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...

Both insurers beat 1H forecasts Dividends also better than hoped Shares up 35% and 45% this year After the disappointment of Beazley (BEZ) cutting its growth forecast yesterday (13 August), it was a good day for investors in insurers Admiral (ADM) and Aviva (AV.) with both firms posting positive updates and raising their dividends more than expected. Admiral shares climbed 250p or 7.5% to...

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...

Amid the understandable hand-wringing about the future of the UK market, the addition of a new company which could soon be joining the ranks of the FTSE 100 has rather slipped under the radar. Greek outfit Metlen Energy & Metals (MTLN) moved its primary listing from Athens to London at the beginning of this month (4 August). It appears some investors at least are cottoning on to the potential...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

Premium growth forecast lowered Through-the-cycle profit the priority Shares were trading at life-high Investors are usually supportive of Beazley's (BEZ) cautious approach to delivering growth through the insurance cycle, which explains why the shares have been trading at record highs, but on this occasion they seem to have taken exception to the firm's decision to rein in expectations. The...

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...

London stocks rounded off the day mixed on Tuesday, as investors weighed news of a US-China tariff truce extension and steady US inflation numbers. The FTSE 100 index closed up 18.10 points, 0.2%, at 9,147.81. The FTSE 250 ended 46.80 points lower, 0.2%, at 21,842.69, while the AIM All-Share finished up 1.06 points, 0.1%, at 759.27. The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 915.84, the Cboe UK 250...

Stocks in Europe were mostly higher on Tuesday midday ahead of US consumer price index data, as investors breathed a sigh of relief after a trade truce extension between the US and China. As part of their May truce, fresh US tariffs targeting China were reduced to 30% and the corresponding level from China was cut to 10%. Those rates will now hold until November ? or whenever a deal is cut...

Better than expected H1 Full-year outlook increased Shares up with events Global sports betting and gaming group Entain (ENT) reported double-digit increases in both net gaming revenue and profit for the first half of 2025, comfortably beating consensus estimates, and raised its full-year guidance. However, shares in the Ladbrokes and Coral brands owner have had a strong run leading into the...

Double-digit increase in volumes Prices also higher than last year Firm 'well positioned for growth' For the second time this year, Bellway (BWY) has ridden to the rescue to alleviate some of the gloomy sentiment around the housebuilding sector with positive news on sales and reservations. The shares, which were trading just shy of £30 in July but have been languishing below the £25 mark...

Stock prices in Europe were mostly higher on Tuesday morning amid an extension of the US-China trade truce, while investors await US consumer price index inflation data and digest a UK unemployment reading. The FTSE 100 index traded up 21.34 points, 0.2%, at 9,151.05. The FTSE 250 added 51.59 points, 0.2%, at 21,941.08, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.44 points, 0.3%, at 760.65. The Cboe UK 100...

London stocks ended mostly lower on Monday, although the FTSE 100 surpassed its European peers ahead of UK jobs data and US inflation. Also, markets currently appear 'very relaxed' ahead of the deadline for US-China trade talks. The FTSE 100 index closed up 33.98 points, 0.4%, at 9,129.71. The FTSE 250 ended 69.06 points lower, 0.3%, at 21,889.49, while the AIM All-Share finished down 4.25...