Blue-chip stocks in Europe and New York struggled on Friday, though there was some impetus from a surge in the gold price, while base metals also shone.That gave a lift to mining stocks in London, though the FTSE 100 still ended lower, making a weekly loss.The FTSE 100 index ended down 18.39 points, 0.2%, at 8,420.26. The FTSE 250 closed down 72.94 points, 0.4%, at 20,749.90, and the AIM All-Share

Stocks in London and Europe were down at midday on Friday, following a steady eurozone inflation reading from Eurostat for April, with Land Securities and GSK among the largest fallers on the FTSE 100.The FTSE 100 index was down 31.84 points, 0.4%, at 8,406.81. The FTSE 250 was down 117.22 points, 0.6%, at 20,705.62, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.98 of a point, 0.1%, at 791.52.The Cboe UK 100 w

Wall Street spirits have been higher over the past week than a couple of college dropouts, with all three major indexes ripping up the record books, including the S&P 500 closing above 5,300 (15 May) for the first time.Cooler-than-expected inflation in April sets the scene for a potential Fed rate cut soon despite a string of hot inflation reports from the first three months of the year. Like a to

London Equities were down on Friday morning, after Thursday's mid-day rally across the pond ground to a halt, with Land Securities leading the biggest fallers on the FTSE 100.The FTSE 100 index opened down 13.93 points, 0.2%, at 8,424.72. The FTSE 250 was down 36.70 points, 0.2%, at 20,786.14, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.43 of a point, 0.1%, at 792.07.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 841.06,

Blue-chip stocks in Europe ended lower on Thursday, with a handful of ex-dividend shares hurting the FTSE 100, though there was bullishness in New York, as major benchmarks across the Atlantic hit record highs.The mood in New York was supported by retailer Walmart's first-quarter earnings beat and outlook raise.The FTSE 100 index edged down 7.15 points, 0.1%, at 8,438.65. The FTSE 250 added 47.21

Retail bellwether Marks & Spencer (MKS) may need to deliver a modest ?beat? to the £679.8 million consensus pre-tax profit estimate, along with a reasonably confident outlook statement, when it serves up full-year results (22 May) if the foods-to-fashion giant is to sustain recent positive share price momentum.Led by CEO Stuart Machin, the FTSE 100 company?s turnaround is gaining traction and Mar

This is the first in a series of articles focused on the fundamentals of investing. Don?t worry if you are relatively new to investing because the series starts at the very beginning and explains what investing is, how it works and is intended to provide a useful framework for thinking about investing.The series is not exclusively for beginners and later on it will include more advanced features s

The FTSE 100 ended higher in London, with hope of UK interest rate cuts in the summer picking up, while US stocks were largely higher despite an inflation caution from the Federal Reserve chair.Investors also had a trade war worries to contend with, as the US slapped tariffs on billions worth of Chinese imports, including in the electric vehicle and chip spaces.The FTSE 100 index rose 13.14 points

Stocks in London were largely flat at midday on Tuesday, on the back of boosts at Burberry and Vodafone, as hopes for a summer interest rate cut were bolstered by supportive comments from the Bank of England?s top economist.The FTSE 100 index was up 5.85 points, 0.1%, at 8,420.89. The FTSE 250 was up 14.46 points, 0.1%, at 20,574.80, and the AIM All-Share was little changed at 786.60.The Cboe UK 1

Stocks in London started off steady on Tuesday, with Vodafone leading the FTSE 100 on the back of better-than-expected annual results, as new data showed a slight increase in the UK unemployment rate.The FTSE 100 index opened up 9.70 points, 0.1%, at 8,425.78. The FTSE 250 was up 20.22 points, 0.1%, at 20,580.56, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.15 points, 0.2%, at 785.11.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.

Stocks in London started strong on Friday following the Bank of England?s dovish hold on interest rates on Thursday, as new data showed UK gross domestic product reached a stronger-than-expected level in March.The FTSE 100 index opened up 43.05 points, 0.5%, at 8,424.40. The FTSE 250 was up 68.41 points, 0.3%, at 20,599.71, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.06 points, 0.3%, at 785.76.The Cboe UK 100

On 14 May, the world?s largest home-improvement retailer Home Depot (HD:NYSE) is set to release its first-quarter earnings. The firm, which has a market value of over $330 billion and operates more than 2,300 stores in the US, Canada and Mexico, is expected to report EPS (earnings per share) of $3.60 on revenue of $36.65 billion.While this will be a step up from the previous quarter, it represents

In 1995, Oasis and Blur were duking it out at the top of the charts, Barings Bank went bust and Manchester United broke the British transfer record by signing Andrew Cole from Newcastle.Meanwhile, in Downing Street, a Conservative prime minister faced plotting from MPs seeking to unseat him amid weak polling ? plus ça change.To paraphrase Mark Twain, ?history doesn?t repeat itself but it ca

It?s been a busy month in small-cap land with good news, bad news and downright weird news for investors to digest.First the good news, as the persistent undervaluation of UK companies ? and small caps in particular ? draws increasing numbers of corporate buyers.Financial services software provider Gresham Technologies (GHT) agreed a 163p per share cash offer from funds managed or advised by STG P

The persistently high interest rate environment means companies are under pressure to cut costs and jobs are an obvious target. While they can cut their workforce through redundancies or slash the wage bill through shorter or fewer shifts, others might already be operating with a skeleton crew and cannot pare back any further.It is against this scenario that higher wages are adding to companies? p

Third quarter revenue up 6%Strong showing in Mecca BingoFull year outlook affirmedCasino and bingo operator Rank (RNK) said like-for-like net gaming revenue for the third quarter to 31 March increased by 6% to £182.3 million, with trading continuing to improve in April.Shares in the Grosvenor Casinos and Mecca Bingo operator increased 2.6% to 72.9p and sit around 4% lower than the start of the ye

One of the most intriguing facets of financial markets of the past two years has been the differing messages offered by bond yields and share prices.The bond market, via the so-called inverted yield curve, has been predicting a recession. The stock market has instead priced in a cooling in inflation, a gentle economic landing and a pivot to interest rate cuts from central banks, with the result th

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics could revolutionize the industrial sector, leading to a significant increase in the use of automation. Automation is expected to transform production lines, likely elevating human workers to manage robots, boosting overall productivity and output. Capital investments spurred by government policies and corpor

Final quarter exceeds guidanceOperating profit up sharplyFurther £50 million buybackFacilities management and business service firm Mitie Group (MTO) surprised the market with stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results and a fresh £50 million share buyback.The shares climbed 6p or 5.5% to a new five-year high of 117.5p on above-average trading volume. STRONG DEMAND FOR SERVICESIn its t

Latest property M&A dealShares climb to a premiumInvestors expect a rival bidShares in AIM-listed self-storage site operator Lok?n Store Group (LOK:AIM) jumped more than 17% to £11.25 after the firm revealed it had received a cash offer for the whole business from Belgian company Shurgard.The price tops the offer price of £11.10, a premium of roughly 16% to the previous closing price, suggesting