Both sterling and London's blue chip index were up at Monday's close amid reports indicating a potential delay in Donald Trump's tariff policy.The FTSE 100 index rose 15.32 points, 0.2%, at 8,520.54. It had earlier reached a new intra-day high of 8,548.59.The FTSE 250 ended 110.68 points lower, 0.5%, at 20,486.74, and the AIM All-Share shed 0.78 of a point, 0.1%, at 718.29.The Cboe UK 100 ended up

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were higher on Friday morning despite underperforming UK retail sales, with miners boosting the FTSE 100 on the back of economic growth data from China.UK retail sales volumes decreased 0.3% month-on-month in December, worsening from 0.1% growth in November and falling far short of the FXStreet-cited market consensus of 0.4% growth.On an annual basis, re

The number of companies on London's AIM market worth more than £1 billion has hit a nine-year low. A mere six stocks were worth more than £1 billion at the end of November 2024 compared with 30 at the end of 2021.From those 30 companies and excluding those still worth more than £1 billion, seven have disappeared through takeovers, three have moved to the Main Market, and the rest have fallen be

The wildfires which seemingly came out of nowhere and have devastated large communities in the Los Angeles area, destroying more than ten thousand properties, are reckoned to have caused total damage approaching $250 billion according to forecasting service Accuweather.That would be equal to around 4% of California's annual GDP and would make this one of the costliest natural disasters in US histo

Stock prices in London were in the green at midday Wednesday, as investors cheered lower-than-expected consumer price index inflation, ahead of US consumer price index inflation data.The consumer price index in the UK rose 2.5% in December from a year before, slowing from a 2.6% annual increase in November. The FXStreet-cited market consensus had expected inflation to pick up to 2.7%.'A surprise p

The FTSE 100 closed lower on Monday, but above early lows, as bond yields continued to creep up and analysts predicted the end of the US rate cutting cycle.The FTSE 100 index closed down 24.30 points, 0.3%, at 8,224.19. The blue-chip index had fallen as low as 8,192.31.The FTSE 250 ended 15.57 points lower, 0.1%, at 19,718.37, and the AIM All-Share shed 3.99 points, 0.6%, at 709.39.The Cboe UK 100

Brent crude hits $80 per barrelIAG shares down 3% to 304pEasyJet shares down 2% to 495pAirline stocks took a turn for the worse in morning trading on Monday (13 Jan) as Brent crude hit $80 per barrel ? a four month high ? driven by wider US sanctions on Russian oil and the expected effects on exports to top buyers China and India.Brent crude rose $1.68 or 2.1% per barrel to $81.44 after hitting th

Stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt made a slow start to the day on Friday morning, while FTSE 100-listed grocer Sainsbury's fell despite celebrating a bumper Christmas period.The FTSE 100 index opened down just 0.55 of a point at 8,319.14. The FTSE 250 was up just 9.28 points at 20,014.42, and the AIM All-Share lost only 0.23 of a point to sit at 719.76.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 833.21, th

Key UK retailers ended Thursday firmly in the red but calmer bond markets and rising commodity prices helped keep blue-chip stocks in the green.The FTSE 100 index ended up 68.66 points, 0.8%, at 8,319.69. The FTSE 250 climbed 52.90 points, 0.3%, at 20,005.14, bouncing from an intra-day low of 19,733.12. The AIM All-Share ended down 0.15 of a point, 0.1%, at 719.96.The Cboe UK 100 closed up 0.8% at

London's blue-chips were higher around midday on Thursday, but fresh falls in the pound and bond market angst kept domestically-focused stocks on the back foot.The FTSE 100 index was up 46.80 points, 0.6%, at 8,297.83. The FTSE 250 was down 95.22 points, 0.5%, at 19,857.02, and the AIM All-Share lost 0.68 of a point, 0.1%, at 719.43.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at 830.81, the Cboe UK 250 lost 0.5%

London's blue chip index was slightly in the red on Friday midday, while US markets are expected to open higher after a weak start on Wall Street on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index traded down 4.69 points, 0.1%, at 8,255.40. The FTSE 250 was down 48.37 points, 0.2%, at 20,591.86, and the AIM All-Share was up just 0.19 of a point at 723.54.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 827.28, the Cboe UK 250 was 0.

London's blue chip index opened in the red on Friday morning, following a healthy start to the new year, after stocks in New York declined on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index opened down 5.86 points, 0.1%, at 8,254.23. The FTSE 250 was down 51.56 points, 0.3%, at 20,588.67, and the AIM All-Share was down just 0.01 of a point at 723.69.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 827.68, the Cboe UK 250 was 0.1% lower a

London stocks traded mixed on Friday, while market participants digested US jobless claims data suggesting resilience in the American economy and kept one eye on data releases due out in the afternoon.The FTSE 100 index was marginally higher, by 0.040 points, at 8,137.03. The FTSE 250 was down 70.18 points, 0.3%, at 20,501.33, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.22 points at 717.18.The Cboe UK 100 wa

Share prices in London started lower on Friday after the two-day Christmas break, as investors dissected initial readings on the strength of holiday sales and the weekly reading on US employment.Out on Boxing Day, US seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims were 219,000 in the week that ended this past Saturday, down 1,000 from the previously week's unrevised total of 220,000, the US Department

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 high street enduringLow ticket leisure a winnerValue retail showing resilienceMany have sounded the death knell for the UK high street, notably during the Covid crisis as retail trends shifted towards online shopping. Yet, the high street has endured amid the consumer's persistent demand for physical retail.And despite many high street stocks successfully adapting to this evolving retail market

Q2 guidance very weak versus consensusMicron stock plunges 15% after-hoursAnalysts say HBM story 'remains intact'Missing forecasts seldom goes down well with investors and soggy guidance is usually equally unsavoury to markets, so it comes as little surprise that Micron Technology's (MU:NASDAQ) soft outlook sparked a hefty stock reaction.Shares in the memory chipmaker plunged 15% overnight after s

UK takeovers moved up a gear in 2024 as predators targeted bigger companies. The average value of deals was £1.07 billion, nearly three times higher than the £390 million average in 2023. In total, there were £49 billion worth of recommended bids versus £17.2 billion last year.A bounty of unloved or underappreciated companies were swept off their feet, signalling the UK market as being 'on sal

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

Investment trusts have experienced challenges this year, with discounts remaining wide across various sectors and some consolidation occurring. However, certain trusts have performed well compared to both the wider market and their peer group. This article highlights the top performers across four of the Association of Investment Companies' most widely followed equity-facing sectors.GLOBALAn inves