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% increase

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 will

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 November.Over t

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 president of

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 points, 0

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 FTSE

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 and

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 UK's

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 vessels.Investors we

As we write AI (artificial intelligence) chip champion Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) has fallen more than 16% since reporting second quarter numbers. That's the equivalent of losing an entire Procter & Gamble (PG:NYSE) or two AstraZeneca's (AZN), the UK's largest listed company.To lose one AstraZeneca might be considered unfortunate, losing two is downright incompetence.Quips aside, more than $400 billion

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 month

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, and

Investigation into chip designer's business practicesRecord $279 billion already wiped off market capExtra layer of uncertainty attached to investment caseA week after reporting another record quarter, Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) is facing a fresh challenge. The chip designer is now firmly in the sights of US Department of Justice over complaints that it is violating antitrust laws.Investors are worried.

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 770.64.The C

Stock prices in the UK, France and Germany were higher at midday Wednesday as investors await a US consumer price inflation print, after UK CPI inflation was reported higher.The FTSE 100 index was up 28.63 points, or 0.4%, at 8,263.86. The FTSE 250 was up 114.24 points, or 0.6%, at 20,858.32, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.10 points, or 0.1%, at 769.08.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 826.01, the Cb

Investor excitement surrounding weight-loss drugs has arguably been as great if not greater than that seen for everything AI (artificial intelligence) in the last two years.Market leaders Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B:CPH) and Eli Lilly (LLY:NYSE), makers of Wegovy and Zepbound respectively, have seen their share prices soar as investors seemingly extrapolate their initial success years into the future.Ben

AstraZeneca's cancer drug combo gets green lightApplications being reviewed in several countriesCovid-19 prevention drug gets fast-trackedA combination of AstraZeneca's (AZN) cancer treatments Imfinzi and Lynparza has been recommended for approval in the EU by the CHMP (Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use) for patients with certain advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.In addition, I

US approval for endometrial cancer drugLeads to 58% improvement in survival ratesImfinzi generated sales of $4.2 billionPharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) said it has received US regulatory approval for its cancer drug Imfinzi to treat patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.The approval was based on results from a late-stage trial which showed Imfinzi plus carboplatin and pacli

Court rules 70,000 plaintiffs can present evidenceGSK to seek appealBlood cancer drug receives positive resultsShares in GSK (GSK) fell 10% to the bottom of the FTSE 100 after a Delaware judge on Friday (31 May) allowed more than 70,000 Zantac cases, which claim the discontinued heartburn drug caused cancer, to proceed to trial.French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi (SAN:EPA), which is also embroiled i

The long-awaited investor day at AstraZeneca (AZN) on 21 May delivered a punchy increase in the pharmaceutical giant's long term growth ambitions inviting further analysts upgrades to revenue and profit forecasts.After achieving its prior target of generating in excess of $45 billion of revenue by 2023 set a decade ago, management is aiming for more than $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030 and a