Stocks in London closed higher on Thursday after the Bank of England voted to hold UK interest rates at 4.00%, as expected, and after the US Federal Reserve's quarter-point cut on Wednesday. 'To precisely no-one's surprise, the Bank of England has chosen to keep rates on hold at 4% [with a 7-2 majority],' commented AJ Bell's Laith Khalaf. 'This was entirely anticipated by the market, and means...

The FTSE 100 stayed in the green on Thursday afternoon after the Bank of England kept rates on hold and slowed the pace of quantitative tightening, as expected. The pound fell to $1.3643 on Thursday afternoon, from $1.3661 at the time of the London equities close on Wednesday. It had traded at $1.3647 before the BoE decision. The FTSE 100 index rose 17.37 points, 0.2%, at 9,225.74. It...

European blue-chips traded higher on Thursday afternoon, in the run-up to an expected Bank of England hold and after the US Federal Reserve cut rates as expected. 'Markets weren't sure how to take the news. The S&P 500 swung before closing just 0.1% lower,' Swissquote analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya commented. 'The US 2-year yield rebounded and the dollar index bounced from a fresh yearly low....

Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions and economic and market uncertainty there have been several signs of life for the IPO market recently both on these shores and across the Atlantic. 'London remains the fifth largest exchange globally for equity capital raised with over £7.5 billion raised so far this year,' says EY-Parthenon UK IPO leader Scott McCubbin. 'We anticipate renewed momentum in...

Johnson Service Group (JSG) 152p Market cap: £600 million We have talked in recent issues about companies with durable competitive advantages, or 'moats' as Warren Buffett calls them. One such business is textile and workwear rental firm Johnson Service Group (JSG), which thanks to its national presence and high levels of service has built a loyal customer base with a strong retention rate....

Retirement has long been associated with golf courses, cruises, and relaxing on the beach with a drink in your hand. Traditionally, these retirement luxuries have been reserved for the later years in life. But some don't want to wait until their 60s or even 50s to be tied down by a job and aim to retire at a younger age. This brings some lifestyle perks: you have more time where you are...

In our penultimate issue in the current weekly format the Shares team identifies some of the actively-managed funds and trusts they like the best from the thousands on offer to UK investors. We have not used any specific selection criteria to come up with our list, these are just our writers' best ideas based on our assessment of the relevant vehicle's track record, management and investment...

London's FTSE 100 closed higher on Wednesday after a rate cut in Canada, while investors now turn to the US Federal Reserve's rate call later in the day and the Bank of England's decision on Thursday. 'Markets have fully priced in a 25-basis-point [US] rate cut, but the key lies in the updated Summary of Economic Projections and [Fed Chair Jerome] Powell's tone,' commented Naga analyst Frank...

Stock prices were mixed in Europe on Wednesday afternoon as a Federal Reserve decision and an expected 25 basis point cut draws closer, while UK consumer price inflation remained steady, giving the Bank of England food for thought on the eve of its decision. The FTSE 100 index rose 15.97 points, 0.2%, at 9,211.63. The FTSE 250 rose 96.54 points, 0.5%, at 21,588.41, and the AIM All-Share was...

Stocks in Europe opened a notch higher on Wednesday ahead of eurozone consumer price index inflation data, hours before a hotly-awaited US Federal Reserve interest rate decision. On the eve of the Bank of England decision, meanwhile, the UK central bank was faced with inflation data that was cooler than expected, but still well above the 2% target. The FTSE 100 index edged up 7.07 points,...

Indexes in London finished mostly lower on Tuesday, as a rate cut decision from the US Federal Reserve and a UK state visit from US President Donald Trump loomed. The Fed started its two-day key policy meeting on Tuesday, AFP reported, hours after Stephen Miran narrowly won confirmation to join the central bank. Stephen Miran, who has been a key advisor to Trump, took the oath of office as a...

A stronger pound kept the FTSE 100 at bay on Tuesday but shares in New York are set to push even higher after a record start to the week, with eyes turning to a slew of central bank decisions. Elsewhere, gold added some sparkle, with the spot price approaching $3,700, taking advantage of a weaker dollar. The FTSE 100 index lost 20.96 points, 0.2%, at 9,256.07. The FTSE 250 fell just 8.20...

Sales ahead of estimates Full year profit seen in line Year-end changed to 28 February Global music and audio products group Focusrite (TUNE:AIM) said it expects full year revenue to be up 6% to approximately £168 million, ahead of market forecasts, while profit is projected to be in line with current expectations. The news was well received with the shares jumping 14% higher to 187.4p,...

Equities in London moved largely on Tuesday morning, failing to replicate the impetus seen from New York, where there was another record close overnight. The FTSE 100 index fell 25.31 points, 0.3%, at 9,251.72. The FTSE 250 fell just 5.72 points at 21,640.87, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.25 points, 0.2%, at 768.64. The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 927.16, the Cboe UK 250 was flat at...

The FTSE 250 closed up but other indices were lower on Monday, as investors await an expected interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve, and a hold from the Bank of England, later this week. 'A 25bp [US rate] cut is almost fully priced in, with three cuts for the year largely anticipated,' Pepperstone's Dilin Wu said. 'Against this backdrop, the 10-year US Treasury yield briefly fell below...

London's FTSE 100 was virtually unchanged on Monday afternoon, underperforming European peers which registered confident gains at the start of a key week of economic data and monetary policy decisions. The FTSE 100 index fell just 1.48 points to 9,281.81. The FTSE 250 rose 109.08 points, 0.1%, at 21,734.48, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.09 points, 0.3%, at 770.53. The Cboe UK 100 was down...

Small modular reactors to be deployed Up to £40 billion in economic value Long-term UK-US agreement British gas owner Centrica (CNA) has announced a joint development agreement with US-based X-Energy Reactor Company to deploy Advanced Modular Nuclear Reactors in the UK. Centrica shares were one of the biggest gainers in the FTSE 100 index after jumping nearly 3% to 164.9p in early trading,...

London's blue chip index performed worse than its European peers at the start of a week filled with interest rate decisions and key economic data. 'It is a big week for central bank meetings with the Fed (Wed), Bank of Canada (Wed), Norges (Thu), Bank of England (Thu) and the Bank of Japan (Fri), listed there in descending order of market-implied rate cut probability.' analysts at Lloyds Bank...

The FTSE 100 closed lower on Friday, with earlier growth stalling after news of lower US consumer sentiment and a tepid UK GDP reading. The FTSE 100 index closed down 14.29 points, 0.2%, at 9,283.29. It had earlier traded as high as 9,340.70. The FTSE 250 ended 68.35 points lower, 0.3%, at 21,625.40 while the AIM All-Share finished up 1.34 points, 0.2%, at 768.44. For the week, the FTSE 100...

London's blue chip index beat its European peers at Friday midday ahead of the US Michigan consumer sentiment index, while sterling, the euro and the yen all traded lower against the dollar. The FTSE 100 index was up 29.29 points, 0.3%, at 9,326.87. The FTSE 250 was up 13.00 points, 0.1%, at 21,706.75, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.27 points, 0.3%, at 769.37. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at...