Stock prices in London were mildly up after no block in France secured a majority, with the left-wing New Popular Front beating the far right. Amongst individual stocks, Britvic got a boost, after it backed a £3.3 billion takeover offer from Carlsberg. The FTSE 100 index opened up just 1.20 points at 8,205.13. The FTSE 250 was up 36.32 points, 0.2%, at 20,822.97, and the AIM All-Share was up 0...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE James Thom, Investment Manager, abrdn New India Investment Trust plc An unexpected election result saw Modi's BJP lose its majority. The result has created volatility but is unlikely to derail the economic growth trajectory in India. India still has a significant pathway of growth. Indian stock markets have regained some equilibrium after the shock of the Gen...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Charles Luke, Investment Manager, Murray Income Trust PLC Retirement is getting longer, and retirees have more ambitions for their later years A longer retirement means greater risks from inflation A well-constructed stock market portfolio can be the key ingredient to preserve wealth Many people in their sixties today can expect to enjoy 20 years or more in r...

Blue chips faded into the close on Friday but the FTSE 250 held its glow as UK financial markets reacted to the election of a Labour government. The FTSE 100 index closed down 37.33 points, or 0.5%, at 8,203.93. The FTSE 250 ended up 176.31 points, or 0.9%, at 20,786.65, while the AIM All-Share closed up 4.97 points, or 0.7%, at 774.39. For the week, the FTSE 100 added 0.5%, the FTSE 250 climbe...

Stock prices in London were in the green at midday Friday, as Labour won their first general election since 2005, with party leader Keir Starmer set to become prime minister shortly. There are just two seats to go, with Labour so far scoring a landslide of 412 seats. The FTSE 100 index was up 6.08 points, 0.1%, at 8,247.34. The FTSE 250 was up 224.64 points, 1.1%, at 20,834.98, and the AIM All-...

US stocks continued to power to new highs in a shortened 4th July Independence Day holiday, led by a strong performance from Nasdaq-listed names. The Nasdaq Composite rallied almost 2% while the benchmark S&P 500 scaled new highs of 5,537, taking the index's year-to-date gain close to 17%, or around 800 points, where it began 2024. A speech by Fed chair Jerome Powell at a central bank monetary...

Oil major Shell (SHEL) presented an updated second-quarter outlook which contained few changes to its production forecasts but signalled its renewables unit would make a considerable loss. The shares, which have outperformed the FTSE 100 index with a gain year-to-date of 12.6%, traded sideways at £28.92 as investors focused instead on the outcome of the general election. QUESTIONS OVER RENEWAB...

Stock prices in London where in the green on Friday morning as investors digested the landslide Labour victory in the general election ending 14 years of Tory rule. Labour's Keir Starmer is set to be the next Prime Minister after the party's election victory overnight. Later on Friday, markets in New York will reopen after being closed for Independence Day. Investors will be eyeing this month's...

Stocks in London closed mostly higher on Thursday as investors awaited the outcome of the UK general election. Pollsters currently have Labour waking up to a majority, marking the first time that the party has been in power since 2010. The FTSE 100 index closed up 70.14 points, or 0.9%, at 8,241.26. The FTSE 250 ended up 80.92 points, or 0.4%, at 20,610.34, while the AIM All-Share closed fracti...

Less than two weeks after the company issued a damaging profit warning, Steve Hatch, CEO of international online research and data analytics group YouGov (YOU:AIM) bought 41,247 shares at 412p in a trade with a total value of £169,938 on 1 July. Shares plummeted on the day of YouGov's warning (20 June). Year-to-date shares have fallen 65%. GB GROUP DIRECTOR BUYS 20,000 SHARES Dev Dhiman, CEO o...

Stock prices in London were higher at midday Thursday, as voters continue to turn out at poll stations to deliver what is expected to be a general election victory for the Labour party for the first time since 2005. The FTSE 100 index was up 66.66 points, or 0.8%, at 8,237.46. The FTSE 250 was up 41.98 points, or 0.2%, at 20,571.24, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.67 points, or 0.1%, at 770.79....

In an interesting turn of events, after a couple of years 'in the wilderness', investments trusts seem to have come back into favour as an asset class this year according to data from the AIC (Association of Investment Companies). In the six months to the end of June, the average trust returned 8% compared with 5.6% for the FTSE 100 large-cap index and 4% for the FTSE mid-cap index. 'After two...