European stocks opened in the green at the start of the week, boosted by an announcement from China's top leadership which aims to aid the Asian nation's shaky economy.The FTSE 100 index traded up 26.17 points, 0.3%, at 8,334.78. The FTSE 250 was up 36.75 points, 0.2%, at 21,095.75, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.55 points, 0.4%, at 740.77.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.4% higher at 837.24, the Cboe UK 250

The world of fantasy is clearly having a moment. The rise of ?romantasy? authors like Sarah J Maas, who has been a big part of UK publishing outfit Bloomsbury?s (BMY) recent success, have taken the genre out of its previous male-dominated realm to a whole new audience.Bloomsbury?s surging sales and the ongoing phenomenon that is Games Workshop (GAW) are two examples on the UK market which show the

Shares in publishing outfit Bloomsbury Publishing (BMY) hit a record level on 14 February after the firm raised its guidance for the year ending 29 February 2024.Over the past year, Bloomsbury shares have gained 22% and over five years 137% to sit at 536p. The publisher has clearly benefited from the revival of reading which started during the pandemic and the ability to tap into popular genres li

A rally in New York stocks on Friday has read across into stocks opening higher in London on Monday, following a strong US jobs report on Friday.The FTSE 100 index opened up 28.53 points, 0.4%, at 7,644.07. The FTSE 250 was up 39.08 points, 0.2%, at 19,211.72, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.90 of a point, 0.1%, at 755.07.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 764.80, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 16,672.

Deal inked following long hiatusCompanies yet to ?agree creative guidelines?FY24 guidance left unchangedFantasy miniatures-maker Games Workshop?s (GAW) deal with Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) to develop the Warhammer 40,000 universe into films and TV series has been signed at long last.It has been almost a year to the day since the company announced an ?agreement in principle? with the US tech, retail and

In a remarkable turn of events, investors in litigation finance firm Burford Capital (BUR:AIM) have seen their shares rocket from a 12-month low to a two-year high in less than two days of trading.At 4.14pm on 31 March, Burford issued a statement to say the Southern District Court of New York had ruled in favour of its clients in a long-running dispute with the Argentine government.Burford shares

- US judge supports claims by Burford's clients- Case relates to nationalisation of YPF in 2012- Company could take a 40% share of compensationLong-suffering investors in litigation finance provider Burford Capital (BUR:AIM) received an early Easter gift with the news late last week that a US court had decided in the firm's favour in a long-running legal dispute with the Argentinian government.The

- Full-year profit guided to be ahead of expectations- Sales up 18% in second quarter- Warning of second half pressure on marginsHomewares retailer Dunelm (DNLM) continued to deliver the goods on Thursday as it guided for profit in the current financial year to be above expectations.And yet after opening flat the shares traded lower, down 1.5% to £10.58. The fall likely reflects some profit takin

- Video games retailer unveils four-for-one stock split- Investors to get three new shares for each one held - Cynical marketing drive could take advantage of novice investorsFallen meme stock GameStop (GME:NYSE) is pulling out the cheap marketing tricks after announcing four-for-one stock split overnight that will do nothing for the investment proposition.It appears to have worked, in the short-t

What links Tesco (TSCO), Sainsbury (SBRY), Asda, Waitrose, John Lewis, Diageo (DGE), Pret A Manger, Greggs (GRG), Coca-Cola (KO:NYSE), Carlsberg (CARL:CPH) and Budweiser-owner Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD:NYSE)?It might surprise you that it's a £135 million AIM-listed UK technology company based in Guildford. Meet Eagle Eye Solutions (EYE:AIM), an ambitious business which is trying to transform how

Shares were lower and oil prices were elevated again on Tuesday, as Russia stepped up its attack on Ukraine, in defiance of tightening sanctions.Russian forces struck cities in eastern Ukraine and massed armoured vehicles and artillery near the capital Kyiv on Tuesday, as Western powers promised further sanctions to bring down Russia's economy. On the sixth day of Russia's invasion, officials in U

Self-invested personal pensions or SIPPs have become the retirement savings product of choice for investors wanting pensions that offer transparency, control, choice and competitive pricing.key reasons to have a sipp- Tax relief on contributions at your marginal rate of tax- Investments grow free of income and capital gains tax- A quarter of the value of your SIPP fund can be taken tax-free from t

While 2021 has seen investors put Covid in the rear-view mirror, a new threat to businesses has emerged which has put the insurance industry on guard in case it causes a wave of new claims.At the start of March, US software giant Microsoft revealed there were 'vulnerabilities' in its Exchange Server mail and calendar software used by corporate and government data centres.More worrying, the firm ad

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, dividend investors have had a rough old time of it. Quoted company after quoted company has cut or cancelled the shareholder reward.Against this backdrop the investment trust sector has acted as a partial safe haven. Income seekers have long been attracted to investment trusts. Their ability to keep some dividend income aside during good times has helped t

When the latest meeting of the US Federal Open Markets Committee concludes on 18 September chair Jay Powell is widely expected to announce an interest rate cut, according to the CME Fedwatch tool.The only debate concerns whether it will be a quarter-point or half-point reduction from the current level of 2.25%.And yet the US dollar continues to rise despite the huge U-turn in Fed monetary policy a

The latest quarterly re-shuffle of the FTSE 100 threw up few surprises but there were several notable promotions and demotions in the mid-cap FTSE 250.Joining the top flight next quarter as expected are pharmaceutical firm Hikma (HIK), electrical and electronic kit-maker Meggitt (MGGT) and Russian precious metal miner Polymetal (POLY).Making way are under-pressure insurer Direct Line (DLG), out-of

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREBy Stephanie Kelly, Political Economist at Aberdeen Standard InvestmentsWhile governments are striving to tackle key trade, fiscal and political challenges, investors still need to be braced for further tension ahead. From global trade tensions to further Brexit uncertainty, Stephanie Kelly, Political Economist at Aberdeen Standard Investments, examines the factors li

The FTSE100 is nudging higher after a report in the South China Post hinted that the US and China had reached a tentative truce in their on-going trade dispute. The index of the top 100 shares gains three points to 7,419 in early trade.Banks, builders and miners are leading the index, up 0.72%, 0.63% and 0.95% respectively, while tobacco, down 1.2%, and personal goods, down 0.82%, are a drag on th

Last summer, many analysts were wondering whether Turkey was about to pull the rug from under global financial markets. Ankara's currency, the lira, was in free fall as the economy over-heated and found itself over-reliant on foreign capital for funding, via a large current account deficit.A stronger dollar, fuelled by higher US interest rates, was draining away liquidity and the reluctance of Pre

After two years of negotiations US President Donald Trump is coming up against a wall, just not the one he expected. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are blocking his plans to build a physical perimeter between America and Mexico and only agreeing to fund additional security spending in exchange for concessions on immigration.After the five-week government shutdown,