Stock prices in London opened higher on Monday morning, ahead of the US presidential election on Tuesday and the Bank of England's interest rate decision on Thursday. 'Markets are seemingly scaling back some Trump trades,' commented ING analysts, 'and we suspect the next two days can see some abnormal swings in USD crosses due to tighter volatility conditions ahead of a closely contested and hi...

Stocks in London climbed higher at the close on Friday, while the pound rebounded, amid renewed hopes of faster rate cuts in the US following a jobs report. The FTSE 100 index closed up 67.05 points, or 0.8%, at 8,177.15. The FTSE 250 ended up 90.78 points, or 0.5%, at 20,479.74, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.90 points, 0.3%, at 739.00. For the week, the FTSE 100 was down 0.9%, the FTSE 250...

Shares in Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) skyrocketed on Friday morning after its US baby formula business Mead Johnson was cleared of liability in a US trial linking the consumer goods group's premature-baby formula Enfamil to bowel disease. A state court in St Louis, Missouri on 31 October rejected claims that formulas produced by Abbott Laboratories (ABT:NYSE) and Reckitt division Mead Johnson cause...

London's FTSE 100 rallied on Friday, as budget nerves calmed, with investors hoping US nonfarm payrolls will not throw a spanner in the works at the end of an eventful week. The FTSE 100 index traded up 66.55 points, 0.8%, at 8,176.65. The FTSE 250 was up 49.99 points, 0.3%, at 20,438.95, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.38 points, 0.2%, at 738.48. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 820.05, the Cboe...

Challenged online fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO:AIM) has shunned major shareholder Frasers' (FRAS) demand to install Mike Ashley as CEO and appointed internal candidate Dan Finley as its new boss instead. Finley has been running Boohoo's fast-growing online department store Debenhams since 2022 and replaces John Lyttle as group CEO with immediate effect. Shore Capital said the hire has 'box offi...

It was a pretty tough week for US stocks all told as uneven results from the dominant tech sector put indices on the back foot. There is also nervousness ahead of the upcoming US election which remains on a knife edge. In terms of individual stocks, wearable tech brand Garmin (GRMN:NYSE) got hearts racing with third-quarter earnings which beat expectations and also unveiled an improved outlook....

The FTSE 100 in London opened higher on Friday, eating into some of its post-UK budget weakness, while the pound gained some lost ground. Eyes turn state side later, with US jobs data to come, before the Federal Reserve decision next week, and a presidential election on Tuesday. Closer to home, Reckitt shares jumped on a favourable US legal ruling on infant formula. Airlines struggled as oil pr...

Markets closed lower in London on Thursday as analysts warned the UK budget set out by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday may have 'materially changed the inflationary path,' making a Bank of England rate cut unlikely. The FTSE 100 index closed down 49.53 points, or 0.6%, at 8,110.10. The FTSE 250 ended down 305.16 points, or 1.5%, at 20,388.96, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.0%, or 7.4...

European stocks were down heading into Thursday afternoon, as post-budget trade in the UK was characterised by stretching bond yields and largely weaker equities. The prospect of higher for longer UK interest rates as a result supported lenders, but hit retail and housebuilding shares. US stocks are called to open lower, in the aftermath of earnings from Meta and Microsoft, and ahead of US data...

Shares in Facebook-owner Meta Platforms (META:NASDAQ) fell over 4% to $566 in pre-market trading despite the US tech giant beating Wall Street expectations as revenue increased 19% to $40.59 billion for the three months ending 30 September. Net income grew 35% to $15.7 billion from $11.6 billion a year earlier, equating to EPS (earnings per share) of $6.03 versus consensus forecasts of $5.25. H...

Smith & Nephew (SN.) sank to the bottom of the FTSE 100 index, falling 13% to a new six-month low of 956.78p after the knee and hip implants maker lowered full-year revenue growth guidance on China headwinds. The shares are down around 11% for the year, compared with a 5% gain for the blue-chip FTSE 100 index. CEO Deepak Nath commented: 'While the revised outlook reflects the headwinds across o...

Shares in Shell (SHEL) ticked up 1% to £25.15 after the energy giant delivered better-than-expected third-quarter results as headwinds from lower oil prices and weaker refining margins were partially offset by higher gas sales. There was also relief as the oil major reported a quarter-on-quarter decrease in net debt from $38.3 billion (£29.5 billion) to $35.2 billion, held the dividend at 34...

Equities in London were lower on Thursday morning, UK bond yields spiked and the pound was around the $1.30 mark as investor digest Wednesday's budget announcement. Early UK corporate updates were mixed. Shell and Coca-Cola HBC impressed, but Smith & Nephew and Kainos were among those to disappoint. Those reports followed earnings from New York-listed Meta and Microsoft overnight, which similar...