The FTSE 100 pulled back from a fresh intraday record on Friday as caution ahead of US-Russia peace talks, fresh tariff warnings from Washington, and weaker US consumer sentiment weighed on markets. The FTSE 100 index closed down 38.34 points, 0.4%, at 9,138.90. It had earlier reached an all-time intra-day high of 9,222.07. The FTSE 250 ended down 43.43 points, 0.2%, at 21,758.24, and the AIM...

London stocks held firm at midday on Friday as attention turned to Alaska, where an evening meeting between US and Russian leaders could influence geopolitical tensions and set the tone for global markets next week. 'It is not often that the market's attention is centred on Alaska but the US state will be firmly in focus on Friday as President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin...

Palo Alto, Zscaler and Okta bank's best stock ideas $25 billion CyberArk deal unsettled sector bellwether Palo Alto Zscaler stock up 50% year-to-date Analysts at investment bank Morgan Stanley have name checked Palo Alto Networks (PANW:NASDAQ), Zscaler (ZS:NASDAQ) and Okta (OKTA:NASDAQ) as tactical buys ahead of quarterly earnings. The bank's own healthy software reseller checks and survey...

European stocks opened higher on Friday as the dollar continued to be soft, while annual growth in wholesale prices in Germany slowed in July. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska at 2030 BST. This, Pepperstone's Michael Brown said, means 'things will likely conclude a long while after the market closes for the week...Hence, there is...

London shares ended little changed on Thursday, with solid UK growth data balanced by a stronger US inflation print, which tempered expectations for rate cuts. The FTSE 100 index closed up 12.01 points, 0.1%, at 9,177.24. The FTSE 250 ended down 49.89 points, 0.2%, at 21,801.67, and the AIM All-Share finished 2.17 points higher, 0.3%, at 759.71. The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 919.09, the...

London's blue chip index underperformed against its peers in Paris and Frankfurt at Thursday midday, ahead of US producer price index inflation and weekly jobless data. The FTSE 100 index was down 7.67 points, 0.1%, at 9,157.56. The FTSE 250 was down 22.65 points, 0.1%, at 21,828.91, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.69 points, 0.1%, at 758.23. The Cboe UK 100 was slightly lower at 917.75, the...

Full year profit up 38% Dividend hiked 206% Land-based reforms now live Casino and bingo operator Rank Group (RNK) reported a 38% increase in underlying like-for-like operating profit for the year to 30 June, in line with previously upgraded guidance, and raised its dividend three-fold. Better-than-expected trading and excitement around new land-based reforms coming into effect in July have...

London's blue chip index underperformed against peers in Paris and Frankfurt, with some of its heavyweights going ex-dividend, while the pound was on the up as UK data was stronger than forecast. The FTSE 100 index traded down 14.45 points, 0.2%, at 9,150.78. The FTSE 250 fell 12.93 points, 0.1%, at 21,838.63, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.00 points, 0.3%, at 759.54. The Cboe UK 100 was down...

Behavioural biases affecting the way analysts change their earnings forecasts and stock recommendations can be exploited to unearth potential investment opportunities. The key idea is to find discrepancies between what analysts are doing to their earnings forecasts and what they are saying through their recommendations. We start by identifying the least loved UK stocks as seen through the lens...

Silver and gold producer Fresnillo (FRES) is comfortably the best performing share in the FTSE 100 so far in 2025. In one sense this is unsurprising given the unprecedented strength in precious metals prices so far this year. However, the Mexico-focused company's latest update showed the company is making significant operational progress too. The share price received its latest bump as...

A recent report from consultants McKinsey explored the subject of what long-term 'intrinsic investors' want from companies and how in return companies can benefit from the presence of a strong a stable shareholder base. The bottom line is a strong, stable shareholder base tends to lead to higher returns, not just for businesses but for their investors too, creating a kind of virtuous circle....

A year of tariff drama and currency concerns have led many investors to start to look outside the US to boost their market returns. And while some have steered towards calmer waters, with a boost in European investments, others have turned towards emerging markets. While both can offer their own set of perks to a portfolio, those looking at rockier markets have an extra consideration to factor...

The next Budget won't be held until the end of October or early November, but the jungle drums have been beating pretty much since the chancellor sat down after the last Budget in March. There is some chanting alongside the drumming, and you don't have to listen too hard to make out the words 'tax rises'. As the shadow chancellor Mel Stride said in June, we all now face a 'cruel summer of...

As Shares went to print, over 90% of the companies in the S&P 500 index had posted their results for the second quarter with 81% reporting EPS (earnings per share) above consensus estimates according to data from FactSet Insight. If the same proportion of companies has beaten forecasts by the time the last 10% or so of filings are in, it will not only be above the five-year and 10-year...

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first ETF (exchange traded fund) launched on the London Stock Exchange. The ETF market has grown rapidly in the quarter of a century since the first such product ? iShares Core FTSE 100 UCITS (ISF) ? was listed in April 2000. Now the UK markets hosts more than 2,350 ETPs (exchange-traded products) with more than £1 trillion in AUM (assets under...

Intensifying competition in the fast-growing weight-loss market and the threat of tariffs on the pharmaceutical industry have taken a toll on Eli Lilly (LLY:NYSE) whose shares are down 27% over the past six months. Lilly appeared to be pulling ahead of arch rival Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B:CPH) due to the better efficacy of its weekly injectable obesity drug Zepbound. It offers patients the chance...

London stocks edged higher on Wednesday as building expectations for US interest rate cuts buoyed investor confidence, helping the FTSE 100 head towards record levels. Joshua Mahoney, analyst at Rostro, said markets are confident that the Fed will slash rates in the months to come. 'Market pricing for a rate cut at each of the remaining three meetings of 2025 have tipped above the 50% mark,...

The FTSE 100's advance eased going into Wednesday afternoon, as a weaker Brent price hit oil majors, but the mood in equity markets remained optimistic on a growing expectation that the Federal Reserve will cut rates next month. The FTSE 100 index inched up 4.87 points, 0.1%, at 9,152.68. The FTSE 250 added 46.46 points, 0.2%, at 21,889.15, and the AIM All-Share rose 0.55 of a point, 0.1%, at...

First-half revenue up 3% EBITDA growth of 44% Full-year target reiterated William Hill and 888 owner Evoke (EVOK) pleased markets after reporting a fourth consecutive quarter of revenue growth and a big jump in profitability, sending the shares up 4% to 65p. The shares have gained 7% so far in 2025, lagging the 10% advance in the FTSE All-Share index. > More detailed chart Chief executive Per...

Stocks in Europe were higher on Wednesday morning, amid the growing conviction that the Federal Reserve will cut rates at its next meeting, after softer-than-expected US inflation data. The annual US consumer price inflation inflation rate was unchanged at 2.7% in July. This was the same as in June but lower than the FXStreet-cited market consensus of an uptick to 2.8%. Swissquote analyst Ipek...