Stamp duty changes announced in the Budget mean that from April 2025 buyers will face higher costs when buying a home ? with first-time buyers hit the hardest.The ending of a temporary stamp duty cut means that the tax will rise next year. This measure, originally introduced by former prime minister Liz Truss to boost the housing market, will end on 31 March 2025. The most significant impact will

Q3 sales and profit beatFull year profit guidance raisedNew $5 billion share buybackLeading gaming and betting firm Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) jumped 4% to an all-time high of £201 after revealing third quarter earnings ahead of analysts' expectations, raising guidance and announcing a $5 billion share buyback.The shares have surged 46% this year, trouncing Ladbrokes owner Entain (ENT) and Will

The FTSE 100 made a tepid start to the week on Monday, ending just about in the green and falling below earlier highs, as caution prevailed ahead of the US presidential election.The FTSE 100 index closed up 7.09 points, or 0.1%, at 8,184.24. The FTSE 250 ended down 18.45 points, or 0.1%, at 20,461.29, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.63 points, 0.5%, at 735.37.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 8

Stocks in London closed lower on Friday, as a car finance probe weighed on the shares of Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays and Close Brothers.The FTSE 100 index closed down 19.13 points, 0.3%, at 8,248.84. The FTSE 250 ended up 29.36 points, or 0.1%, at 20,819.91, and the AIM All-Share lost 3.02 points, 0.4%, at 722.67.The Cboe UK 100 closed down 0.3% at 826.07 on Friday, the Cboe UK 250 ended down 0

London's blue chip index was in the green while its European peers were in the red, following better-than-expected consumer price index inflation data, with on-year CPI falling below the 2% target in September.The FTSE 100 index was up 46.02 points, or 0.6%, at 8,295.30. The FTSE 250 was up 95.54 points, or 0.5%, at 20,889.98, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.34 points, or 0.2%, at 735.20.The Cboe U

Another year of above-average returns58th consecutive year of dividend growthLower annual feesThe popular City of London (CTY) investment trust delivered another year of outperformance and dividend growth, marking 58 consecutive years of increases, the longest record in the AIC's (Association of Investment Companies) list of Dividend Heroes.The shares traded down 1.65p or 0.37% to 439.9p, but are

Solid first four months90% of annual earnings in the bagBerkeley supports planning system changesHigh-end housebuilder Berkeley (BKG) welcomed planning reforms proposed by the new UK government as the FTSE 100 company assured investors it is 'on target' to meet recently upgraded earnings guidance for the year ending 30 April 2025.The London-focused property developer and housebuilder said 'trading

Some years ago, a UK technology supplier listed in London was quietly acquired by defence contractor BAE Systems (BA.). The £538 million buyout price was small, yet Detica, as it was called, had developed a reputation for providing its services to international militaries and intelligence communities, including GCHQ, the UK's national intelligence centre.The nature of its hush-hush work often put

Budapest-based low-cost airline Wizz Air (WIZZ) posted (1 August) a slight increase in revenue to €1.26 billion for the quarter to the end of June, but higher operating and finance costs plus a foreign exchange loss sent it into deficit for the period.The shares slumped as much as 380p or 20%, the most since the early days of the pandemic, as investors headed for the exits.The airline cut its

First-half losses increaseKeeps full-year turnover target€150 million share buybackShares in Just Eat Takeaway.com (JET) were off to a flying start in morning trading gaining 10% from a multi-year low to £10.04 despite the food delivery business posting a slight dip in first-half sales and a bigger loss.Investors were encouraged instead by the firm sticking to its full-year turnover target a

Stocks in Europe traded higher on Wednesday morning amid a slew of corporate earnings and a rise in oil prices, after the Bank of Japan raised its main interest rate and before the Federal Reserve's decision later.The FTSE 100 index shot up 93.67 points, or 1.1%, at 8,368.08 on Wednesday morning. But the FTSE 250 rose 194.53 points, 0.9%, at 21,627.04, while the AIM All-Share added 3.72 points, 0.

The FTSE 100 closed in the red on Tuesday, underperforming against its European peers, as investors wait for three major interest rate decisions.The FTSE 250, however, got a boost. St James's Place took the spotlight, soaring 25%.The FTSE 100 index closed down 17.94 points, 0.2%, at 8,274.41. The FTSE 250 ended up 180.44 points, 0.9%, at 21,432.51, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.84 of a point,

There has never been a better time to be an income investor in UK equities, as payouts for the period from April to June hit an all-time quarterly record of £36.7 billion according to the latest Dividend Monitor from Computershare.Most of the increase was thanks to one-off special dividends, leaving the underlying growth rate at just 1%, but for those clipping the coupons or reinvesting the incom

Deal priced at a 53% premiumNews caps stunning Ascential returns this yearStrong strategic logic behind takeoverAfter a remarkable start to the year in terms of shareholder returns, investors in events and analysis firm Ascential (ASCL) woke to the news today that the board had agreed a £1.2 billion conditional bid for the company from rival Informa (INF).Ascential shares jumped 116p or 26% to 56

Stock prices in London opened largely in the green on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 registering a solid gain before an expected Bank of England rate hold in the early afternoon.There was a slew of M&A updates in early UK corporate news, adding some excitement before Threadneedle Street takes centre-stage.The FTSE 100 index traded 22.16 points higher, 0.3%, at 8,227.27. The FTSE 250 was up 65.85 poin

Blue chips in London outperformed European peers as investors weighed up inflation data and looked ahead to Thursday's interest rate decision by the Bank of England.The FTSE 100 index closed up 13.82 points, 0.2%, at 8,205.11. The FTSE 250 ended down 28.88 points, 0.1%, at 20,381.05, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.82 of a point, 0.1%, at 777.50.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 816.25, the Cboe

Annual profit better than fearedFY25 profit guidance upped by 5%Berkeley branches out into Build to RentHigh-end housebuilder Berkeley (BKG) has upgraded its full-year 2025 pre-tax profit guidance after delivering a resilient performance last year despite the 'challenging and volatile' market backcloth.The FTSE 100 builder also flagged signs that the housing market outlook is improving with inflat

Profit seen missing forecastsIssues are company-specificAnalysts set to cut estimatesSpecialist engineering firm Spectris (SXS) confirmed the sceptics' view of the company by lowering its full-year operating profit forecast to 'at or below' the bottom end of the consensus.The shares slumped 450p or 14% at the open to a 12-month low of £27.50 before recovering to £29.50 for a loss of 8% in mid-mo

Rentokil shares have laggedNelson Peltz a top-10 investorFirm can't grow its earningsPest control and hygiene firm Rentokil (RTO) has been one of the worst-performing stocks in the FTSE 100 this year, so it is no great surprise talk is circulating of an activist investor taking an interest in the business.Shares in the group jumped as much as 68p or 15% to 482p shortly after the open and were stil

Stock prices in Europe were lower at midday Monday, as investors digested the results of the EU election, which saw a rise in support for right-wing parties.The FTSE 100 index was down 23.67 points, 0.3%, at 8,221.70. The FTSE 250 was down 66.99 points, 0.3%, at 20,488.38, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.26 points, 0.5%, at 789.27.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 819.76, the Cboe UK 250 was down