Welcome to our weekly market dashboard, ‘Markets in a Minute‘
Every Friday afternoon we publish our Markets in a Minute dashboard — a concise weekly snapshot of global markets, economic news and company headlines.
Written in plain English, it’s designed to give you a quick, high-level snap-shot of what has driven markets during the week, the key themes to be aware of, and the events to watch in the week ahead.
This week…
@ 16:04 – Friday 12th September 2025 – London.
Markets:
- FTSE 100 was up about 0.3 %, helped by gains in miners (gold & copper names) and energy stocks.
- S&P 500 reached new highs before easing slightly; the week was largely driven by expectations of a U.S. rate cut.
- Nasdaq Composite also performed well, powered by strength in AI / tech sectors.
- Euro Stoxx 50 gained modestly, supported by industrials and energy amid easing global risk.
- Bonds: U.S. 10-year Treasury yields eased; UK gilts followed modestly lower. Yields movements reflected improved inflation expectations and softening economic signals.
- Commodities: Brent crude rose to around $67.65, lifted by supply concerns and geopolitical risk. Gold moved higher, trading at approximately $3,683/oz, seen as a safe haven amid mixed global drivers. while Copper rallied modestly, with industrial demand expectations providing support.
- FX: GBP/USD dipped slightly; pound weakened on flat UK GDP and inflation concerns. EUR/GBP more stable, modest moves.
Macro:
- UK GDP was flat in July, with no growth month-on-month, raising concerns as the government gears up for its November Budget.
- U.S. inflation for August came in at ~2.9% (headline), core inflation steady, fuelling hopes for Fed easing but keeping markets cautious.
- Stronger performance from the labour market in the U.S. remains a balancing act; rate cut expectations are still strong but not guaranteed.
- UK inflation remains elevated; Bank of England likely to hold rates steady in near term.
Company News:
- No notable updates this week from companies in our holdings or target lists.
What to keep an eye on next week:
w/c 15th Sept
- Watch out for the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting and its guidance on rates.
- Key macro data: U.S. PCE inflation (month/year), U.S. employment reports.
- In the UK, inflation expectations and any updates ahead of the Budget will be relevant.
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.