Latest news with #SaxoMarkets
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Are UK investment assets becoming more attractive? Yahoo Finance readers have their say
Earlier this week, investment bank Peel Hunt (PEEL.L) said it was seeing more positivity from institutional investors towards the UK market. In its full-year results, published on Monday, Peel Hunt said: "Following the challenging market conditions of February and March, FY26 has started more positively, with the Trump administration agreeing a number of trade deals, including with the UK, and with interest rates having been cut by the Bank of England. "We are seeing a rotation out of US assets into Europe and greater institutional positivity towards the UK." The investment bank said that equity capital market (ECM) activity in the UK "remains generally subdued but could gain traction should macroeconomic conditions continue to stabilise." Read more: Why the UK's AIM is struggling 30 years on The UK's FTSE 100 (^FTSE) is up nearly 8% year-to-date, while the US S&P 500 (^GSPC) index is just 1.7% in the green since the start of 2025, with concerns about the economic impact of US president Donald Trump's tariffs weighing on investor sentiment. On the back of the FTSE's latest record close last week, Saxo Markets UK investor strategist Neil Wilson said that the UK blue-chip index has "rallied somewhat against the odds with broad-based gains among its diverse membership". "I think we have clearly seen a rotation in global equity markets as investors have for the first time in years questioned the TINATA — there is no alternative to America," he said said. "Investors are looking elsewhere and consistently conversations with clients revolve around geographic diversification and reducing exposure to the US." At the start of the week, we asked Yahoo Finance UK readers whether UK investment assets were becoming more attractive. We received 201 responses, with 41% of readers believing that the UK market was becoming more appealing, while 38% disagreed and 21% were undecided on the matter. Read more: UK consumers braced for petrol price hikes Bank of England holds interest rates at 4.25% amid inflation fears Eurozone inflation falls below ECB target to 1.9%Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gold prices slip as Trump sets two-week deadline over Iran-Israel conflict involvement
Gold prices slumped in early European trading on Friday morning, after US president Donald Trump set a two-week deadline to decide on whether the US would get directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict. In a briefing on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt read a message from Trump: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks." This provided some relief to investors who were concerned about the potential for more immediate US involvement in the conflict. Foreign ministers from UK, France and Germany are due to hold talks with Iranian officials in Geneva later on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme. Read more: FTSE 100 LIVE: Markets upbeat as UK and EU begin talks on Iran and Trump sets two week deadline European stocks opened higher on Friday morning, on the back of Trump's two-week pause. Meanwhile, gold prices fell, signalling that investors had become less risk averse, as the precious metal is considered to act as a safe haven asset amid political and economic uncertainty. Gold futures (GC=F) were down 1.3% at $3,363.10 an ounce at the time of writing, while the spot gold price fell 0.7% to $3,348.84 per ounce. Neil Wilson, UK investor strategist at Saxo Markets, said: "Some temporary relief but not enough for anyone to hang their hats on properly as the situation remains way too unpredictable. "Base case has started to shift in the direction of direct US involvement, which opens up a pandora's box of mess, but markets seem to be clinging to expectation that it all remains contained like it has in the past. The meeting today is material and could shift the needle — stay sharp." Oil prices rose on Friday morning, trading at six-month highs, as investors assessed the latest developments around the Iran-Israel conflict. Brent crude futures (BZ=F) advanced 0.4% to $77 a barrel, at the time of writing, while West Texas Intermediate futures (CL=F) climbed 0.7% to trade at $75.66 a barrel. Stocks: Create your watchlist and portfolio Oil prices have surged over the past week, driven higher by concerns that the escalating conflict could lead to a disruption of global supply. There is particular focus on the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Iran, with around a fifth of global supplies passing through this channel. Derren Nathan, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "For now, Iranian oil exports look to be unaffected with a report by Kpler suggesting tanker loadings had reached 2.2 million barrels per day so far this week, a five-week high. "Price support looks firm on the demand side after US crude inventories plummeted by 10.1 million barrels compared to a forecasted fall of just 0.6 million." The pound edged higher 0.1% against the dollar (GBPUSD=X) on Friday, trading at $1.3472 at the time of writing, helped by weakness in the greenback. The US dollar index ( which tracks the greenback against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.3% to 98.66. The muted currency moves came as investors weighed the latest UK economic data releases. Data published on Friday showed that UK government borrowing rose to £17.7bn in May, which was up from £17bn a year earlier. Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell (AJB.L), said: "May's borrowing came in at the highest ever for the month outside of the pandemic and will only add to speculation that the chancellor will have to announce more spending cuts or further tax increases at the next budget if she wants to meet her fiscal rules and pay for her spending plans." Read more: Why bitcoin and gold are rallying as bond yields hit 30-year highs Separate data, also released on Friday, showed that UK retail sales slumped 2.7% in May, which was much lower than the average forecast of a 0.5% fall in a Reuters poll. "How much people are prepared to spend in the shops is a good indication of how confident consumers are feeling, or not, about their personal finances," said Hewson. 'It's interesting that on the day the latest the latest GfK survey suggests people were feeling a little less nervous in May after April's bill hikes, retail figures show sales in the same period were significantly down." In other currency moves, the pound was little changed against the euro (GBPEUR=X), trading at €1.1704 at the time of writing. More broadly, the UK's FTSE 100 (^FTSE) rose 0.5% to 8,838 points at the time of writing. For more details, on broader market movements check our live coverage here. Read more: Looming petrol price increase could hit fragile consumer confidence Bank of England holds interest rates at 4.25% amid inflation fears Eurozone inflation falls below ECB target to 1.9%
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gold prices slip as Trump sets two-week deadline over Iran-Israel conflict involvement
Gold prices slumped in early European trading on Friday morning, after US president Donald Trump set a two-week deadline to decide on whether the US would get directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict. In a briefing on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt read a message from Trump: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks." This provided some relief to investors who were concerned about the potential for more immediate US involvement in the conflict. Foreign ministers from UK, France and Germany are due to hold talks with Iranian officials in Geneva later on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme. Read more: FTSE 100 LIVE: Markets upbeat as UK and EU begin talks on Iran and Trump sets two week deadline European stocks opened higher on Friday morning, on the back of Trump's two-week pause. Meanwhile, gold prices fell, signalling that investors had become less risk averse, as the precious metal is considered to act as a safe haven asset amid political and economic uncertainty. Gold futures (GC=F) were down 1.3% at $3,363.10 an ounce at the time of writing, while the spot gold price fell 0.7% to $3,348.84 per ounce. Neil Wilson, UK investor strategist at Saxo Markets, said: "Some temporary relief but not enough for anyone to hang their hats on properly as the situation remains way too unpredictable. "Base case has started to shift in the direction of direct US involvement, which opens up a pandora's box of mess, but markets seem to be clinging to expectation that it all remains contained like it has in the past. The meeting today is material and could shift the needle — stay sharp." Oil prices rose on Friday morning, trading at six-month highs, as investors assessed the latest developments around the Iran-Israel conflict. Brent crude futures (BZ=F) advanced 0.4% to $77 a barrel, at the time of writing, while West Texas Intermediate futures (CL=F) climbed 0.7% to trade at $75.66 a barrel. Stocks: Create your watchlist and portfolio Oil prices have surged over the past week, driven higher by concerns that the escalating conflict could lead to a disruption of global supply. There is particular focus on the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Iran, with around a fifth of global supplies passing through this channel. Derren Nathan, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "For now, Iranian oil exports look to be unaffected with a report by Kpler suggesting tanker loadings had reached 2.2 million barrels per day so far this week, a five-week high. "Price support looks firm on the demand side after US crude inventories plummeted by 10.1 million barrels compared to a forecasted fall of just 0.6 million." The pound edged higher 0.1% against the dollar (GBPUSD=X) on Friday, trading at $1.3472 at the time of writing, helped by weakness in the greenback. The US dollar index ( which tracks the greenback against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.3% to 98.66. The muted currency moves came as investors weighed the latest UK economic data releases. Data published on Friday showed that UK government borrowing rose to £17.7bn in May, which was up from £17bn a year earlier. Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell (AJB.L), said: "May's borrowing came in at the highest ever for the month outside of the pandemic and will only add to speculation that the chancellor will have to announce more spending cuts or further tax increases at the next budget if she wants to meet her fiscal rules and pay for her spending plans." Read more: Why bitcoin and gold are rallying as bond yields hit 30-year highs Separate data, also released on Friday, showed that UK retail sales slumped 2.7% in May, which was much lower than the average forecast of a 0.5% fall in a Reuters poll. "How much people are prepared to spend in the shops is a good indication of how confident consumers are feeling, or not, about their personal finances," said Hewson. 'It's interesting that on the day the latest the latest GfK survey suggests people were feeling a little less nervous in May after April's bill hikes, retail figures show sales in the same period were significantly down." In other currency moves, the pound was little changed against the euro (GBPEUR=X), trading at €1.1704 at the time of writing. More broadly, the UK's FTSE 100 (^FTSE) rose 0.5% to 8,838 points at the time of writing. For more details, on broader market movements check our live coverage here. Read more: Looming petrol price increase could hit fragile consumer confidence Bank of England holds interest rates at 4.25% amid inflation fears Eurozone inflation falls below ECB target to 1.9%Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Melden Sie sich an, um Ihr Portfolio aufzurufen. Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Are UK investment assets becoming more attractive? Have your say
Investment bank Peel Hunt (PEEL.L) has highlighted that it is seeing more positivity from institutional investors towards the UK market. In its full-year results, published on Monday, Peel Hunt said: "Following the challenging market conditions of February and March, FY26 has started more positively, with the Trump administration agreeing a number of trade deals, including with the UK, and with interest rates having been cut by the Bank of England. "We are seeing a rotation out of US assets into Europe and greater institutional positivity towards the UK." The investment bank said that equity capital market (ECM) activity in the UK "remains generally subdued but could gain traction should macroeconomic conditions continue to stabilise." The UK's FTSE 100 (^FTSE) closed at a fresh high of 8,884 points on Thursday and is now up 8.8% year-to-date. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) is up just 1.6% so far this year, with concerns about the economic impact of US president Donald Trump's tariffs weighing on investor sentiment. Read more: What to watch this week: Inflation, Bank of England interest rates, Accenture, Berkeley and Whitbread On the back of the FTSE's latest record close, Saxo Markets UK investor strategist Neil Wilson said that the UK blue-chip index has "rallied somewhat against the odds with broad-based gains among its diverse membership". For example, Wilson pointed out that the surge in gold and silver prices has boosted miner Fresnillo (FRES.L), while government pledges to spending more on defence have boosted BAE Systems (BA.L) and Rolls-Royce (RR.L). In addition, he said the FTSE's global footprint has also helped and that there had been strong progress among financial stocks, such as Lloyds (LLOY.L) and Prudential (PRU.L). "I think we have clearly seen a rotation in global equity markets as investors have for the first time in years questioned the TINATA — there is no alternative to America," Wilson said. "Investors are looking elsewhere and consistently conversations with clients revolve around geographic diversification and reducing exposure to the US." Do you think UK investment assets are becoming more attractive? Vote in the poll below. Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After the poll closes, we'll publish and analyse the results each Friday, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers. Read more: Average UK house asking price drops by more than £1,000 Why you can trust an 18-year old with their junior ISA – and how to create one What you need to know about UK's private stock market Pisces
Straits Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Next steps key to market impact of Israeli strike, analysts say
People gather in the street near an emergency vehicle in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Tehran. PHOTO: REUTERS Next steps key to market impact of Israeli strike, analysts say The key question for markets following Israel's strike on Iran is whether the fallout can be contained, say strategists. Israel conducted an air strike in Iranian territory, with Defence Minister Israel Katz calling it a 'preemptive strike'. The tension weighed on markets: Oil surged, Asian stocks and US equity futures fell, and the dollar reversed earlier losses as traders dumped risk currencies. Here are what market watchers are saying: Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist in Singapore at Saxo Markets According to Ms Chanana, headlines of an Israeli air strike inside Iran have reignited the geopolitical-risk premium. 'Whether this risk-off tone sticks now depends on the next 24 to 48 hours. If Tehran's response is limited and energy flows remain uninterrupted, experience suggests the premium can bleed out fairly quickly,' she said. 'But any sign of retaliation or supply disruption would keep volatility elevated and push oil and safe-haven assets higher.' Billy Leung, investment strategist in Sydney at Global X ETFs Key for investors now is whether the latest attacks stay contained, providing traders opportunities to fade market moves, said Mr Leung. 'It's a sharp reversal from last night's bullishness, when tech optimism, soft inflation, and light positioning had the market leaning risk-on – a direct Israeli strike on Iran cuts through that narrative instantly,' he said. 'This mirrors past flashpoints like the Soleimani strike in 2020, tanker attacks in 2019, where we saw the same initial reaction: oil bid, Treasuries and Swiss franc stronger.' The key now is whether this stays contained – history shows markets often fade the shock if escalation is limited, he added. Wei Liang Chang, a Singapore-based macro strategist at DBS Group Holdings Ltd. Mr Chang said safe havens such as the yen and US Treasuries will remain bid as markets watch for any signs of escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran. 'There could be a knee-jerk reaction in markets, as Middle East geopolitical risks return to to the fore,' he said, adding that markets will assess the impact of the strike and watch for risks of an escalation. 'Risky assets could see a pare back, while safe havens such the yen and US Treasuries could be bid.' Matthew Haupt, portfolio manager in Sydney at Wilson Asset Management 'Seeing classical risk off moves with bonds and gold bid, along with a spike in oil. Quite often these moves are faded after the initial shocks,' said Mr Haupt. 'What we are watching now for is the speed and scale of the response from Tehran, that will shape the duration of the current moves.' BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
