Global equities advanced this week as investors welcomed signs of cooling inflation and the prospect of further rate cuts, while energy prices retreated.
@ 16:18 – Friday 10th October 2025 – London.
Markets:
- FTSE 100 fell 0.4% this week to 9,509, as weakness in healthcare and energy weighed on performance.
- S&P500 rose 0.6% to 6,753, supported by industrials and rate cut expectations following dovish Fed minutes.
- Nasdaq Composite fell 1.1% to 22,790, with profit-taking in AI-linked tech stocks after recent highs.
- EuroStoxx 50 rose 0.63% to 5,648, led by consumer and luxury sectors amid improving sentiment on Eurozone fiscal policy.
- UK 10-year gilt yields fell 3bps to 4.70%, reflecting softer inflation expectations and cautious BoE commentary.
- US 10-year Treasury yields fell 5bps to 4.13%, as Fed minutes showed indecision and the government shutdown delayed key data.
- Commodities: Brent crude fell 2.7% to $63.42, pressured by rising inventories and easing geopolitical risk. Gold rose 2.5% to $4,025, as a stronger dollar and safe haven demand increased prices. Copper rose 1.6% to $5.09, supported by supply disruptions in Chile and Indonesia.
- FX: GBP/USD rose 0.3% to 1.3343, as UK macro data disappointed and USD held firm. EUR/GBP rose 0.1% to 0.8696, supported by stronger Eurozone retail data and UK labour market softness.
Macro:
- UK: Labour market data showed a continued decline in permanent placements and stagnating starting salaries, reflecting weak employer confidence.
- US: Key data releases were delayed due to the federal government shutdown. CPI data for September is expected next week after staff were recalled.
- Central Banks: Fed minutes revealed internal disagreement on the pace of rate cuts. ECB signalled rates are near peak, with no further cuts expected in 2025.
Company News:
- ASML announced its Q3 2025 earnings will be released on 15 October, with expectations of strong revenue growth driven by demand for EUV lithography systems.
What to keep an eye on next week:
w/c 13th October
- Macro: UK unemployment (15 Oct), UK CPI (16 Oct), ECB rate decision (17 Oct), US retail sales and PPI (17 Oct).
- Earnings: JPMorgan, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, BlackRock, Johnson & Johnson, and Bank of America all report from 14–16 October.
Markets move constantly and the numbers in this update will change. This is a snapshot only, pulled together from a range of sources, and is meant as a quick guide rather than a precise record. It’s not investment advice and shouldn’t be used to make trading or investment decisions. If you need more accurate or specific data over a defined period, please get in touch with a member of the team who will be happy to help.
Important Information
This article is for information only and does not constitute advice or recommendation and you should not make any investment decisions based on it. The views and opinions of this article are those of Casterbridge at the time of writing and may change without notice. Any opinions should not be viewed as indicating any guarantee of return from investments managed by Casterbridge nor as advice of any nature. It is important to remember that past performance and the value of an investment, and any income from it, may go down as well as up and the investor may not get back the original amount invested.