FTSE 100 down again but Dow sails to new high

Chris Beauchamp IG

The Dow's surge to a new peak above 44,000 contrasts with another poor day for the FTSE 100, says Chris Beauchamp, Chief Market Analyst at online trading platform IG.

China disappointment pressures FTSE 100

The lack of any new China stimulus developments meant that the FTSE 100 was under pressure for a second day, leaving further behind its US peers for the week. The optimism seen on Wall Street has been entirely absent from the UK index, as heavyweight mining stocks shed ground after the National Policy Committee failed to unveil anything of note.

Wall Street enjoys its best week for a year

With the election out of the way investors have rushed back to US stocks, cheered both by the removal of political uncertainty and by the promise of more earnings growth. Worries about higher inflation and an end to rate cuts have been cast aside, for now.

Author

Chris Beauchamp

Chris Beauchamp has been with IG for four years, and in that time has become a regular commentator and analyst for the financial press and TV, with appearances on all the major financial channels as well as the BBC and Sky News.

GBP/USD remains slightly bid near 1.3300

GBP/USD now advances marginally and manages to dispute the 1.3300 region on Tuesday. Indeed, Cable regains some balance on the back of the lacklustre performance of the Greenback, all preceding the Fed’s meeting on Wednesday and the BoE’s gathering on Thursday.

EUR/USD recedes from tops, back below 1.1400

EUR/USD manages to set aside part of the recent weakness and clinches decent gains on Tuesday. Indeed, spot keeps the trade below the 1.1400 mark amid acceptable losses in the US Dollar, all following rising optimism of a US-Iran deal and steady caution prior to the FOMC gathering on Wednesday.

Gold bounces on poor US data

Gold remains under marked downside pressure on Tuesday, although the $4,000 zone per troy ounce emerges as a decent support for now. The precious metal’s pullback comes despite the modest losses in the US Dollar in a context of easing geopolitical tensions ahead of the key Fed event on Wednesday.

XRP falls toward $1.00 despite dwindling exchange reserves

Ripple (XRP) continues to trade under increasing pressure on Tuesday. This marks the second consecutive day of declines, reflecting broader risk-off sentiment as investors appear to shift gears in anticipation of the Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate decision. On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged in the 3.50%-3.75% range.

Warning signs in the stock market: Is this the top, or just a very short fuse?

Overnight, South Korea's Kospi fell more than 10%, SK Hynix lost close to 15% and Samsung Electronics lost 13%. Into that, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures traded up around 1% on paint and soft drinks, and S&P 500 futures sat roughly flat. An index that absorbs a memory-chip panic and prints nothing is not a calm market.

US Dollar mid-year outlook: Exceptional currency, exceptional risks?

The US Dollar enters the second half of 2026 in a markedly different position from a year ago. The King currency has recovered, reflecting persistent US inflation, changing expectations for Fed policy, geopolitical tensions and renewed demand for defensive assets.