The market turbulence from March is continuing in April so far. The conflict in Iran and the breakdown of recent peace talks mean the road ahead is likely paved with more volatility. Investors need to navigate this, but it doesn’t mean the best option is simply to hold cash. Rather, here are some FTSE 100 shares rallying even amid the recent disruption.
A stable utility
First we have BT Group (LSE:BT.A). The stock is up 17% in the past three months, and 30% over a broader one-year time horizon. The Q3 update from February suggested broadband competition is easing, with customer losses coming in lower than feared. At the same time, its full-fibre rollout continued at pace, now passing over 21m premises. Investors were impressed by the strong take-up growth, and this could keep helping the stock outperform later this year.
BT’s cash flow has also been improving. In volatile markets (especially amid geopolitical tensions), that kind of predictable, infrastructure-backed cash generation becomes very attractive. Telecoms aren’t flashy, but they’re essential. After all, people don’t cancel broadband in a crisis!
The stock is holding up very well, and I believe it could continue to do so as people will see it as a defensive play. In uncertain conditions, investors tend to allocate funds to these companies with stable demand and dividend potential. Its yield of 3.79% isn’t the highest in the index, but is above the FTSE 100 average.
One risk is regulatory scrutiny. This is always something investors are concerned about as they have the power to materially impact any growth plans by putting roadblocks in the way.
Engineering profits
The second company doing well is Weir Group (LSE:WEIR). It’s up 47% in the last year and has been rallying so far in 2026 as well.
Interestingly, the share price dropped in March following full-year results. This came due to a guidance tweak lower for this year and higher spending on a new company-wide IT system. Even though these could be seen as risks going forward, there were plenty of positives to take away from them. For example, revenue was up 2%, with adjusted profit before tax up 4%.
We also need to factor in the indirect benefits from the ongoing commodity boom. Remember, Weir is a global engineering company focused on providing high-performance technology and services to the mining industry. I believe key themes such as the electrification push and AI build-out will continue to keep commodity prices high. This should help smooth out any market volatility in the share price as people are aware of the long-term demand trend.
Even though some were disappointed by the recent guidance, the company is still expecting further growth and margin expansion in 2026. This is supported by various factors, including operational improvements and its push into higher-margin software offerings. This increasingly diversified set of revenue streams should further make it a reliable company that people would do well to investigate further.
Overall, I think both stocks could be considered for portfolios aiming to manage volatility as we face uncertain times ahead.
