UK Geopolitical tensions:  the FTSE 100 Index began 2026 with a bang, breaching 10,000 points for the first time ever. Investor sentiment was rattled during January by mounting geopolitical tensions and surging gold prices as US President Donald Trump set his sights on Greenland. Threats of higher tariffs on several European countries, including the UK, raised fears that the US/UK “special relationship” might be in decline, although tensions died down towards the end of the m