The FTSE Finish Line - Tuesday, March 18

By Patrick Munnelly of Tickmill

Tuesday, March 18, 2025 12:29 PM EDT

Cutout paper illustration representing scheme and Stocks inscription

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UK stocks initially advanced on Tuesday, with the blue-chip FTSE 100 poised for a fourth consecutive daily gain, buoyed by banking shares ahead of the Bank of England's (BoE) upcoming rate decision; however, with weakness in US markets, the FTSE 100 has receded to trade in the red, down 0.08%. Early gains were driven by notable upticks in major lenders such as HSBC, Barclays, NatWest, and Lloyds, whose shares climbed between 1% and 2.2%. However, a strong pound tempered gains for internationally focused companies. British equities are rebounding from earlier declines this month, which were largely fuelled by fears of an economic slowdown in the U.S. due to trade tensions initiated by President Donald Trump. This week marks a significant period for central bank meetings, with the Federal Reserve's policy announcement on Wednesday taking centre stage. Markets will closely watch for any signals about potential interest rate cuts aimed at stimulating growth. In the UK, attention shifts to the BoE's rate decision on Thursday, particularly against the backdrop of the OECD's revised forecast indicating slower-than-expected economic growth in 2025 and 2026. While both the Federal Reserve and the BoE are expected to hold rates steady this week, traders are forecasting at least two rate cuts from each institution later this year.

Single Stock Stories & Broker Updates:

Sabre Insurance soars 11.2%, its largest intra-day gain since Feb 2022, as annual profit more than doubles and gross written premiums reach record levels. The company announces a surprise £5 mln share buyback and increases total dividend by 44.4%, reducing YTD losses to about 1%.
Shares of Bytes Technology rise 17.9%, becoming the top gainer in the FTSE mid-cap index (+0.37%). The company reported double-digit growth in gross and operating profit for FY 2025, with operatingShares of Trustpilot Group rose 13.3% to 314p, becoming a top gainer on the FTSE 250 index. The company's 2024 bookings reached $239 mln, a 23% y-o-y increase. It announced £20 mln ($26 mln) for its share buyback program and reported a FY24 pretax profit of $5.2 mln, recovering from a $1.9 mln loss in 2023. Trustpilot projects high teens revenue growth for 2025 and slightly better-than-expected adj EBITDA. Brokerage Peel Hunt anticipates continued growth in FY2025 driven by product innovation. The stock is up ~3.26% YTD. profit growing in the mid-to-high teens. Gross invoiced income reached over 2 billion pounds in 2025, up from 1.8 billion pounds in 2024. In 2024, Bytes stock was down ~30%.
Close Brothers's shares fell 17.7%, the lowest since Jan 21, marking the biggest intraday loss since Oct 25. The lender anticipates higher legal costs of £22 million for the year amid regulatory challenges in motor finance claims, up from £10-15 million. Adjusted operating profit for H1 ending Jan fell by 15%, with legal costs at £8.4 million. Year-to-date gains are now about 25%, with stock down 14.5%.
Anglo American rises 2.4% to 2,401p, among top gainers on FTSE 100. RBC Capital Markets upgrades AAL to "sectorperform" from "underperform," raising PT to 2,310p from 2,200p, citing successful restructuring and positive agreements. Seven analysts rate AAL "buy" or higher, with a median PT of 2,725p; stock down less than 1% YTD.
Big Technologies' shares drop 22.9% to 81p after CEO Sara Murray is suspended due to conduct investigations. CFO Daren Morris will be interim CEO. The stock has fallen about 40% YTD.

Technical & Trade View

FTSE Bias: Bullish Above Bearish below 8950