UK equities moved higher at the start of the week, tracking gains across European markets, while sterling eased slightly against the U.S. dollar in early trading.
By 08:12 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 0.4%, while the pound slipped 0.07% versus the dollar to 1.3603. European markets also posted solid gains, with Germany’s DAX rising 0.8% and France’s CAC 40 adding 0.4%.
UK market round-up
Plus500 Ltd (LSE:PLUS) was in focus after the trading platform said it expects its 2026 performance to come in ahead of market expectations, following stronger-than-anticipated results for 2025. Growth was supported by institutional partnerships linked to U.S. prediction markets and increasing exposure to higher-value customers. The group reported full-year revenue of $792.4 million, up 3% year on year, while net profit also increased 3% to $281.3 million. Basic earnings per share rose 10% to $3.93 from $3.56.
In the banking sector, NatWest Group PLC (LSE:NWG) announced an agreement to acquire wealth manager Evelyn Partners for £2.7 billion. The deal will merge Evelyn’s £69 billion of assets under management with NatWest’s existing £59 billion, creating a combined £127 billion in assets under management and administration. NatWest also unveiled a £750 million share buyback alongside the transaction.
Elsewhere, Phoenix Global Mining Ltd (LSE:PXC) confirmed the immediate suspension of Executive Chairman Marcus Edwards-Jones and Chief Financial Officer Richard Wilkins. The board is investigating allegations relating to their recent conduct and historic payments made to Lloyd Edwards-Jones S.A.S., the company’s former corporate finance adviser.
In the advertising sector, WPP is reportedly preparing to combine its three main creative agencies under a single brand, according to the Financial Times, as part of a wider effort to simplify its operating structure.
On the regulatory front, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority said it plans to publish more comprehensive trading data for London-listed shares in a bid to address what it sees as significant under-reporting of market liquidity. The regulator is considering collecting data from all trading venues, including exchanges, dark pools and off-exchange platforms, to present a fuller picture of UK market activity. Simon Walls, the FCA’s interim director of markets, told the Financial Times that current liquidity measures can be misleading because they rely heavily on London Stock Exchange order book data while excluding a substantial volume of trading activity elsewhere.
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