FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

UK's FTSE 100 Ends Week Lower; NatWest Jumps

By

British equities wrapped up the week on a downbeat note, with the FTSE 100 falling 0.27% on Friday's close, as investors assessed a fresh batch of corporate earnings and deal activity.

NatWest Group (NWG.L) was the top gainer of the blue-chip index, closing 3.22% up, after reporting growth in both attributable profit and total income for the six months ended June 30. "The company did not announce a buyback in line with previous commentaries (consensus nil), but management have said that post Evelyn they will start to consider buybacks from FY26 results (prev H1'27)," RBC Capital Markets noted.

On the other hand, International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG.L), d/b/a IAG, closed 1.53% in the red after posting a lower profit for the first half. The airline holding company reported a year-over-year increase in total revenue, but warned that capacity for full-year 2026 is expected to be flat compared with the previous year.

"We do not expect the 2Q beat to translate into a FY26E consensus upgrade (with consensus at (EUR)4.52bn for EBIT preexceptionals in FY26E above RBCe of (EUR)4.31bn). Capacity guidance has been trimmed, and we think the more bullish end of the market was hopeful that more than ~60% of higher fuel costs could be recovered in FY26. However, whilst IAG's outlook could clip the higher end of consensus, we don't expect a significant downgrade overall either, with recent fuel cost scenarios less bad than projected by consensus, and with consensus forecasting a ~13% operating margin in FY26, within the 12-15% guided range," RBC said in another note.

Meanwhile, HSBC's (HSBA.L) HSBC Bank Australia subsidiary agreed to divest a portfolio of Australian home loans and personal loans with a total book value of AU$36 billion to Virgo BidCo, which is owned by funds managed by affiliates of Blackstone. Completion of the transaction is expected in the first half of 2027. The stock was down 0.69% at the session's close.

In economic news, Nationwide Building Society's data showed that the annual growth rate of housing prices in the UK came in at 1.8% in July, compared with 2.2% in June.

"Market activity and house prices have remained soft in recent months, in part reflecting the uncertain economic backdrop. Geopolitical tensions remain high, with the conflict between Iran and the US again exerting upward pressure on energy prices and market interest rates in recent weeks. Financial market expectations for the future path of Bank Rate have been volatile, reflecting shifting views about the inflationary implications of events at home and abroad," said Nationwide Chief Economist Robert Gardner.

In the Middle East, concerns persisted that the conflict between the US and Iran could widen after the latest round of attacks killed three Iranian soldiers, CNBC reported. Meanwhile, the US Senate rejected a resolution that sought to limit President Donald Trump's authority over military action against Iran.

Related Articles

Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Surge as Microsoft Triggers Rebound in Chipmakers While Inflation Rate Falls in June

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes soared Thursday as semiconductors rebounded after Microsoft's (MSFT) quarterly results revealed evidence of AI monetization and a closely watched inflation gauge showed a decline for June.The Nasdaq Composite catapulted 2.8% to 25,122.18, the S&P 500 jumped 1.7% to 7,437.63, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.2% to 52,208.06.Technology was the standout gainer, up 5.2%, followed by consumer discretionary. Communication services, consumer staples, and health care led the decliners.Microsoft's intelligent cloud segment revenue surged 32% to $39.31 billion, buoyed by an astounding 43% growth in Azure and other cloud services. Analysts expected a 40% year-over-year advance in Azure sales. Shares of Microsoft shot up 16%, one of the top gainers in the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and the Dow."This was another standout quarter by Nadella & Co. with triple-digit AI [annual recurring revenue] growth and accelerating Azure trajectory into the end of FY26, reinforcing that any knee-jerk reactions to the elevated capex framework represent strong buying opportunities as Redmond's structural AI moat only widens from here," Dan Ives, global head of technology at Wedbush Securities, said in a note.Arm (ARM) shares rose 6.2% after the semiconductor group reported a fiscal Q1 beat for adjusted earnings and revenue.A consortium of banks led by Morgan Stanley (MS) is in talks to lend $15 billion to a data-center developer to build a campus and power plant for Anthropic in Texas, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google would provide financial guarantees and chips for the project. The deal could be announced as soon as today, the report said.VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH), with net assets of $77.2 billion, advanced 6.9%, as chipmakers are major beneficiaries of AI-related spending. Among companies with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, six of the top 10 gainers on Thursday were from the semiconductors and semiconductor equipment and materials industries, according to data compiled by Finviz.In economic news, the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, price index fell 0.1% in June, as expected, cutting the year-over-year rate to 3.7% from 4.1%. The price index rose by 0.5% in May. The core PCE price index climbed 0.1% in June, below the 0.2% gain expected and following a 0.3% growth in May. The year-over-year rate dropped to 3.3% from 3.4%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.An advance BEA reading of gross domestic product showed 1.5% growth in Q2, after a 2.1% increase in Q1 and missing the 2.0% gain forecast in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.US Treasury yields traded mixed, with the 10-year up 5.3 basis points to 4.68%.In precious metals markets, gold futures jumped 1.9% to $4,173.5, and silver futures advanced 2.5% to $59.53.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate was down 0.9% at $83.70 a barrel, while global benchmark North Sea Brent declined 1.8% to $89.15 a barrel.Late Wednesday, US forces completed a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran in response to Tuesday's attempted missile attacks on US forces, according to CENTCOM. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted US bases in Kuwait and Jordan following Washington's strikes on Iran, Al Jazeera, a Middle East broadcaster, reported, citing the IRGC.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$ARM$GOOG$GOOGL$MS$MSFT$SMH
Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Surge as Rebound in Chipmakers Boosts Technology

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose amid a bounce in semiconductors as investors anchored to Microsoft's (MSFT) quarterly results showing AI monetization and a closely watched inflation gauge fell in June.The Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.6% to 25,069.1, the S&P 500 was up 1.5% to 7,424.5, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.1% to 52,152.7 after midday Thursday. Technology was the standout gainer, up 5%, while communication services led the decliners.The Microsoft intelligent cloud segment's revenue increased 32% to $39.31 billion, buoyed by 43% growth in Azure and other cloud services, according to the company. Analysts expected a 40% year-over-year advance in Azure sales."This year, Azure revenue surpassed $100 billion for the first time, and Microsoft 365 Copilot reached over 30 million paid seats, reflecting the confidence customers are placing in us to power their (artificial intelligence) transformation," Chief Executive Satya Nadella said in a statement. Shares of Microsoft soared 17%, one of the top gainers on the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and the Dow.Arm (ARM) jumped 6.2% after the semiconductor group reported a fiscal Q1 beat for adjusted earnings and revenue.Meta Platforms (META) slumped 9%, one of the worst performers on the Nasdaq. The firm provided a soft Q3 revenue outlook following an unexpected decline in quarterly earnings, while it raised the lower end of its capital expenditure guidance.VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH), with net assets of $77.2 billion, soared 6.8%, as chipmakers are major beneficiaries of AI-related spend. Among companies with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, seven of the top 10 gainers after midday Thursday were from the semiconductors and semiconductor equipment and materials industries, according to data compiled by Finviz.In economic news, the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, price index fell 0.1% in June, as expected, cutting the year-over-year rate to 3.7% from 4.1%. The price index rose by 0.5% in May. The core PCE price index climbed 0.1% in June, below the 0.2% gain expected and following a 0.3% growth in May. The year-over-year rate dropped to 3.3% from 3.4%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.An advance BEA reading of gross domestic product showed 1.5% growth in Q2, after a 2.1% increase in Q1 and missing the 2.0% gain forecast in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.US initial jobless claims rose sequentially to 197,000 in the week ended July 25 from an upwardly revised 188,000, versus expectations for an increase to 200,000 in a Bloomberg-compiled poll. The four-week moving average, however, fell 5,000 to 202,750, the US Labor Department reported.US Treasury yields traded mixed, with the 10-year up 3.7 basis points to 4.66%. The two-year fell 1.5 basis points to 4.22%.In precious metal markets, gold futures jumped 1.8% to $4,107.5, and silver futures advanced 1.5% to $58.94.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate was down 0.7% at $83.84 a barrel, while global benchmark North Sea Brent declined 1.5% to $89.38 a barrel.Late Wednesday, the US Central Command forces completed a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran in response to Tuesday's attempted missile attacks on US forces, according to a CENTCOM statement.Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted US bases in Kuwait and Jordan following Washington's strikes on Iran, Al Jazeera, a Middle East broadcaster, reported, citing the IRGC.A drone strike on gas vessels in Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday raised the prospect of threats to navigation through the Suez Canal, one of the last remaining export routes for Saudi oil, Reuters reported.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$ARM$META$MSFT$SMH
Asia Markets

Exchange-Traded Funds Higher as US Equities Advance After Midday

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV rose. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) added 2.8%.US equity indexes rose amid a bounce in semiconductors as investors anchored to Microsoft's (MSFT) quarterly results showing AI monetization.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) fell about 0.2% each.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) gained 4.9%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) added 3.6%, and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 3.9%.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) rose 6.5%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) advanced 8.1%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) rose 0.3%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) advanced 0.8%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), declined 0.8%.CommoditiesCrude oil dropped 0.7%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) fell 1%. Natural gas rose 1.2%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) added 1.1%.Gold on Comex gained 1.8%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) rose 1.6%. Silver was up 1.5%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) added 2.3%.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) was down 2.4%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) slipped 2.2%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) eased 2.2%.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) was up 0.6%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) dipped 0.9%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) fell 1.1%.HealthcareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) declined 1.7% and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) fell 1.7%, and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) eased 1.5%. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was down 0.5%.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) rose 0.3%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were also higher.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) added 1.9%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) rose 1.9%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) was up 2%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was 1.7% higher.

Dow Jones^EEM^EXI^FAS^FAZ^GLD^IBB^IGM^IGV^IPK^IVV^IWMNasdaq Composite^IYE^IYH^IYJ^IYK^IYW^PMR^QQQ^RTH^SOXXS&P 500^SPY^UNG^USO^VDC^VHT^VIS^XLE^XLF^XLI^XLK^XLP^XLV^XRT^XSD$BETH$BITO$EETH