drop in pretax profit to GBP112 million in 2025 from GBP1.68 billion in 2024.
- Rio Tinto down 3.7% despite higher revenue, with profit declining in 2025.
- Miners Antofagasta, Glencore, and Anglo American also fell, along with United Utilities and Metlen.
- AIM and Small-Caps:
- Checkit (workflow management software) rose 10% after reporting break-even adjusted EBITDA for FY26, ahead of expectations.
- REA Holdings (palm oil company) lost 4.5% due to decreased production in 2025 despite positive outlook.
- European Equities:
- CAC 40 (Paris) up 0.7%, DAX 40 (Frankfurt) up 0.7%.
- Eurozone construction output rose 0.9% in December, while the euro area's current account surplus fell 37% in 2025.
- Nestle (Switzerland) rose 2.2% after considering selling its ice cream division due to a difficult external environment.
- Currencies and Commodities:
- Pound lower at USD1.3467, Euro at USD1.1778, Dollar higher against Yen at JPY154.69.
- Brent oil up to USD71.42 per barrel, Gold down to USD4,985.00 per ounce.
- Global Markets:
- US stocks called higher: Dow Jones +0.6%, S&P 500 +0.8%, Nasdaq +0.3%.
- US 10-year Treasury yield at 4.10%, 30-year at 4.73%.
- Geopolitical and Economic Outlook:
- Tensions in Middle East and Eastern Europe intensify, supporting bullion's appeal.
- Uncertainty in US monetary policy and upcoming inflation data (PCE release) are key focus areas.
- US weekly jobless claims, trade balance, and wholesale inventories data expected later Thursday.
LONDON BROKER RATINGS: UBS cuts Schroders to 'neutral'
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- 19th Feb 2026 09:47
- The following London-listed shares received analyst recommendations Thursday morning and on Wednesday:
- FTSE 100
- UBS cuts Schroders to 'neutral' - price target 590 pence
- Bernstein raises BAE Systems target to 2,200 (1,950) pence - 'market-perform'
- Jefferies raises BAE Systems price target to 2,150 (2,120) pence - 'hold'
- UBS raises Barclays price target to 580 (570) pence - 'buy'
- JPMorgan cuts Mondi price target to 900 (910) pence - 'neutral'
- Deutsche Bank Research raises InterContinental Hotels price target to 130 (110) pence - 'hold'
- Goldman Sachs raises Glencore price target to 540 (520) pence - 'neutral'
- Bank of America raises Antofagasta price target to 4,000 (3,900) pence - 'buy'
- RBC raises Weir price target to 4,000 (3,350) pence - 'outperform'
- Berenberg cuts Haleon price target to 510 (517) pence - 'buy'
- SMALL CAP
- Jefferies raises Conduit Holdings price target to 427 (374) pence - 'buy'
- RBC raises Conduit Holdings price target to 390 (385) pence - 'sector perform'
- Related Shares:
LONDON MARKET OPEN: Mondi leads FTSE 100 despite dividend cut
- Date and Time: 19th Feb 2026, 09:05
- London Stock Market:
- FTSE 100 opened down 0.3% at 10,654.72.
- FTSE 250 down 0.2% at 23,639.06.
- AIM all-share up 0.1% at 812.18.
- Cboe UK indices mostly lower, with small companies up 0.2%.
- Top Performers:
- Mondi led FTSE 100, up 2.9%, despite cutting final dividend and reporting a 29% profit slump.
- Revenue up 3.2% to EUR7.66 billion; underlying EBITDA down 4.7% but beat forecasts.
- Lagging Stocks:
- Centrica down 8.2%, despite increasing final dividend to 3.67p.
- Pretax profit fell to GBP112 million; revenue down 2.1% to GBP19.49 billion.
- European Markets:
- CAC 40 in Paris up 0.5%.
- DAX 40 in Frankfurt down 0.3%.
- Currency Movements:
- Pound lower at USD1.3513.
- Euro down at USD1.1803.
- Dollar higher against yen at JPY154.77.
- Asian Markets:
- Nikkei 225 up 0.6%.
- Hong Kong and China markets closed for New Year.
- S&P/ASX 200 up 0.9%.
- US Markets (Previous Day):
- Dow Jones up 0.3%.
- S&P 500 up 0.6%.
- Nasdaq Composite up 0.8%.
- Commodities:
- Brent oil up at USD71.38 per barrel.
- Gold higher at USD5,020.63 per ounce.
- Economic Outlook:
- Middle East tensions and US-Iran nuclear talks could impact oil prices.
- Potential for US crude to reach $80 per barrel if tensions escalate.
- Upcoming Data:
- Eurozone current account and construction data expected Thursday.
LONDON MARKET EARLY CALL: Stocks to rise, Fed has mixed views on AI
- London Stocks Outlook: FTSE 100 futures indicate a 0.2% higher opening on Thursday, up 25.0 points, following a 1.2% gain on Wednesday.
- Rio Tinto Performance: Reported a 6.7% decline in pretax profit to USD14.57 billion in 2025, despite higher revenue, due to rising operating and finance costs. Diluted earnings per share fell 14% to 608.4 US cents. Final dividend increased by 13% to 254 cents per share.
- Currency Movements: Sterling dipped to USD1.3500, euro to USD1.1799, and the dollar rose to JPY155.04 against the yen early Thursday.
- US Market Performance: Wall Street closed higher on Wednesday, with the Dow up 0.3%, S&P 500 up 0.6%, and Nasdaq up 0.8%.
- Federal Reserve Insights: FOMC minutes revealed mixed views on AI's impact, with 10 out of 12 members supporting the decision to maintain the federal funds rate at 3.50%-3.75%. Concerns included elevated equity valuations and high concentration in the AI sector.
- Asian Market Update: Nikkei 225 up 0.6%, Hong Kong and China markets closed for Lunar New Year, S&P/ASX 200 up 0.9%.
- Commodity Prices: Gold rose to USD5,018.53/ounce, Brent oil to USD70.42/barrel.
- Corporate Calendar: Centrica and Mondi to release full-year results on Thursday.
- Economic Calendar: Key releases include eurozone consumer confidence and US jobless claims.
All Market News Today 433 headlines
ATR
15:56
Schroders Investment Trusts - Schroder Asian Total Return Investment Company plc
SPI
13:09
Spire Healthcare Group Plc
PCTN
13:07
Picton Property Income Ltd
BLND
13:06
British Land Company PLC
IGET
06:01
Invesco Perpetual Select Trust plc - Global Equity Income Share Portfolio
TFIF
06:01
TwentyFour Income Fund Ltd
ICG
05:01
Intermediate Capital Group PLC
AI 0 headlines
Acquisitions 0 headlines
Agreement 2 headlines
Approvals 1 headlines
Authorisation 0 headlines
Awards 0 headlines
BTC 0 headlines
Blockchain 0 headlines
Breakthrough 0 headlines
BuyBack 3 headlines
ICG
05:01
Intermediate Capital Group PLC
Cancellations 1 headlines
CashOffer 0 headlines
Collaborate 0 headlines
ContractWin 0 headlines
Covid-19 0 headlines
Deals 0 headlines
Diamond 0 headlines
DirectorDealing 19 headlines
Discovery 0 headlines
Exceeded 0 headlines
FCA 0 headlines
FDA 1 headlines
Grants 0 headlines
InvestmentPlan 1 headlines
TFIF
06:01
TwentyFour Income Fund Ltd