Must read: Nikkei soars, WPP, Greggs, InPost/FedEx

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), on general election day on 8 February 2026 in Tokyo. Photo: Kim Kyung-Hoon - Pool/Getty Images.

GLOBAL MARKETS 

The FTSE 100 has opened higher with miners such as Fresnillo (LSE:FRES), Endeavour Mining (LSE:EDV), Metlen Energy & Metals (LSE:MTLN) and Antofagasta (LSE:ANTO) leading the charge. Gold and silver continue to recover, up over 1% and 6% respectively. 

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NatWest Group (LSE:NWG) is at the bottom of the basket on its plans to buy wealth manager Evelyn Partners for £2.7 billion. It also announced a £750 million share buyback. This comes ahead of NatWest’s financial results on Friday. 

In terms of other major European movers, WPP (LSE:WPP) is sharply higher on a report from the Financial Times which said it is planning to overhaul the company’s structure, bringing “its three main creative ad agencies under one banner”. Ocado Group (LSE:OCDO) is another gainer on the back of a report from The Sunday Times suggesting that it is planning to cut costs including eliminating up to 1,000 jobs. 

STMicroelectronics NV ADR (NYSE:STM) shares are up after extending its strategic relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS), while Novo Nordisk AS ADR (NYSE:NVO) is surging after US rival Hims & Hers Health Inc Ordinary Shares - Class A (NYSE:HIMS) withdrew plans for a weight-loss pill. 

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Greggs (LSE:GRG) is suffering today, falling sharply after Jefferies cut the stock from a buy to a hold. The broker said that weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro could create an “enduring challenge” for the company. 

Overnight Japanese stocks surged with the Nikkei up nearly 4% boosting risk appetite across Asia. Japan’s Liberal Democrat Party (LDP) secured a two-thirds “supermajority” in the lower house, paving the way for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to pursue her pro-business, fiscal stimulus agenda. 

US futures are pointing modestly higher, extending gains after a strong session on Wall Street on Friday with the Dow breaking above 50,000 for the first time and the Nasdaq and S&P 500 gaining around 2% each. Investors await key US CPI inflation data on Wednesday and further earnings releases across the week.

INPOST/FEDEX 

Advent and FedEx Corp (NYSE:FDX) are leading a consortium to acquire Inpost SA Ordinary Shares (EURONEXT:INPST), in an all-cash offer, valuing the business at 7.8 billion euros (£6.8 billion), sending shares soaring in Amsterdam. The offer price of 15.6 euros per share represents a 17% premium to InPost’s closing price on Friday and a 50% premium to its share price from 2 January. Advent and FedEx will take a 37% stake in the business each. The deal is expected to complete in the second half of this year. 

InPost’s IPO back in 2021 was priced at 16 euros per share, but the company has struggled since shares peaked in late 2024, trading down at around 10 euros around the end of last year before any takeover speculation emerged. FedEx and partners have clearly pounced on the business while shares are still relatively cheap. 

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The stake holding makes sense for FedEx as it provides another string to its bow in terms of parcel deliveries, with InPost’s automated parcel machines (APMs) healthily complementing FedEx’s traditional door-to-door delivery capabilities. It also allows FedEx to widen its geographic footprint, expanding further into the European e-commerce market thanks to InPost’s healthy presence in Europe, operating across nine countries including Poland, the UK, France and Italy.