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In This Week’s Newsletter
- Autumn Budget 2026: What Could Change for Pensions
- Top FTSE 100 UK Dividend Paying Stocks
- Global Bond Selloff Sees UK Borrowing Costs Surge
- What’s Next for Gold Prices After the Latest Rebound?
- Will the European Central Bank Raise Rates on Sept. 10?
- What Anthropic Investors Should Know Ahead of its IPO
- Is BT Stock a Buy in 2026?
- The Best-Performing ETFs for UK Investors
A global bond selloff is again unsettling investors, who now expect central banks in the US, eurozone and UK to raise interest rates in the coming months. Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING, describes higher interest rates as “kryptonite” for the once-resilient European economy. In the UK, as yields on bonds surge, the government’s precarious fiscal position is back in the spotlight ahead of Andy Burnham’s first budget as prime minister. Tax rises are back amid fears that “wealthy pensioners” are in the firing line; we asked financial advisors what are retirees’ biggest worries.
Amid this global anxiety, the spot price of gold rebounded in August following declines from its all-time high in January this year. Resumption of hostilities between the US and Iran have shifted the dynamic toward safe-haven assets, experts say. For more on what’s driving keeping bullion buoyant read Valerio Baselli’s analysis here.
Having enjoyed a 10% uplift in its share price since January, telecoms giant BT Group BT. A is our latest stock of the week. A recent underwhelming market update has troubled investors, analysts say, with all eyes on “line losses” as customers look for full-fibre broadband elsewhere. Can BT shares maintain this momentum toward the close of the year?
While BT yields around 4%, its lack of economic moat means it doesn’t make it on to our monthly dividend screen, which has just been updated by Christian Mayes. The UK’s largest stock, HSBC HSBA, closes out earnings season by maintaining its quarterly dividend and launching a USD 1 billion share buyback programme.
We also look back at performance data for UK investment trusts and ETFs for August. This week we also looked in detail at Gold-rated Monks Investment Trust MNKS, which owns SpaceX but is also looking for other sources of growth beyond the obvious names. The investment trust, like other Baillie Gifford stablemates, also owns a stake in Anthropic, which is expected to file for IPO imminently. Read Tom Lauricella’s take on what is likely to become another record-breaking US IPO here.
Ollie Smith, Senior Editor, Morningstar UK
