The FTSE 100 was in the green on Friday morning, while other stocks were mostly downbeat amid gloomy UK retail sales data and a global IT outage.Companies around the world reported technical issues, with planes grounded, trains disrupted, and television and radio broadcasters taken offline. According to Sky News, Berlin Airport has halted all flights until 0900 BST, while Microsoft Corp said it wa

The FTSE 100 was up in London at midday, following positive manufacturing data, while Labour reiterated its commitments to defence on the general election campaign trail.The FTSE 100 index was up 17.18 points, or 0.2%, at 8,292.63. The FTSE 250 was up 165.40 points, or 0.8%, at 20,895.27, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.30 points, or 0.3%, at 808.09.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 827.98, the Cboe U

In an up and down week US indices were a touch off their record levels although the end of the week took on a more positive hue thanks to comments from Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. Powell suggested rate cuts were not too far away. Shares in IT outfit Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE:NYSE) surged on strong demand for the company's artificial intelligence focused servers. Excitement around

City of London most bought in FebruaryScottish Mortgage most sold last monthAI winner Nvidia tops stock buysInvestors across the AJ Bell platform have been piling into popular City of London (CTY), JP Morgan Global Growth & Income (JGGI) in February and selling Scottish Mortgage (SMT) and Smithson Investment Trust (SSON).Overall, 11.44% of all buy deals placed on the AJ Bell platform were for City

The FTSE 100 was in the red and the pound struggled on Thursday afternoon after the Bank of England raised UK interest rates by an expected 25 basis points.The pound traded at $1.2631 after the BoE decision, down from $1.2659 beforehand, and $1.2707 late Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index was down 45.55 points, 0.6%, at 7,516.08. The FTSE 250 was up 53.25 points, or 0.3%, at 18,866.13, and the AIM All-S

Stocks in London struggled on Thursday after weak performance on Wall Street, as investors consider the latest economic data ahead of the Bank of England interest rate decision.The FTSE 100 index opened down 103.80 points, 1.4%, at 7,457.83. The FTSE 250 was down 91.06 points, 0.5%, at 18,721.82, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.75 of a point, 0.1%, at 757.34.The Cboe UK 100 was down 1.2% at 744.2

Stock prices in London tumbled on Wednesday, as reverberations from Fitch downgrading its credit rating for the US were felt in equity markets on both sides of the Atlantic.The FTSE 100 index slumped 104.64 points, 1.4%, at 7,561.63. The FTSE 250 tumbled 252.78 points, 1.3%, at 18,812.88, and the AIM All-Share was down 6.54 points, 0.9%, at 758.09.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 1.5% at 753.11, the Cbo

The Bank of England dug deep into its arsenal on Thursday and enacted an interest rate hike of 50 basis points, as Wednesday's red-hot UK inflation reading forced its hand.The BoE's hike took bank rate to 5.00% from 4.50% previously. The move was somewhat of a surprise, as a 25 basis point hike was largely expected. However, Wednesday's red-hot consumer price index data, which showed the UK's stub

- Management given a hard ride at general meeting- Shareholder group calls for break-up of the bank- Vote defeated as UK institutions give their backing Annual general meetings (AGMs) aren't generally the sort of events which grab headlines, but today's gathering of HSBC (HSBA) shareholders in Birmingham was one for the record books.Aside from repeated interruptions by climate activists, who label

The less than happy story of football clubs on the stock market has a new chapter as Manchester United (MANU:NYSE) might be put up for sale by its controversial owners, the Glazer family.Casual observers might be surprised to learn that such a significant global brand from the world's most popular sport is valued by the market at just £3.5 billion - for context that's roughly comparable with hous

For now, the escalating conflict in Ukraine shows no signs of easing. After the initial shock, markets were hopeful the economic impact of the war might be contained as the West's opening salvo of sanctions in response to Russia's invasion (24 Feb) were weaker than some had anticipated.However, any relief soon dissipated as Ukraine put up stiff resistance against the Russian invaders and sanctions

Investors have just seen the wildest day for markets in a very long time thanks to encouraging news about a Covid-19 vaccine. Many people have taken the view that we now have a fix for the coronavirus crisis and a panacea for the global economy.We are certainly more enthusiastic about the outlook and this is a major step forward for markets and society. Yet it is important to appreciate that marke

A steep 20% discount to net asset value (NAV) at London-listed Third Point Offshore Investors (TPOU) offers an attractive entry point for those keen to access the money-making acumen of Wall Street luminary Dan Loeb, a famous activist investor.We'll be upfront and say this investment is not for everyone. Accessing Loeb's investing skills means paying a premium - ongoing charges are a hefty 2.8%.Re

Despite a big fall in first half profit housebuilder Berkeley (BKG) is up 0.2% to £45.60. The company had done a good job of communicating to the market that its profit had peaked so investors are taking the news in their stride.The company sold fewer homes at lower prices in the period and for the six months ended 31 October, pre-tax profit fell 31% to £401.2m on-year and revenue fell 41.3% to

The FTSE 100 moved nearly 1% higher to 7,192 as investors awaited the publication of the minutes from the latest meeting of the US Federal Reserve. These might offer some clues into the future direction of interest rates across the pond.Plumbing group Ferguson (FERG) gained 1.6% amid reports it was considering switching to a US listing under pressure from activist investor Trian Fund Management.Oi

A feasibility study on Asiamet Resources' (ARS:AIM) BKM copper mine is a bit of a flop with project economics a lot worse compared to a previous study three years ago.Its shares fell 11.5% to 4.73p after the study on the Indonesian project only showed a 19.5% internal rate of return - used to measure the potential profitability of an investment - at a $3.30 per pound copper price, 20% higher than

It is important to take a balanced view when doing your research either for new investment ideas or to justify keeping current holdings in your portfolio.You should consider the positive investment case and also the challenges and headwinds facing a business, as well as any flaws in its decision making, structure or corporate culture, for example.Many investors find it easier to work out why a com

The future of the UK's biggest engineering group hangs in the balance as GKN (GKN) shareholder votes are counted.The rough £8.1bn hostile takeover attempt pitched by engineering turnaround specialist Melrose Industries (MRO) has become the most bitter bid battle in recent memory. Not since the controversial hostile takeover of Cadbury's by Kraft of the US back in 2010 have stock market passions r

Franchise business Filta (FLTA:AIM) is an enticing investment proposition, in our opinion. It is a profitable business with low capital expenditure requirements, lots of repeat revenue and potential for decent dividend growth in the future.The company floated on AIM in November 2016 at 83p and is the owner of FiltaFry, a business which cleans deep fryers and filters the oil used to cook food. Filt

Earnings forecasts have been raised again for compound semiconductor technology IQE (IQE:AIM) and the positive trend is expected to continue through 2017.Analysts at broker Canaccord Genuity increased their 2017 revenue estimate by £6m to £144m. Number crunchers at N+1 Singer have also upped their earnings per share (EPS) estimates.That leaves new average EPS forecasts at 3.1p to 3.2p, ahead of