London stocks closed higher on Tuesday's shortened trading day, buoyed by gains in the retail and mining sectors, while Windward surged 42% following a takeover bid from FTV VIII LP.The FTSE 100 index closed up 34.27 points, 0.4%, at 8,136.99. The FTSE 250 ended up 152.42 points, 0.8%, at 20,571.51, and the AIM All-Share closed up 4.96 points, 0.7%, at 717.40.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 816.2

UK water firms had their gains pulled back by Friday's close following yesterday's Ofwat induced bump, as Trump threatened the EU with tariff's if it failed to address its trading deficit.The FTSE 100 index closed down 12.67 points, 0.2%, at 8,092.65. The FTSE 250 ended up 31.24 points, 0.2%, at 20,430.62, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.1, or 0.73 of a point, at 711.05.The Cboe UK 100 ended d

Ocado still the number one shortRetailers in general unlovedEnergy services stocks drilledShort-selling, or borrowing shares to sell in the hope of buying them back at a lower price, is not something most retail investors have the nerve or the skill-set to pull off as it requires a certain mindset and a willingness to tolerate heavy losses on occasion until your bets come right.For the pros, howev

Specialist business services firm FRP Advisory (FRP:AIM) is one of those businesses which many investors may have heard of but few are sure exactly what it does.Put simply, FRP helps companies through each stage of their development, giving advice on raising capital, managing debt, acquisitions, corporate finance and forensic accounting. It is probably best-known for 'crisis management' where it h

Few doubt that 2025 will be another huge year for AI, but when looking for interesting investment opportunities, investors can sometimes allow details to obscure the bigger picture. In our view, Alphabet (GOOG:NASDAQ) remains an outstanding growth business with strong AI levers to pull, currently trading a large discount to other 'Magnificent Seven' stocks.This valuation gap will, we believe, narr

Alcoholic drinks outfit Diageo (DGE) has endured a rough period of late, partly thanks to problems of its own making. We think that has put the valuation in a place where, if there are signs the business is getting its act together, the shares can deliver significant upside for investors in 2025.Unless there is evidence of improved performance soon then activist investors could be tempted to join

The Nasdaq Composite index closed at a record high in mid-December as tech continued to drive returns ahead of the last Federal Reserve policy meeting of the year.Having recently smashed through the 20,000 mark, the index closed at 20,173.89 on 16 December, boosted by sharp jumps for Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) and chipmaker Broadcom (AVGO:NASDAQ).The Nasdaq 100 also closed at an all-time high 22,096.66.B

Pubs group JD Wetherspoon's (JDW) value credentials continue to shine through. According to fund manager Anna Farmbrough at Ninety One the company has doubled its average price advantage over competitors to 40% since the pandemic.Farmbrough notes that a few years ago there were three pubs in her local area while today there is just a single Wetherspoons, demonstrating its ability to benefit as con

Strange as it may sound, the pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the auction industry as it forced firms to join the 21st century and offer an online service.Whereas previously many small auction houses were limited to the number of buyers they could accommodate due to lack of physical space, today they can not only tap into their local market but a whole army of online punters at

Credit/debit card firm has $3.9 billion of previous scheme to investS&P 500 companies on track for record buybacks yearMastercard shares have rallied 26% in 2024The board of Mastercard (MA:NYSE) has approved a new share buyback scheme worth $12 billion of its Class A shares, about 1.3% of its total share capital.Mastercard, one half of the world's debit and credit card duopoly with Visa (V:NYSE),

Stocks in London were in the green on Wednesday morning, as investors prepare for eurozone inflation data and the US interest rate decision this afternoon.UK consumer price inflation and producer price inflation data came out before the London open.According to the Office for National Statistics, the consumer prices index rose by 2.6% in the 12 months to November, picking up pace on-month from a 2

European stocks were down at midday in London, as new economic data from China showed continued sluggish domestic consumption.China's retail sales growth weakened last month, official data showed on Monday, missing forecasts as demand remains muted in the world's number two economy. Retail sales expanded 3% year-on-year in November, the National Bureau of Statistics said, slowing from a 4.8% rise

Stock prices in Europe were mostly lower on Monday morning, as UK consumer confidence deteriorated while France's credit rating received a downgrade from Moody's.China's retail sales growth weakened last month, missing forecasts as demand remains muted in the world's number two economy.Retail sales expanded 3% year-on-year in November, the National Bureau of Statistics said, slowing from a 4.8% ri

Stocks in Europe were mixed on Thursday midday ahead of an interest rate decision by the European Central Bank, while New York's Nasdaq Composite is set to ease after storming above the 20,000 point mark.The FTSE 100 index traded up 12.99 points, 0.2%, at 8,314.61. The FTSE 250 tread water. It was down just 0.53 points at 20,972.92. And the AIM All-Share was up 2.74 points, 0.4%, at 740.28.The Cbo

Predicting what will happen to the global economy and markets over the next 12 months is hard enough at the best of times, but with Trump's election victory on 5 November that job has become even more difficult.As Deutsche Bank's head of global economics and thematics Jim Reid put it, the outlook is no longer 'business as usual' which opens up a much wider range of potential outcomes for the globa

VT Argonaut Absolute Return Fund(B79NKW0) 356.4pFunds under management: £212 millionWith stock markets trading close to highs, rising geopolitical risks and uncertainties over a Trump administration, investors are understandably concerned about increasing stock market volatility.A great way of playing both the upside and downside potential is to invest in the VT Argonaut Absolute Return Fund (B79

It's ingrained in us as investors that the best way to get superior, risk-adjusted long-term returns is to distance ourselves from the crowd and seek out value.That approach has always needed courage and patience, and 2024 has proved to be a particularly fierce test of this discipline for the simple reason that what worked last year worked well again this year.It did so because the consensus macro

Vaping and e-cigs lift second halfShares gain 28% year-to-dateShrugs off pressure around regulationShares in British American Tobacco (BATS) gained ground, adding 19p or 0.6% to £29.88 as the global tobacco firm said it was on track to deliver for full year 2024 in line with its previous guidance. STEADY PROGRESS, SUSTAINABLE RETURNSThe company behind brands like Dunhill, Kent, and Lucky S

Blue-chip stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt opened lower on Wednesday ahead of a Canadian interest rate decision and consumer price index inflation data from the US.The FTSE 100 index traded down 27.16 points, 0.3%, at 8,253.20. The FTSE 250 was down 79.67 points, 0.4%, at 20,894.27, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.58 of a point, 0.1%, at 736.99.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.4% lower at 828.28, the C

UK indices slipped into the red on Tuesday as the London exodus continues, with Ashtead unveiling plans to shift its primary listing to the US.The FTSE 100 index closed down 71.72 points, 0.9%, at 8,280.36. The FTSE 250 ended down 75.33 points, 0.4%, at 20,973.94, and the AIM All-Share shed 3.28 points, 0.4%, at 737.57.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.8% at 831.35, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.5% at