Stock prices in London were in the green at midday, as investors awaited the next interest rate call from the European Central Bank, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted leaders from across Europe at a summit.The FTSE 100 index was up 59.33 points, or 0.7%, at 8,246.78. The FTSE 250 was up 151.37 points, or 0.7%, at 21,244.71, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.77 points, or 0.4%, at 789.57.The

The biggest brands often draw in investors who believe these giants of industry are surefire winners on the stock market. Nike (NKE:NYSE) has shown that brand achievements do not always equate to strong earnings and this is a lesson worth remembering if brand strength has ever influenced investment decisions.Nike has taken its eye off the ball in the sporting shoes market. Two sets of rivals have

Short-term concerns over slower growth in the US, where the consumer is feeling the inflationary pinch, and the potential negative long-term impact of anti-obesity drugs on demand for sugary snacks and drinks mean PepsiCo's (PEP:NASDAQ) shares have lacked fizz over the past year.As such, investors will be hoping the food and beverage giant can maintain full year 2024 guidance for 'at least' 4% org

With investors biding time until Friday's US Federal Reserve preferred inflation gauge, shares in London mostly fell on Thursday.Thursday also marks a week until the UK heads to the polls. Two opinion polls published in the past 24 hours see Labour taking the lead, with Conservatives taking second place and Reform coming in third.Amongst individual stocks, DS Smith shot up, but failed to take the

JPMorgan Global Core Real Assets(JARA) 74pMarket Cap: £154.4 millionIt has been a rough couple of years for shareholders in long-duration assets as rising interest rates have sent them to deep NAV (net asset value) discounts.With central banks signaling the end of the rate-hiking cycle and inflation heading back down, former headwinds are now set to turn into tailwinds.!function(){"use strict";wi

It can seem daunting to know where to start when making a first investment which may deter some people from starting at all. This would be a mistake because the sooner a start is made, the longer an investment is allowed to mature and provide capital gains and dividends.Waiting just a few years can reduce the potential saving pot over the long term. For example, assuming an investment of £100 a m

Stock prices in London closed in the red on Friday, after investors were left to mull over mixed local economic data which painted a conflicting picture of the economy.The FTSE 100 index closed down 34.74 points, 0.4%, at 8,237.72. The FTSE 250 ended down 56.37 points, 0.3%, at 20,442.35, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.19 of a point at 772.57.Over the last five days, the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 2

The US's Alternative Energy has walked away from any dealXP Power shares trading at near 15-year lowsDavy says 'significant shareholder value can be created from a standalone XPP'Electronics engineer XP Power (XPP) saw its share price plunge nearly 18% in trading on Tuesday (18 Jun), leaving the stock more than 40% lower over the past 12 months.Having been marred by slowing orders late last year,

Staying on top of fundamental developments for companies in your portfolio can seem like a daunting task. Share prices can be volatile around earnings reports and trading updates, so getting to grips with what has happened and why is an important part of successfully managing investments.This feature reveals three simple steps to demystifying a typical earnings report and getting a good steer on w

A disappointing economic performance as it exited zero-Covid policies, a property crash in 2023 and ongoing geopolitical tensions with the US over Taiwan have caused some investors to lose faith in investing in China in the last couple of years.In terms of ETFs, this has meant investors turning their attention to emerging market funds which specifically exclude the world's second-largest economy f

'Quality investing' is the style pursued by the world's most famous investor Warren Buffett and Terry Smith, arguably the best-known British fund manager who runs the five-star Morningstar-rated Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) and consistently favours quality firms. Quality investing has generated strong long-run returns for its practitioners, including Buffett, but how do the leading fund managers off

European shares fell again on Tuesday, as a tricky start to the week continued in the wake of elections on the continent over the weekend, while stocks in New York were mostly lower on the eve of the next US central bank decision.The FTSE 100 index ended down 80.67 points, 1.0%, at 8,147.81. The FTSE 250 fell 179.19 points, 0.9%, at 20,266.85, and the AIM All-Share closed 6.77 points lower, 0.9%,

Stocks in London fell on Friday at midday despite a positive outlook from the CBI for the UK economy, ahead of a US jobs report reading.The FTSE 100 index was down 47.62 points, 0.6%, at 8,237.71. The FTSE 250 was down 105.46 points, 0.5%, at 20,610.42, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.27 points, 0.3%, at 794.27.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.6% at 821.06, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.6% at 18,031.68, a

On 23 May, power network operator National Grid (NG.) announced a bumper £7 billion fundraise to help finance a five-year £60 billion investment plan.Known as a 'rights issue', the exercise involves shareholders making a decision whether or not to buy discounted shares in the group.As is the case for most major rights issues, National Grid's fundraise is fully underwritten by banks, in this case

Equity prices in London ended higher on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 snapping a six-day losing streak, though there was nervy trade in New York ahead of the release of a key US inflation gauge on Friday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 47.98 points, 0.6%, at 8,231.05. The FTSE 250 surged 234.53 points, 1.2%, at 20,670.87, and the AIM All-Share ended up 2.42 points, 0.3%, at 802.69.The Cboe UK 100 ended

It is 10 years since the board of AstraZeneca (AZN) rejected a cash and share takeover proposal from US rival Pfizer (PFE:NYSE) worth £53.50 per share on the grounds the price did not reflect the true value of the business.Since rejecting the offer, AstraZeneca's shares have appreciated three-fold while Pfizer's shares are trading 5% below where they were trading a decade ago.Credit must be given

Nightcap proposal rejectedExisting fundraising and restructuring plan preferredRevolution open to further offers after recapitalisationEmbattled premium nightclub operator Revolution Bars (RBG:AIM) has rejected a proposal from Nightcap (NGHT:AIM) so it can proceed with its existing £12.5 million fundraising and restructuring plans.The board said diverting from its intended course to deliver the a

European equities started Tuesday in a muted fashion, following unconvincing trade from Asia.The FTSE 100 index opened down 29.22 points, 0.4%, at 8,394.98. The FTSE 250 was down 86.45 points, 0.4%, at 20,786.88. The AIM All-Share fell 2.67 points, 0.3%, at 807.27.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 837.69, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.3%, trading at 18,205.44, and the Cboe Small Companies was largely

Copper is already one of the most important materials underpinning human civilisation, and the energy transition is only likely to see demand for the industrial metal build in the years to come.Limits and pressures on supply and this growing demand profile are already seeing copper prices mount a charge and recent M&A activity ? with BHP's (BHP) unsuccessful (for now) attempt to take over Anglo Am

Stocks in London kicked off at a more tepid level on Monday following a week of all-time highs, balanced by success at Diploma and a downturn at BAE Systems, as investors await Wednesday?s US inflation data.The FTSE 100 index opened up 9.34 points, 0.1%, at 8,441.86. The FTSE 250 was up 14.63 points, 0.1%, at 20,660.01, and the AIM All-Share was up 4.37 points, 0.1%, at 4,590.66.The Cboe UK 100 wa