Author: FX

The FTSE 100’s brief rally above the 10,000 milestone is a powerful signal for UK markets, reflecting ongoing confidence in earnings resilience, attractive valuations and the growing appeal of UK equities to international investors at a time when policy headwinds are beginning to ease. While the index’s recent outperformance may become choppier in 2026, it remains fundamentally supported by globally diversified earnings, strong cash generation and the prospect of a more accommodative Bank of England, suggesting the trend is sustainable even if gains moderate compared to 2025’s over 20% advance. Key catalysts for UK equities in 2026 include continued progress…

The Pound has been rejected at 1.3475 on the early London trading session on Friday, and retreated to session lows at the 1.3450 area at the time of writing. The pair has turned negative on the daily chart following the downward revision of the UK’s December $&P Global Manufacturing PMI, but remains within the weekly range, above 1.3400.UK Manufacturing PMI figures released earlier on Friday revealed that the sector’s activity grew at a slower pace than previously estimated. The final reading has been revised to 50.6 from the preliminary estimation of 51.2, but remains above the 50.0 level that divides…

Here are three stocks with buy ranks and strong growth characteristics for investors to consider today January 2nd:RenaissanceRe (RNR): This company, which provides property-catastrophe reinsurance to insurers and reinsurers globally on the basis of excess of loss (coverage of losses over a specified limit), carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 12.9% over the last 60 days.RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. price and consensusRenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. price-consensus-chart | RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. QuoteRenaissanceRe has a PEG ratio of 1.67 compared with 1.82 for the industry. The company possesses a Growth…

The EUR/GBP extended losses for the third day in a row, although it remains trapped within a tight range, roughly between 0.8700 and 0.8740, in the aftermath of a series of downbeat manufacturing activity data releases in the Eurozone and the UK.Eurozone’s final HCOB Manufacturing PMI revealed that the sector’s activity contracted at a faster-than-expected pace in December. The final reading has been revised to 48.8 from the preliminary estimation of 49.2 in December. These figures follow a 49.6 reading seen in November and the 50.0 in October, and highlight a declining contribution of manufacturing activity in the region’s GDP.German…

Silver prices (XAG/USD) rose on Friday, according to FXStreet data. Silver trades at $74.51 per troy ounce, up 4.07% from the $71.59 it cost on Thursday.Silver prices have increased by 4.82% since the beginning of the year.Unit measureSilver Price Today in USDTroy Ounce74.511 Gram2.40The Gold/Silver ratio, which shows the number of ounces of Silver needed to equal the value of one ounce of Gold, stood at 58.89 on Friday, down from 60.32 on Thursday. Silver FAQs Silver is a precious metal highly traded among investors. It has been historically used as a store of value and a medium of exchange.…

There is a slight negative revision but it still marks an improvement to November, as the UK manufacturing recovery continues at end of 2025. Of note, both output and new orders nudged higher in helping to see the headline reading post a 15-month high. So, that’s a positive signal at least. However, there was a mild increase in price pressures as input cost inflation accelerated and output charges rose after declining in November. S&P Global notes that:“Further signs of growth emanated from the UK manufacturing sector before the turn of the year. Output rose for the third successive month and…

Euro area manufacturing activity slumped in December with the headline reading being a 9-month low amid a fresh decline in output. Demand conditions are showing renewed weakness with new orders falling at the quickest pace in almost a year. Overall business optimism is still being retained with the contraction here being a relatively mild one at least. We’ll have to see how things go at the start of 2026 to be sure of the trend for the economy next.On the inflation front, there is a bit of a hiccup with the rate of input cost inflation nudging up to a…

The headline reading is a 10-month low as a drop in demand conditions sees German manufacturing activity slump in the final month of last year. Of note, manufacturing output slid into contraction territory for the first time in ten months amid falling export sales. And that led to deeper cuts to employment, purchasing and stocks of inputs.Meanwhile, price pressures remain sticky as goods producers reported a rise in average input prices for the first time in almost three years in December. And panel members also noted that metals were a key driver of cost inflation. So, that’s something to take…

The final estimate is little changed from the preliminary reading as France’s manufacturing sector saw a modest jump in activity to round off the 2025 year. A strong rise in new export orders was the key reason in underpinning sentiment while employment conditions also returned to growth on the month. Meanwhile, output volumes also came close to stabilising after November’s sharp and accelerated contraction. HCOB notes that:”2025 closes on a surprisingly upbeat note. Business conditions in France’s manufacturing sector improved in December, with the PMI climbing back above the growth threshold to reach its highest level in three-and-a-half years. While…

A fresh drop in output and new orders mark a setback for Italy’s manufacturing sector in December. The good news at least is that cost pressures were seen easing but employment conditions also suffered on the month. On the latter, manufacturers made further cutbacks to their workforce numbers, signalling a full quarter of job shedding. Tough. HCOB notes that:“The year concluded with Italian manufacturing sliding back into contraction, as the HCOB Manufacturing PMI fell to 47.9 in December, down sharply from November’s 50.6. The latest reading marks the steepest deterioration in operating conditions since March, abruptly ending the brief growth…