The world holds iit’s breath for another difficult week of the conflict, here are the key things to look out for.

Escalating Middle Eastern tensions and a “hawkish hold” from major central banks, left most major indices in the red.

This week the focus shifts to central banks, with a host of meetings. Understanding their reaction to oil price and potential inflation, will set the tone for markets.

Brent crude rallied through the $100-per-barrel barrier for the first time in over a year, driven by an escalating Middle East.

Markets enter the week still processing the full geopolitical and oil shock. The key question now is whether the Middle East conflict stabilises (enabling a relief rally) or broadens further.

It was a week that shook global markets. A dramatic escalation of conflict in the Middle East — with Iran’s actions disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — sent oil prices surging more than 11% in a single week.

The big question for the week is can markets absorb a geopolitical oil shock and will a data-heavy week re-price rates and growth expectations?

The Supreme Court’s rejection of sweeping US tariffs has removed a massive overhang on global trade, supporting multinational equities and easing fears of imported inflation.

The winter Olympics weren’t the only thing going downhill this week. Markets ended the week on a cautious note, with US indices posting their worst performance of 2026 amid growing concerns over artificial intelligence.

All eyes on the delayed US jobs and inflation prints — they’ll drive yields, sterling, and risk appetite.
Here’s what to watch and what it means for a UK-based investors.

It was a week of cross‑currents: big tech earnings and profit‑taking created choppy sessions, but hopes of further interest‑rate cuts and calmer inflation kept global markets broadly on track

A pivotal week, US labour report and major central bank meetings this week will shape how markets price rate cuts.
At the same time, mega‑cap earnings will show whether profit growth justifies current valuations.

It was a “week of two halves” for global markets. The week started on a wave of strong tech earnings, led by Apple’s iPhone demand, before a dramatic sell-off in gold and silver.

Watch out for a futher rotation across stock markets with the long term winners of tech being replaced by some of the more value oriented names.

🌟 Markets catching their breath after new highs It was a week where markets took a breather rather than hit the...

1) 📊 Last Week in Review (Week ending January 9, 2025) Performance snapshot (levels + weekly % + YTD): FTSE 100:...