In distinction to the scary strikes seen in sure shares throughout the pond, the FTSE 100 has been robust in 2025. An increase of 5% means it’s on target for its finest month in additional than two years!

A minimum of a part of that is down to some heavy-hitters setting recent 52-week highs.

London Inventory Trade Group

Shares in monetary markets infrastructure and information supplier London Inventory Trade Group (LSE: LSEG) are additionally up practically 5% in January. However its worth has been steadily rising for some time — 35% within the final yr alone.

Look nearer and this begins to make sense. This yr, LSEG plans to roll out new AI options inside merchandise that it’s been engaged on with US tech titan Microsoft. If all goes to plan, this improvement might develop its market share.

The query is how a lot of that is now priced in. The shares now commerce at a forecast price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 30. That appears excessive contemplating margins have been falling in recent times. The variety of UK preliminary public choices (IPOs) — one other supply of earnings for the corporate — has additionally been woeful.

With this in thoughts, it is going to be fascinating to see the market’s response to full-year numbers, due on the finish of February. That is earlier than we’ve even thought-about what would possibly occur if world markets have a sustained wobble. Worryingly, the inventory proved fairly risky through the post-pandemic tech crash.

Experian

World information firm Experian (LSE: EXPN) is one other top-tier member that’s been doing the enterprise for shareholders. In truth, it’s been flying in January – rising 14% as I kind.

A minimum of a few of that is absolutely down to an encouraging replace on buying and selling for the three months to the tip of 2024. “Another strong quarter” led to the corporate reporting an 8% improve in whole income. Trading in North America was notably strong, supported by its business-to-business phase.

Once more, this isn’t a inventory for worth hunters. Experian shares change palms for 32 occasions FY25 earnings. So, that is arguably one other candidate for an enormous fall if (and the important thing phrase is ‘if’) investor sentiment shifts downward for any purpose. It’s additionally price noting that competitors on this line of labor is rising.

Like LSEG, it goes on my watchlist for now.

Halma

Finishing our trio of shares experiencing nice momentum is life-saving tech provider Halma (LSE: HLMA). Its worth has climbed by the same share to Experian in January. Based mostly on the way it completed 2024, this isn’t a lot of a shock.

Again in November, the corporate’s shares soared by virtually 10% in a single day after it posted a 13% rise in half-year income (to £1.07bn) and 18% leap in revenue (to simply over £209m). Along with sustaining its steering for the full-year, administration additionally elected to lift the interim dividend by 7%.

However Halma is way from low-cost to purchase. A P/E of 34 for the present monetary yr makes it the costliest of the three. And it’s growth-by-acquisition technique is of course depending on it discovering sufficient good companies to purchase.

Dealer Berenberg has a goal price of 3250p however that is one other one I want to purchase when buyers are fearful.

I’m watching all of them carefully for now however not but shopping for.