9th Nov 2026 06:50
(Alliance News) - Stocks in London are set to open marginally higher on Monday as investors assess signs of progress in US-Iran peace talks, while concerns over the artificial intelligence sector remain in focus following reports of an investigation into Nvidia's chief executive.
IG says futures indicate the FTSE 100 to open 4.3 points higher, at 10,678.24 on Monday. The index of London large-caps closed down 1.0% at 10,673.94 on Friday.
Sterling was quoted at USD1.3385 early Monday, higher than USD1.3362 at the London equities close on Friday. Against the euro, sterling fell to EUR1.1984 from EUR1.1989 a day prior.
The euro traded at USD1.1164 early Monday, higher than USD1.1149 late Friday. Against the yen, the dollar was quoted at JPY158.21 versus JPY158.34.
Brent oil was trading at USD98.67 a barrel early Monday, higher than USD97.66 late Friday.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday played down the likelihood of renewed military action against Iran, saying further strikes were "highly unlikely" as long as negotiations continued to make progress.
The comments followed weeks of warnings from Trump that Washington could resume its military campaign against Tehran, amid US media reports suggesting hostilities could restart following last week's midterm elections.
"The answer is highly unlikely it's going to be necessary... I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don't know how hard I hit them," Trump told CNN.
However, he warned that any decision to resume hostilities "depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement."
In the US on Friday, Wall Street ended mixed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.5%, the S&P 500 up 0.3% and the Nasdaq Composite up 1.1%.
Meanwhile, Nvidia's board announced on Sunday that it had opened an investigation into Chief Executive and co-founder Jensen Huang after he acknowledged having an affair with a woman US officials believe was working for Chinese intelligence.
The New York Times reported late last month that US intelligence officials had concluded the woman, a Chinese executive linked to Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed, had been passing information to Beijing.
In a message to Nvidia employees released on Sunday, Huang acknowledged the affair and apologised to his family and colleagues.
"I was unfaithful to my wife," Huang said. "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."
Asked about the reports on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to comment, describing the investigation as an "internal corporate matter".
Huang is a prominent figure in the artificial intelligence industry and has maintained close ties with Trump, who has repeatedly opposed tighter regulation of the sector, arguing that restrictions could allow China to gain an advantage in the global AI race.
In Asia on Monday, the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo was up 2.1%. In China, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.4%, while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong gained 0.2%.
China's consumer price inflation slowed in October, while producer price inflation increased, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics.
The consumer price index rose 0.7% year-on-year in October, slowing from a 0.9% increase in September and coming in below the FXStreet-cited consensus forecast of 0.8%.
The S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney was up 0.1%.
Gold was quoted at USD4,111.10 an ounce early Monday, higher than USD4,058.03 on Friday.
Back in the UK, growth in permanent job placements slowed sharply in October, although London continued to record an increase, according to the latest KPMG and Recruitment & Employment Confederation jobs report, compiled by S&P Global.
The permanent placements index fell to 46.6 points in October from 50.9 in September, slipping below the 50-point threshold separating growth from contraction.
In Monday's corporate calendar, Beximco Pharmaceuticals reports full-year results, while Kainos Group publishes half-year results. Kingspan Group issues a trading statement, while MTI Wireless Edge and Public Policy Holding report third-quarter results.
In the economic calendar on Monday, Germany releases trade balance figures, while US wholesale inventories and consumer inflation expectations data are due.
By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News senior economics reporter
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