The FTSE 100 index fell on Friday, while short sellers are reportedly eyeing consumer-facing UK companies facing reduced customer spending and higher employment costs.'The UK outlook is getting worse by the day,' commented AJ Bell's Dan Coatsworth. 'Business and consumer sentiment is already weakening amid concerns that the new government doesn't have an effective plan to accelerate economic growt

London's blue chip index closed in the green on Friday as Smiths Group unveiled 'strategic actions' to unlock shareholder value, including divestment and an increased buyback programme.The FTSE 100 index closed up 27.08 points, 0.3%, at 8,673.96. The FTSE 250 ended up 145.41 points, 0.7%, at 20,950.48, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.10 points at 718.13.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 869.89,

Keen investor Phil first got the bug in the mid-1980s when his mum bought him 100 shares in Cable & Wireless shares.Cable & Wireless was a trailblazing cable company set up more than a century ago and by the start of 2000, C&W Group, as it was then, had a market value of around £38 billion. When the business was demerged in 2010 its value had shrunk to £4 billion ? with the now two separate busi

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

Shares in US retail titan Costco Wholesale (COST:NASDAQ) have been on an astonishing run, not just over the last 12 months but for several years before that and the shares are now trading at all-time highs.The company has consistently reported earnings ahead of expectations in recent quarters and, given the elevated share price, it may need to do so again if it is to sustain its red-hot momentum w

London's stock indices closed higher on Wednesday, contrasting with broader European declines, with confidence from easing bond yields lifting housebuilders over the session.The FTSE 100 index rose 16.14 points, 0.2%, at 8,274.75. The FTSE 250 climbed 32.98 points, 0.2%, at 20,601.63, and the AIM All-Share firmed 0.81 of a point, 0.1%, at 731.40.The Cboe UK 100 advanced 0.1% at 831.73, the Cboe UK

Stock prices in London were just about in the green at midday, outperforming Paris and Frankfurt, where shares succumbed to French budget concerns and worries that the European economy could be next to fall into the cross-hairs of Donald Trump tariffs.The FTSE 100 index added 4.24 points, 0.1%, at 8,262.85 heading into Wednesday afternoon. The FTSE 250 rose 15.49 points, 0.1%, at 20,584.14, and th

Stocks in London were mixed at Wednesday midday, as investors digested a hotter-than-expected consumer price growth reading in the UK, while focus across the Atlantic turns to Nvidia's earnings.The FTSE 100 index climbed just 3.66 points at 8,102.68. The FTSE 250 fell 59.75 points, 0.3%, at 20,367.87, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.04 points, 0.1%, at 725.27.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 814.74, the

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced an astonishing £40 billion of tax rises in her maiden budget, and yet, despite that, there will be relief in some quarters that things didn't turn out worse.Capital gains tax is one of the areas where the Reeves' raid was not as bad as feared, as there had been speculation she would bring capital gains tax rates into line with income tax, with the top rate risin

Stocks in Europe were mostly lower on Wednesday morning, ahead of the UK budget announcement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, while Standard Chartered rose after it said it delivered a strong performance.Ahead of the budget, the pound was quoted at $1.3020 early Wednesday, rising from $1.2991 at the London equities close on Tuesday.Brown Brothers Harriman analysts believe the pound faces 'downside ris

Dovish remarks from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey helped to boost the FTSE 100's housebuilders on Thursday at midday, while grocers rose following a strong interim showing from Tesco.The FTSE 100 index was up 21.96, 0.3%, at 8,312.82. The FTSE 250 was down 18.71 points, 0.1%, at 20,765.07, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.26 of a point at 734.04.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 831.77, the

As Sabuhi Gard covers in a piece of news analysis this week, China-related stocks and funds are flying thanks to Beijing's announcement of a big stimulus package.However, there is one industry with ties to the world's second largest economy which is very much not joining in the party ? the car manufacturers.On 30 September, Stellantis (STLAM:BIT) ? one of the biggest European car producers compris

Stocks in London retreated on Monday, after downgrades to the UK's economic growth estimates, while automotive weakness continued.The FTSE 100 index ended down 83.81 points, 1.0%, at 8,236.95. The FTSE 250 closed 187.37 points lower, 0.9%, at 21,053.19, and the AIM All-Share shed 5.22 points, 0.7%, at 740.43.The Cboe UK 100 ended 1.0% lower at 824.66 on Monday. The Cboe UK 250 fell 1.0% to 18,506.

Wetherspoon chair sells 1% of companyCreightons and hVIVO executives sell upAssetco director adds to holdingTim Martin, chairman of pub group JD Wetherspoon (JDW), sold 1,361,000 shares at 739p each for a total value of more than £10 million on 29 July.As a result of the deal, Martin's voting rights now comprise of 30,382,253 shares, equivalent to 24.6% of the issued share capital of the company

Porsche AG (P911:ETR) €69.98Market cap: €31.3 billionAt first glance it may look like an odd time to pitch Porsche AG (P911:ETR) to readers, but we have seen many times that fundamentally good companies can be picked up on the relative cheap during testing times, and that's the scenario we now believe is in front of investors.The shares trade under the name of Dr ING F Porsche AG, which

The FTSE 100 finished lower at the close on Wednesday, as tech earnings weighed on equities across the pond, despite figures showing a strong result for UK business activity in July.The FTSE 100 index closed down 13.68 points, 0.2%, at 8,153.69. The FTSE 250 ended down 140.65 points, 0.7%, at 20,950.84, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.53 points, 0.5%, at 776.64.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.1%

London's stocks were shaky going into Wednesday afternoon, despite data showing a pick up in UK private sector growth.Amongst individual stocks, easyJet was flying after it said it is on track to deliver another 'record-breaking summer'.The FTSE 100 index traded 13.83 points lower, or 0.2%, at 8,154.04. The FTSE 250 was down 58.02 points, 0.3%, at 21,033.47, while the AIM All-Share was down 1.34 p

Miners dragged the FTSE 100 into the red on Tuesday, as stocks in London finished the session lower at the close.The FTSE 100 index closed down 31.41 points, 0.4%, at 8,167.37. The FTSE 250 ended down 47.19 points, 0.2%, at 21,091.49, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.07 points, 0.4%, at 780.17.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.5% at 814.73, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.5% at 18,388.59, and the Cboe

CEO's $56 billion package biggest in corporate historyHuge backing thought to have come from army of small investorsStock has put up yearly returns of 66.5% since 2019Corporate pay packets can be a tetchy topic with investors but not those backing Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ). Thousands of shareholders voted to back Elon Musk's enormous $56 billion compensation deal, the biggest in corporate history.This w

Blowing consensus estimates out of the water has become habitual for Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ), fuelling an astonishing eight-fold jump in the share price in less than two years. It's most recent near-9% rally in the wake of more forecast-thumping earnings added an extra $230 billion to its market cap as investors continue to pile in on the promise of rampant revenue and profits growth from an AI revol