Barclays Sees U.K. Equities as Cheap Amid Global Market Turbulence

According to CNBC, Barclays strategists said U.K. equities offer attractive opportunities for investors looking to ride out volatility in global stocks, calling the market cheap and describing British shares as an unloved place to hide. They said near-term AI and oil concerns may support the FTSE 100, while depressed valuations, especially in domestic names and FTSE 250 stocks, continue to provide a cushion. The strategists said those stocks trade at about a 20% discount on a price-to-book basis and cited strong M&A activity as evidence that U.K. assets remain undervalued and strategically attractive. Barclays kept high conviction in U.K. industrials, financials, utilities, real estate and selective consumer names, and named Rentokil, Trustpilot and Shawbrook as its top picks with the biggest upside potential. Helen Jewell, international chief investment officer for fundamental equities at BlackRock, said the U.K. is a useful diversifier and highlighted banks, miners and other valuation-driven opportunities. She said her team remains overweight mining companies, pointing to elevated copper prices, and noted that some U.K. stocks have been hit because they are seen as part of the AI loser basket. UBS strategists said the U.K.'s improving earnings outlook should support equities and raised their 2026 earnings growth forecast for the country to 16% from 11%. UBS kept a Neutral rating on U.K. stocks but said it expects earnings growth to remain robust at 9% in 2027 and favors banks, industrials, consumer discretionary and health care.