Both sterling and London's blue chip index were up at Monday's close amid reports indicating a potential delay in Donald Trump's tariff policy.The FTSE 100 index rose 15.32 points, 0.2%, at 8,520.54. It had earlier reached a new intra-day high of 8,548.59.The FTSE 250 ended 110.68 points lower, 0.5%, at 20,486.74, and the AIM All-Share shed 0.78 of a point, 0.1%, at 718.29.The Cboe UK 100 ended up

Stock prices in London were mostly in the red at midday on Monday, as Pod Point shares dived as it lamented an ongoing weakness in the private new car segment of the electric vehicle market.'Markets are beating to the drum of Donald Trump on the day of his return to the White House,' commented AJ Bell's Russ Mould. 'Markets are eagerly awaiting Trump's first batch of executive orders as this will

Recent deterioration in tradingProfit guidance cut by £2.5 millionMomentum in high margin licensingShares in Sanderson Design (SDG:AIM) sank 16% to a two-year low of 45.5p after the luxury interior furnishings firm disappointed the market with a second profit warning in eight months, after the hoped-for improvement in trading on which previously downgraded guidance was based failed to materialise

Stocks in London opened mixed but the blue chip FTSE 100 was in the green early Monday, with Pershing Square up as it announced it will pay dividends for every quarter of 2025.Financial markets are closed in the US on Monday to mark Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and as president-elect Donald Trump prepares to officially take office.The FTSE 100 index opened up 16.47 points, 0.2%, at 8,521.69. The F

London stocks ended higher on Friday, and the FTSE 100 index rose to a new peak as the pound traded lower after tepid UK data.The FTSE 100 index jumped 113.32 points, 1.4%, at 8,505.22. It had earlier reached a new intra-day high of 8,533.43.The FTSE 250 ended 69.72 points higher, 0.3%, at 20,597.42, and the AIM All-Share advanced 1.76 points, 0.3%, at 719.07.For the week, the FTSE 100 added 3.1%,

The FTSE 100 reached a new all-time high on Friday, with stocks comfortably in the green at midday, after sound fourth quarter growth data from China, which beat the consensus.The FTSE 100 index was up 99.25 points, 1.2%, at 8,491.24. It had earlier reached a new intra-day high of 8,496.42.The FTSE 250 was 36.40 points higher, 0.2%, at 20,564.10, and the AIM All-Share advanced 1.87 points, 0.3%, a

Order intake up 10.1%Profits to be first-half weightedManagement cautious on strength of consumerSofa seller DFS Furniture (DFS) enjoyed better-than-forecast orders in the half to 29 December 2024 that included the Christmas run-in.As a result, DFS expects to deliver first-half pre-tax profits in the £16 million to £17 million range, nearly double the £9 million delivered last year.Yet despite

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were higher on Friday morning despite underperforming UK retail sales, with miners boosting the FTSE 100 on the back of economic growth data from China.UK retail sales volumes decreased 0.3% month-on-month in December, worsening from 0.1% growth in November and falling far short of the FXStreet-cited market consensus of 0.4% growth.On an annual basis, re

European equities ended higher on Thursday, supported by strong corporate updates, while the pound struggled on soft UK economic data.US interest rate optimism continued to lift the mood after Wednesday's inflation reading, and one Federal Reserve official said rate cuts can come if the data continues to play ball.The FTSE 100 index shot up 90.77 points, 1.1%, at 8,391.90. The large-cap benchmark

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were higher at midday Thursday, as investors await US weekly jobless claims data.UK gross domestic product edged up 0.1% in November, underperforming against the FXStreet-cited market consensus of 0.2% growth.Prime Minister Keir Starmer told broadcasters during a visit to Ukraine that the government would be 'unrelenting' in its pursuit of economic growt

Growth slows in Q2Profits seen 'within the range' of expectationsDigital growing as share of salesHomewares retailer Dunelm (DNLM) said it delivered 'solid' sales growth in the first half to 28 December 2024, with sofas, dining chairs and coffee tables selling particularly well and digital sales penetration buoyed by strong Click and Collect sales.However, shares in the cushions-to-curtains seller

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were up on Thursday morning, with the FTSE 100 up comfortably despite UK economic growth undershooting expectations.Gross domestic product edged up 0.1% in November, driven by growth in services, after a fall of 0.1% in October. This undershot the FXStreet-cited market consensus of 0.2% growth.Separately, the Office for National Statistics said the UK tr

Every six months at AJ Bell, we publish a report on the proportion of active managers beating the typical passive fund in seven key equity sectors. It's called Manager versus Machine, and ever since we launched the report in 2021, it has made challenging reading for active managers. In the latest edition, our analysis showed that overall, just 33% of active equity funds outperformed the typical in

The normally sleepy world of investment trusts received a wake-up call just before Christmas with the publication (18 December 2024) of a shareholder letter by activist investor Saba Capital Management calling for change at no fewer than seven well-known funds.Set up by hedge fund manager Boaz Weinstein, Saba has a history of successfully instigating change, and while critics argue its proposals a

MIGO Opportunities (MIGO) 352pMarket cap: £71.25 millionDiscount to NAV: 4%With many investment trusts trading at deep discounts to NAV (net asset value), a great way to exploit the potential for discounts to narrow is by investing in specialist closed-end fund investor MIGO Opportunities Trust (MIGO).The company has a unique mandate within the sector aimed at exploiting pricing inefficiencies at

Domino's Pizza Group (DOM) 270pMarket cap: £1.05 billionWe aren't a willfully contrarian bunch at Shares, but now and then we come across a stock which seems so beaten-down with so much bad news priced in we just have to take a closer look.A case in point is FTSE 250 fast-food firm Domino's Pizza Group (DOM), the UK's leading pizza brand with over 1,360 stores in the UK and Ireland.Ironically, ei

I am 67 and after combining two SIPPS I now have a single SIPP worth approximately £500,000. I drew income flexibly in the past from one of the SIPPs. My understanding is that I can take 25% tax free from my SIPP at any point and then the remaining pot is taxed on withdrawal at marginal rates. I could use some or all of the remaining amount in the SIPP to purchase an annuity, so my question is on

Stock prices in London surged on Wednesday, with a sharp jump for the FTSE 250 allowing the UK-focused index to eat into some of its hefty loss so far in 2025.A favourable UK inflation reading calmed some bond markets and swung the pendulum in favour of a Bank of England rate cut at the central bank's next meeting.In addition, earnings from US banks were well-received, adding to the positive mood

Stock prices in London were in the green at midday Wednesday, as investors cheered lower-than-expected consumer price index inflation, ahead of US consumer price index inflation data.The consumer price index in the UK rose 2.5% in December from a year before, slowing from a 2.6% annual increase in November. The FXStreet-cited market consensus had expected inflation to pick up to 2.7%.'A surprise p

£250 million target reiteratedDowngrade cycle looks overShares rally sharply on updateThe relief following today's scheduled trading update from Vistry (VTY), the UK's largest housebuilder in volume terms, was palpable as the group confirmed its full-year 2024 profit forecast and talked up the 2025 outlook for its partnership business.The shares rallied as much as 50p or just shy of 10% to 565p,