London stocks ended the week on the back foot, as weak US payroll figures and a fresh wave of tariffs announced by President Trump rattled global sentiment and fuelled rate cut speculation. The FTSE 100 index closed down 64.23 points, 0.7%, at 9,068.58. The FTSE 250 closed 263.49 points lower, 1.2%, at 21,699.34, and the AIM All-Share closed down 4.34 points, 0.6%, at 757.16. For the week, the...

Stocks continued to trade lower on Friday afternoon in London, Paris and Frankfurt, ahead of US unemployment and manufacturing purchasing managers' index data, as concerns regarding US tariffs lingered. The FTSE 100 index was down 64.49 points, 0.7%, at 9,068.32. The FTSE 250 was down 263.55 points, 1.2%, at 21,699.28, and the AIM All-Share was down 5.32 points, 0.7%, at 756.18. The Cboe UK...

57% booked for the second half First half revenue up 8% to €15.9 billion €1.5 billion returned to shareholders British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) reported a 43.5% increase in operating profit to €1.8 billion for the six months ending 30 June driven by strong travel demand, fuel, and foreign exchange benefits. IAG, which also owns Iberia, Vueling and...

Earnings back in the black Interim dividend raised 20% Tariffs mostly mitigated Aerospace engineering firm Melrose (MRO) posted a return to profit in the six months to June and increased its interim dividend by 20% thanks to strong demand in its end markets. The shares jumped as much as 40p or nearly 8% to 552p shortly after the open before settling up 28p or 5.5% at 540p. > More detailed...

US stock markets took a break from record breaking highs in a week which saw four of the Mag-7 report earnings, worth roughly $11 trillion of market capitalisation, a Federal Reserve interest rate decision, more inflation data and non-farm payrolls. Big earnings beats from Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) and Meta Platforms (META:NASDAQ) on Wednesday (29 July) were well received while disappointing...

Stocks in Europe opened lower on Friday morning as US President Donald Trump ordered tariffs on several trading partners at the start of a new month, but British Airways owner IAG on the FTSE 100 was up a notch as it expects 'good earnings growth' for 2025. The FTSE 100 index opened down 59.89 points, 0.7%, at 9,072.92. The FTSE 250 fell 106.70 points, 0.5%, at 21,856.13, and the AIM All-Share...

London's FTSE 100 retreated from earlier highs on Thursday, as strong earnings failed to sustain momentum after a hotter-than-expected US inflation reading dampened investor sentiment. The FTSE 100 index closed down 4.13 points at 9,132.81. It had earlier traded as high as 9,190.73, a new all-time peak. The FTSE 250 closed 186.25 points higher, 0.9%, at 21,962.83, and the AIM All-Share closed...

Investors around midday on Thursday celebrated a big number of earnings that were published in the morning, ahead of weekly US jobless data and an inflation print that is key for the Federal Reserve in its decision-making process regarding interest rates. The FTSE 100 index was up 48.10 points, 0.5%, at 9,185.04. The FTSE 250 was up 226.41 points, 1.0%, at 22,002.99, and the AIM All-Share was...

Continued strong cash conversion Year-to-date shares up 36% Increased share buy-back programme by £200 million to £1.1 billion Shares in British American Tobacco (BATS) made early gains this morning as the FTSE 100 tobacco giant said it was on track for the full year due to a return to growth in the US - the first time since 2022. Revenue in the US grew by 1% (3.7% on a constant rates basis)...

Offer vales firm at £2.4 billion Price well above the 2016 high Hard to see a rival counteroffer It was a good day for investors but a sad day for the London stock market as yet another promising FTSE 250 growth company, retirement solutions provider Just Group (JUST), succumbed to a takeover by an overseas rival. BWS Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brookfield Wealth Solutions,...

First-half profit tops consensus Positive US underlying growth Full-year outlook confirmed Shares in pest control and hygiene group Rentokil Initial (RTO) jumped 11% to top the FTSE 100 leader board as the firm revealed better-than-expected first-half profit and organic growth momentum in North America. The shares have been under a cloud over the last nine months, falling around 20%, after the...

Q2 sales up 10.5% Profit outlook hiked again But lower UK growth expected Best-in-class British retailer Next (NXT) delivered its third upgrade to full-year 2026 profit guidance in 2025-to-date after warm weather boosted sales of seasonal ranges in the second quarter and the company benefited from disruption at arch-rival Marks & Spencer (MKS). The FTSE 100 fashion-to-homewares seller...

Stocks in Europe were higher on Thursday morning as many companies published results on the final day of the month, which is filled with key economic indicators such as inflation and unemployment data from across the globe. The FTSE 100 index opened up 44.46 points, 0.5%, at 9,181.40. The FTSE 250 was up 168.19 points, 0.8%, at 21,944.77, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.12 points, 0.2%, at...

Microsoft, Meta smash quarterly expectations AI continues to power growth Pair added nearly $500 billion to their combined market caps AI continues to power earnings of major US techs firms but blowout earnings from Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) and Meta Platforms (META:NASDAQ) overnight will really have supporters crowing. Microsoft stock jumped more than 8% in after-hours trading, Meta did even...

Rightmove (RMV) 796p Gain to date: 30% Market Cap: £6.1 billion In January last year, we argued investors should snap up FTSE 100 property portal Rightmove (RMV) as the stock offered resilient growth and a bargain-basement valuation. Eighteen months later, Rightmove's shares have gained 30% and it has rebuffed four takeover attempts from Rupert Murdoch-owned Australian property listings...

As the oldest investment trust in the world, F&C Investment Trust (FCIT) has seen more than a few market corrections and crises in its time. And despite a tricky macroeconomic and geopolitical backdrop, the trust has managed to deliver solid returns over a one-, three-, five- and 10-year period. The trust's success has been underpinned by a diversified approach with a portfolio comprising a...

It has been a pretty good year so far for active fund managers in 2025, according to AJ Bell's latest Manager versus Machine report, which analyses more than 1,000 funds across seven key equity sectors. The report shows that 42% of active managers have outperformed a passive alternative so far in 2025. That may not sound like a lot, but it's better than the 35% who managed the same feat in the...

Shares in TheWorks.co.uk (WRKS:AIM) have nearly tripled year-to-date, rallying 185% to 58.25p on signs chief executive Gavin Peck's new 'Elevating The Works' strategy is delivering a step-change in performance. Full-year results (22 July) from 'The Works', which sells affordable, screen-free activities for the whole family, showed an adjusted pre-tax profit surge from £3.2 million to £4.6...

Whereas the biggest banks in the US, such as JPMorgan Chase (JPM:NYSE) and Bank of America (BAC:NYSE), are heavily dependent on trading and investment banking for their profits, the UK's big banks are mostly reliant on old-fashioned lending and deposit-taking. Granted, both Barclays (BARC) and HSBC (HSBA) have sizeable investment banking operations, but generally speaking their results aren't...

The stark contrast between the excitement surrounding everything AI and the depressed state of the biotechnology sector tells a lot about the current polarisation of investor sentiment. Putting the numbers into context, the total value of the biotechnology industry is a mere 'drop in the ocean' $1.5 trillion compared with the $16 billion to $18 trillion market capitalisation of the Magnificent...