The UK's main indices were mixed at midday on Friday as shares in FTSE 100 water suppliers fell amid analyst downgrades.The FTSE 100 index fell 6.69 points, 0.1%, at 8,342.69. The FTSE 250 rose 37.00 points, 0.2%, at 21,038.06, and the AIM All-Share climbed 1.31 points, 0.2%, at 738.23.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 837.74, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 18,540.25, and the Cboe Small Companies r

Trio of agreements signed with BPBased on decades-long partnershipPotential for four year extensionGlobal oil and gas engineering firm Wood Group (WG.) jumped 10% to 70.2p after signing a trio of global engineering and project delivery agreements with BP (BP.).The positive news gave some respite to the embattled company, which has seen its shares drop by 58% year-to-date.Shares in the FTSE 250 fir

Still some way off 2021's 450p IPO (initial public offering) price, Moonpig's (MOON) shares have rallied 63.5% to 248.9p year-to-date amid debt reduction progress and some reassuring trading updates as it puts the unwind of the Covid sales bump in the rear-view mirror.More recently, the stock surged following a well-received capital markets day (16 October), where the online greeting cards-to-gift

Associated British Foods (ABF)Price: £21.93Market cap: £16.1 billionAs the proverb says, mighty oaks from little acorns grow, and that has certainly been the case for conglomerate Associated British Foods (ABF), which has transformed itself from a single bakery in 1935 to a group of market-leading food and clothing businesses.Best-known for its Primark low-cost fashion stores, which are a featur

First-time buyers hoping to use a Lifetime ISA to buy their first home could be squeezed out of buying a terraced house in more than 50 regions of the UK, new analysis from AJ Bell shows.The government pays a 25% bonus, up to £1,000 a year, into each Lifetime ISA account, which can then be used to buy a first home. But the property cannot cost more than £450,000, with the limit remaining unchang

Stock prices in London softened from earlier highs but market sentiment was still positive heading into Monday afternoon after Donald Trump picked hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as his US Treasury pick.The FTSE 100 index added 15.72 points, 0.2%, at 8,277.80. The FTSE 250 rose 15.80 points, 0.1%, at 20,597.49, and the AIM All-Share rose just 0.31 of a point to 732.51.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2%

Stock prices in Europe opened in the green on Monday as Donald Trump picked hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as the next US Treasury secretary, a 'clear nod' to New York equity markets.Bookending the FTSE 100, meanwhile, were two retail names. JD Sports added 3.5%, recovering after slumped 16% on Thursday and losing another 2.1% on Friday. B&Q owner Kingfisher plunged 11% after trimming the top en

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