Stocks in London were mostly in the red at Thursday midday, as the Bank of England left its key rates unchanged at 4.25%. Quilter analyst Lindsay James said: 'Events of recent weeks means all hopes of the Bank of England moving faster to cut interest rates have been extinguished. As such, it comes as very little surprise that the Monetary Policy Committee has chosen to hold rates at 4.25%....

Merger creates biggest European trust Net assets to exceed £2.1 billion Reduced ongoing annual charges Yet another investment trust has thrown in the towel with Henderson European Trust (HET) set to merge into Fidelity European Trust (FEV) via a combination which will create the 'go-to' UK-listed European trust with net assets north of £2.1 billion. The deal continues the trend of...

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were mostly lower on Thursday morning, while oil majors' shares climbed amid continued Middle East tensions, as investors await the Bank of England's interest rate decision at noon. In global news, the United Nations Security Council will convene Friday to discuss the ongoing war between Israel and Iran, council president Guyana said. Following a...

Equity investors have used defence stocks to go on the offensive in recent months as geopolitical tensions flare and governments around the world reappraise their national and international security spending. This year, four of the 10 best performing FTSE 350 stocks come from the defence industry, while a similar story is playing out across US and European stock markets, a response to...

NextEnergy Solar (NESF) 71p Market cap: £324 million Specialist solar energy and energy storage fund NextEnergy Solar (NESN) is one the biggest yielders in the FTSE 350 index offering a prospective yield of nearly 12%. Often a double-digit yield is a warning signal of a looming dividend cut but there are reasons to think that is not the case here. Since listing on the market in 2014, the...

After drifting steadily lower for the last five years, it looks as though the FTSE 350 Household Goods & Housebuilders index has turned the corner this year. Admittedly, sentiment took a big hit from the MJ Gleeson (GLE) profit warning on 3 June, but it recovered a week later thanks to an upbeat report from rival builder Bellway (BWY) on 10 June. Gleeson blamed 'headwinds' in the new-build...

There's a quiet re-rating going on in the UK stock market which suggests investors are slowly waking up to the bounty of value opportunities. The non-stop takeover action was the biggest clue as to prizes up for grabs, given bids are still coming thick and fast. Trade buyers and private equity companies have been taking advantage of cheap valuations for multiple years, and now retail and...

To ordinary investors, it might seem like almost every investment fund under the sun is focused on high-quality companies and stocks. A long track record of superior returns, check. Deep moats and competitive advantages, check. A sustainable and long-run growth path ahead, check. High returns on investment, above average margins, pricing power, etc. When you talk to as many fund managers as we...

Oil prices are back at levels last seen in January thanks to escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. This is an unpredictable and fast-moving situation which could have implications for the performance of the FTSE 100, inflation and much more besides. Prior to the exchange of missiles between the two countries, oil was trading at multi-year lows thanks to concerns over global demand as...

After nearly two decades of interviewing executives from businesses across the market cap scale from minnows to FTSE 100 firms you get a sense when someone is looking to ramp up their prospects beyond any level of credibility to inflate their share price and when someone is prepared to let the story speak for itself. There's nothing wrong with being an enthusiastic advocate for your business...

Haleon (HLN) 390.9p Market cap: £35.6 billion Geopolitical turbulence and Donald Trump's tariffs mean uncertainties abound for investors, with the outlook for global markets and economies likely to remain unclear for some time to come. Given this backdrop, savvy portfolio builders should increase their exposure to high-quality, cash-generative large-caps whose earnings have a defensive bent....

Stocks in London posted modest gains on Wednesday, with focus split between rate decisions from the Bank of England and the US Federal Reserve, and continued volatility in markets due to Middle East tensions. The FTSE 100 index closed up 9.44 points, 0.1%, at 8,843.47. The FTSE 250 ended 53.21 points higher, 0.3%, at 21,290.26, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.71 points, 0.4%, at 763.36. The Cboe...

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were mostly in the red at Wednesday midday, ahead of weekly US jobless data to come shortly and a US interest rate decision later. Also, the Bank of England's interest rate call approaches on Thursday. 'Interest rate decisions don't seem to be getting any easier,' commented AJ Bell's Laith Khalaf. 'The escalation of conflict in the Middle East has...

Full-year return of 7.5% Equity exposure increased Gold exposure reduced Capital preservation trust Personal Assets (PNL) delivered a total return in NAV (net asset value) per share of 7.5% in the year to 30 April, in line with the FTSE All-Share, despite maintaining a low equity exposure and high liquidity. The shares nudged up 0.5% to 515p and are ahead by around 6% over the last year...

Record annual profits Mobile business drags on earnings Flat profits forecast this year Online electricals retailer AO World (AO.) delivered an impressive surge in annual profits driven by outstanding customer service, growth in its membership scheme and a focus on cost-cutting and restructuring. Backed by Mike Ashley's Frasers (FRAS), the Bolton-headquartered white goods seller said it...

Stocks in London opened mostly higher on Wednesday as investors await several US data releases, with the Federal Reserve expected to announce no change to interest rates. Meanwhile in the UK, consumer prices rose 0.2% on a monthly basis in May, slowing from 1.2% in April and in line with FXStreet-cited consensus. Annually, consumer price inflation came in at 3.4% against 3.5% on-year growth...

Stocks in London ended lower on Tuesday as fading hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East and weak US retail sales data dented investor confidence. 'Middle East tensions are showing no signs of easing back, putting investors on high alert,' commented Russ Mould at AJ Bell. The FTSE 100 index closed down 41.19 points, 0.5%, at 8,834.03. The FTSE 250 ended 46.97 points lower, 0.2%, at...

Second year of falling profits Record rental revenue Strong free cash flow Equipment hire group Ashtead (AHT) reported a 7% drop in operating profit for the year to April, despite clocking up record rental revenue of $9.98 billion, due to lower utilisation rates and second-hand equipment sales. Shares in the FTSE 100 company fell in morning trading, before edging higher at lunchtime, although...

Stock prices in Europe continued to be in the red at midday Tuesday, with oil majors one of the companies offering a small boost to their indices amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, as the price of Brent oil rises. The FTSE 100 index was down 41.02 points, 0.5%, at 8,834.20. The FTSE 250 was down 61.70 points, 0.3%, at 21,222.32, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.22 points, 0.2%,...

Fit Out activity tops forecasts Construction unit also ahead Shares hit new all-time high Infrastructure and construction services group Morgan Sindall (MGNS) continues to exceed expectations, with the firm revealing today trading since the start of May has been better than forecast. The shares gained 550p or 14% to a new all-time high of £43.90, sending them to the top of the FTSE 250 leader...