Stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt were firmly in the green on Thursday morning, after the US announced it will keep 10% baseline tariffs but pause higher levies. Trump paused new tariffs on most countries but doubled down on China, raising tariffs on the world's second-largest economy to 125%. Meanwhile in the UK, Downing Street said that the UK will 'coolly and calmly' continue its...

In December, Luxembourg's financial regulator the CSSF announced new rules around tax exemption and portfolio transparency for European active ETFs (exchange-traded funds). Along with Ireland, Luxembourg is one of the main domiciles for exchange-traded funds and since its rule change there have been a flurry of new products coming to market. Here we explain what an active ETF is, how it works,...

The FTSE 100 suffered fresh losses on Wednesday as China hiked tariffs on US goods and market volatility spread to bonds, compounding investor nerves. The FTSE 100 index closed down 231.05 points, 2.9%, at 7,679.48. The FTSE 250 ended 458.51 points lower, 2.5%, at 17,890.64. The AIM All-Share declined 14.65 points, 2.3%, at 627.01. The Cboe UK 100 ended down 2.9% at 764.65, the Cboe UK 250...

Just over five years ago the stock market began to react in earnest to news of the Covid pandemic.The sell-off was short and sharp, with a modest recovery from the lows in the spring followed by sharper gains in November 2020 after AstraZeneca (AZN) made a vaccine breakthrough.However, a large number of UK stocks are still trading below the levels they were at by the close of trading on 21...

Q4 sales and earnings beat consensusTotal dividend raised by 7% to $3.10Double-digit 2025 EPS growth targetShares in mega-cap pharmaceutical maker AstraZeneca (AZN) leapt to the top of the FTSE 100 leader board, gaining almost 5% after the company delivered a strong final quarter and despite what appeared to be a slightly below-market earnings outlook.Over the last 12 months, the shares have...

Stock prices in Europe opened in the green on Thursday, ahead of an expected interest rate cut by the Bank of England, with weekly US jobless claims figures also on the horizon.The FTSE 100 index added 67.85 points, 0.8%, at 8,691.14. The FTSE 250 rose 99.21 points, 0.5%, at 20,862.09. The AIM All-Share rose 1.51 points, 0.2%, at 717.17.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.9% at 870.14, the Cboe UK 250...

First US approval for breast cancer drugTreatment reduces risk of death by 37%Eighth new medicine out of 20 set to deliver by 2030AstraZeneca (AZN) said the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved its cancer treatment Datroway to treat adult patients with breast cancer where surgery is not possible or where the cancer has spread through the body, who have already received standard...

Out of nowhere the market for weight loss drugs has become one of the most exciting investment themes in the last two years, rivalling investor enthusiasm for AI.There is good reason for the excitement. Rod Wong, managing partner at RTW Biotech Opportunities (RTW) fund describes the development of obesity drugs as the biggest ever financial opportunity in healthcare.That is because obesity is...

Analysts expect £78.5 billion in payouts£56.5 billion of buybacks this yearFTSE 100 up over 7% in 2024The latest AJ Bell Dividend Dashboard report shows FTSE 100 constituents are on course to pay £78.5 billion in ordinary dividends this year.That figure is almost flat on 2023 and well below the all-time high of £85.2 billion recorded in 2018, although analysts are penciling in a 6.5%...

The FTSE 100 index closed up on Thursday, with AstraZeneca shares rising on US FDA approval of its Imfinzi treatment.Also on Thursday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised a 'relentless focus on delivering for working people' ahead of a major speech setting out targets to measure progress on his government's plans.AJ Bell's Danni Hewson noted: 'The prime minister today said that households...

AstraZeneca CEO buys 20,000 sharesTravis Perkins CEO buys 249, 218 sharesASOS director buys £430,135 sharesPascal Soriot, CEO of pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca (AZN) has bought 20,000 shares at £102 for a total value of £2.04 million on 15 November.Soriot's purchase comes after the pharmaceutical giant delivered earnings ahead of consensus forecasts and raised its outlook on 14...

Shares in pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca (AZN) have fallen by around 16% over the past two months after recording an all-time high at the end of August.This reflects disappointing late-stage clinical trial results for the company's antibody cancer treatment Dato-DXd, being developed with Daiichi Sankyo (4568:TYO), but the shares lost around 5% on 30 October after the company said the...

London's FTSE 100 closed lower on Tuesday, underperforming European peers, as index heavyweight AstraZeneca held back the large-cap benchmark.Eyes now turn stateside, hours before the closing of polls across the US - where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris lock horns in the presidential election.The FTSE 100 index closed down 11.85 points, or 0.1%, at 8,172.39. The FTSE 250 ended down 91.25...

European stocks were mixed on Wednesday morning, with the FTSE 100 trading resiliently, after China announced it will hold a fiscal policy-focused conference this weekend amid a backdrop of investor nerves for the Asian economy.The FTSE 100 index was up 38.24 points, 0.5%, at 8,228.85.London's powerhouse listings AstraZeneca, Shell and Unilever were all in the green in early trade, aiding the...

Advanced breast cancer drug trial disappointsDrug unlikely to receive US approvalSeveral trials could yet revive hopesAnglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) was on the back foot on Monday after reporting disappointing late-stage trial results for Dato-DXd, its precision advanced breast cancer experimental drug.The news sent the shares down 1.4% to £116.10, a new three month low...

AstraZeneca director buys £235,855 sharesComputacenter director buys 8,900 sharesEssentra non-executive director buys 70,000 sharesMichael Demare, non-executive chair of pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) has bought 2,000 shares at £117.93 for a total value of £235,855 on 13 September.Demare's move comes after the pharmaceutical giant's shares recently fell to a one-month low after the...

US regulatory approval for FasenraPositive results from late-stage trialsShares recover some lost groundAfter a string of disappointing clinical trial results which have weighed on AstraZeneca's (AZN) shares in the last month, the pharmaceutical firm said it has received US regulatory approval for Fasenra, its treatment for a rare disease which causes inflammation of the blood...

Late-stage lung cancer trial disappointsTreatment was expected to be 'blockbuster'US regulatory approval now in doubtShares in pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN), fell more than 5% to a one month low after the UK's largest quoted company released disappointing data from a late-stage clinical trial of its precision lung cancer drug Dato-DxD.The shares have been on a tear over the last six...

Blue chips traded lower at midday on Tuesday, pegged back by falls in several index heavyweights, in a mixed day for stocks in London.The FTSE 100 index traded down 43.48 points, 0.5%, at 8,227.36. The FTSE 250 was up 32.47 points, 0.2%, at 20,683.35, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.69 of a point, 0.1%, at 746.04.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 823.76, the Cboe UK 250 rose 0.4% at 18,228.80,...

Stock prices in London opened mixed on Thursday while European counterparts were in the green, amid news that the UK economy flatlined monthly in June amid investor caution before the general election in July.The FTSE 100 index opened up 8.31 points, or 0.1%, at 8,289.36. The FTSE 250 was down 41.98 points, or 0.2%, at 20,910.54, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.87 points, or 0.1%, at...