Profit taking puts pressure on equity markets this week
@ 1500 – Friday 7th November 2025 – London.
Markets:
- FTSE 100 fell 0.1% to 9,667, as weakness in housebuilders and consumer stocks offset gains in energy and utilities.
- S&P 500 fell 1.1% to 6,680, led lower by technology shares amid concerns over extended valuations.
- Nasdaq Composite declined 1.9% to 22,812, with AI and semiconductor stocks under pressure.
- Euro Stoxx 50 fell 0.7% to 5,581, as mixed earnings and geopolitical uncertainty weighed on sentiment.
Bonds:
- UK 10-year gilt yields rose 4bps to 4.47%, reflecting caution ahead of the Autumn Budget and expectations of tighter fiscal policy.
- U.S. 10-year Treasury yields fell 3bps to 4.08%, as investors digested softer labour market data and ongoing government shutdown concerns.
Commodities:
- Brent crude fell 1.6% to $63.55/bbl, pressured by rising inventories and concerns over global demand.
- Gold was flat at $4,006/oz, supported by safe-haven demand amid geopolitical tensions and a weaker dollar.
- Copper fell 0.9% to $4.96/lb, as weak Chinese data and supply concerns weighed on prices.
FX:
- GBP/USD rose 0.1% to 1.3164, supported by the Bank of England’s decision to hold rates and a modest rebound in risk sentiment.
- EUR/GBP rose 0.2% to 0.8799, as eurozone resilience and UK fiscal uncertainty supported the euro.
Macro:
- UK: The Bank of England held rates at 4.0%, with a narrow 5–4 vote. Four members voted for a 25bps cut, citing easing inflation and softening labour data.
- Eurozone: Retail sales fell 0.1% m/m in September. The ECB held rates steady at 2.0% last week.
- A US–China trade truce was announced, with China suspending export controls on rare earths and resuming agricultural imports.
- The US government shutdown entered its sixth week, delaying key data releases and weighing on sentiment.
Companies: (holdings + targets)
- Take-Two Interactive delayed the release of Grand Theft Auto VI to November 2026, prompting a 4% drop in shares.
- National Grid reported Q2 results in line with expectations, with stable regulated returns and reaffirmed full-year guidance.
- Rheinmetall posted strong Q3 results, driven by defence orders amid elevated European defence spending.
What we will be keeping an eye on next week:
w/c 10th November
- China: October CPI and PPI (Sunday), monthly activity data (Friday).
- Eurozone: September trade data, German ZEW survey.
- UK: Q3 GDP estimate (Friday).
- US: Key data may be delayed due to the government shutdown.
- Stocks: Disney, T-Mobile US, Union Pacific, Welltower are scheduled to report.
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.