London's stocks were mostly higher at Friday midday amid gloomy economic data which could boost expectations for interest rate cuts.The FTSE 100 index rose 52.48 points, 0.6%, at 8,201.52. The FTSE 250 climbed 170.72 points, 0.8%, at 20,520.41, and the AIM All-Share gained 4.33 points, 0.6%, at 730.07.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at 824.79, the Cboe UK 250 was up 1.1% at 17,998.02, and the Cboe Sma

Trading ahead of expectationsBig jump in royalty incomeAmazon tie-up news imminentIn an unscheduled update, fantasy miniatures maker Games Workshop (GAW) said trading since 8 September is tracking ahead of expectations and provided new financial estimates for the half year to 1 December.The news was well received with the shares jumping as much as 15% to a new all-time high of £136.5, taking gain

Markets seem to approve of the election of Donald Trump as the 47th US president. The S&P 500 has hit a record high in the wake of the election result, crossing over the 6,000 mark for the first time. This latest bump comes on the back of an exceptional run for US stocks, which has put other regional markets firmly in the shade, including the UK's own stock market.The historic performance differen

A year after fast-fashion sensation Shein was first thought to have filed registration papers for a UK IPO, reports suggest the company is targeting the first quarter of 2025 for a London float that could value the business at £50 billion.Shein's position as a fast-growing retailer expanding across multiple geographies and taking market share from established players ? it is no coincidence that t

To date, a small, exclusive club of UK retailers have exceeded £1 billion in annual profits, a high street elite that includes Tesco (TSCO), Marks & Spencer (MKS) and Kingfisher (KGF). Some may view this £1 billion figure as merely symbolic, but breaching this barrier is no mean feat and demonstrates a retailer has a lasting place in consumers' affections and the scale to win in a competitive ma

Profit guidance downgradedHospitality markets 'remain subdued'Budget to impact cost baseCeramic products specialist Churchill China (CHH:AIM) has a well-deserved reputation for its cash generation and resilience and for making statesmanlike progress in overseas markets.But shares in the Stoke-on-trent-based outfit slumped 20% to a five-year low of 650p today (20 November) on a warning annual profi

An increasingly tense geopolitical backdrop knocked European stocks on Tuesday, while the pound continued to struggle ahead of Wednesday's UK inflation print.The FTSE 100 index ended down 10.30 points, 0.1%, at 8,099.02. The FTSE 250 rose 32.21 points, 0.2%, at 20,427.62, and the AIM All-Share faded 3.32 points, 0.5%, at 724.23.The Cboe UK 100 ended flat at 814.55, the Cboe UK 250 rose 0.1% to 17,

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were mostly lower on Friday morning, as UK GDP growth came in slower than expected, ahead of US retail sales and industrial output data.UK gross domestic product is estimated to have increased in the latest quarter but edged down for September, data from the Office for National Statistics showed. The trade deficit widened on-month to £3.46 billion.Indus

Group revenue rises 3.7%New UK import centre for 2026France revenue grows 6.8%Shares in B&M European Value (BME) gained over 3% to 392p in morning trading as the low-priced variety goods retailer said group revenue for the 26 weeks to 28 September increased by 3.7% to £2.64 billion.The increase was driven by UK sales growth, which improved across the first half of the year by 6% against 1.5% in t

Bloomsbury (BMY) 700pMarket cap: £571 million Publishing group Bloomsbury (BMY) is a pandemic winner which has kept on winning since Covid.Lockdown saw people rediscover their love of reading, and the company has tapped into and exploited through successful marketing some popular trends in fiction which have helped drive a big increase in returns.That has meant Bloomsbury's return on capital empl

MercadoLibre (MELI:NASDAQ) $1,961.16Gain to date: 28.2% Quarterly reporting maybe great for transparency but it can be a curse for long-run growth stocks, as investors in MercadoLibre (MELI:NASDAQ) are finding out.The stock was thumped last week (7 November) after a third-quarter report saw sales surge but profits miss expectations. Quarterly revenue jumped 35% year-on-year to $5.31 billion, beati

Q3 sales and profit beatFull year profit guidance raisedNew $5 billion share buybackLeading gaming and betting firm Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) jumped 4% to an all-time high of £201 after revealing third quarter earnings ahead of analysts' expectations, raising guidance and announcing a $5 billion share buyback.The shares have surged 46% this year, trouncing Ladbrokes owner Entain (ENT) and Will

Stock prices in Europe were in the green on Monday morning after data on Saturday showed that annual consumer price inflation in China slowed in October.Swissquote's Ipek Ozkardeskaya said that 'the picture remains bullish for the US equities' following Trump's re-election but 'Elsewhere, worries mount: FTSE 100 and the European Stoxx 600 index both closed last week below the 200-DMA on worries ab

Outlook revised downNew car market remains toughFears over ruling on car financing commissionsThe UK's largest automotive platform Auto Trader (AUTO) revised down its dealership listing volumes outlook and now expects full year average revenue per retailer to fall, sending the shares down 7% to the bottom of the FTSE 100 index.The shares have reversed nearly 12% since the beginning of October on c

There was a certain degree of investor bemusement last month when shares in US electricity generation company Constellation Energy (CEG:NASDAQ) soared on news technology giant Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) had signed a 20-year power purchase agreement.This was no ordinary deal, however, as it paves the way for the restart of Three Mile Island 1 ? not the reactor which famously melted down in 1979, but a

On 12 November, the world's largest home improvement retailer Home Depot (HD:NYSE) will report third-quarter earnings. Year-to-date, shares in this US consumer bellwether have underperformed the S&P 500 with a rough 15% gain.Shares believes Home Depot will need to at least meet the $39.2 billion in quarterly revenue and EPS (earnings per share) of $3.63 Wall Street which expects for upwards stock

Stock prices in London were mostly higher at midday Tuesday as US voters are choosing their next president, as data showed UK service sector growth softened but outperformed its flash reading in October.The S&P Global UK services purchasing managers' index declined to 52.0 points in October from 52.4 in September, but beat the flash score of 51.8 points. The PMI composite output index fell to 51.8

Stock prices in London were in the green at midday on Monday, as budget fears were shaken off ahead of the US presidential election on Tuesday and the Bank of England interest rate decision on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index was up 52.82 points, 0.7%, at 8,229.97. The FTSE 250 was up 78.24 points, 0.4%, at 20,557.98, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.01 points, flat, at 739.01.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6%

Funds inevitably have their up and downs in performance. When a fund has gone through a particularly poor spell, does this represent a buying opportunity for investors in the expectation it will bounce back to form?Likewise for existing investors, should they stick or twist? Fortunately, there are lots of studies from the institutional fund management world which provide answers to that question a

1. China steps up: Chinese policymakers have announced a slew of stimulus measures targeted at reversing the downturn in economic growth and deflationary forces in the economy. Similar to the end of Covid-19 lockdowns in 2022, the policy change is sudden and dramatic. Reasons for the change in policy direction are being hotly debated. One potential factor was the start of the US Federal Reserve's