Operating profit beats forecastsSolvency and dividend betterShares drop 14% in active tradingJust to prove that sometimes, even if you know in advance a company is going to deliver good news, you don't know how the market will react, investors in FTSE 250 retirement savings specialist Just Group (JUST) will be wondering why the shares have tumbled when the firm beat estimates.As of mid-morning Jus

Investors on Wall Street were affected by uncertainty over president Donald Trump's trade policy this week.After initially announcing immediate broad-based tariffs on neighbouring countries Canada and Mexico, exemptions for carmakers were introduced before other industries were given respite amid suggestions tariffs could be rolled back entirely.On 6 March the S&P 500 extended its losses to drop n

The FTSE 100 lagged European peers on Thursday, after a perceived 'hawkish' rate cut by the European Central Bank drove the euro higher.Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell said there wasn't any bad news to cause a minor sell-off.'It's just one of those days where investors reassessed their portfolios given the uncertain economic and geopolitical backdrop,' he noted.The FTSE 100 index end

Digital viewing up 12% for full year 2024Record profits at ITV StudiosDigital advertising revenue up 15%Shares in ITV (ITV) gained over 5% on Thursday (6 March) after the free-to-air broadcaster reported a strong full year 2024 performance led by its streaming hub ITVX.Digital viewing was up 12% and digital advertising revenue was up 15% for the year ending 31 December driven by the robust perform

Blue chip stocks in London and Paris were lower at midday Thursday, but up a notch in Frankfurt amid hopes of big investments from the incoming German government.The European Central Bank 'is expected to cut rates having been given a freer hand as inflationary pressures have eased,' AJ Bell's Russ Mould noted.The FTSE 100 index was down 82.84 points, 1.0%, at 8,673.00. The FTSE 250 was down 33.31

Mixed annual resultsQ4 like-for-likes disappointEssential Home sale on trackReckitt Benckiser's (RKT) shares rallied 2.6% to £53.22 after the consumer and household goods giant reported better-than-expected full-year margins and reiterated its bold plans to restructure and simplify the business.This more than compensated for worse-than-expected fourth quarter sales from the Durex-to-Mucinex maker

Part of being a successful leader of a public company is managing expectations ? setting achievable targets which you can tick off and, by doing so, build credibility with the market.The under-pressure boss of oil and gas outfit BP (BP.) Murray Auchincloss will have been aware he needed to make a splash during a big strategy event on 26 February but telling the Financial Times he wants to get the

Elon Musk and Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) optimists in the analyst community appear to be pinning hopes on AI, robotaxis and robotics to reverse the negative mood surrounding the stock in recent months.Since peaking at an all-time high close to $480 in mid-December 2024, shares in the electric car firm have lost more than 40% of their value, a plunge that has wiped more than half a trillion dollars off th

Three recent interventions by the Trump administration are having a major impact on financial markets.First, plans for a cryptocurrency strategic reserve were announced, helping to light a fire under Bitcoin and other digital assets.Those gains were soon erased however when, against hopes of a last-minute reprieve, 25% tariffs were introduced on Canada and Mexico along with a 10% levy on Chinese g

Investors are getting conflicting signals when it comes to the future direction of oil prices, and this week's fall to three-month lows off the back of crude producers' cartel OPEC+'s decision to boost output is unlikely to be the end of the story.The introduction of tariffs on neighbouring countries by the Trump administration could stoke inflation, which would typically be reflected in higher en

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 Februar

With Saba Capital having turned the spotlight on a handful of underperforming investment trusts, there is now a wave of activity as other trusts look for ways to reduce the persistent discount to NAV (net asset value) which has dogged the asset class.Some have introduced 'discount control' mechanisms, others have launched share buybacks, and some have announced they will hold a 'continuation vote'

Nike (NKE:NYSE) $79.43Market cap: $117.5 billionPatient investors seeking a high-quality, progressive dividend-paying company with one of the globe's most iconic brands should buy Nike (NKE:NYSE), the lately-unloved sportswear giant trading at a discount to its own history with the shares down 20% over one year and 10% over five.Despite its recent struggles, Shares believes this is an opportune m

Investing in tech stocks has been making money for ordinary investors for years. Since the internet emerged in the early 1990s, the broadly drawn tech space has consistently delivered market-beating growth in revenues and profits and dominated share price returns.It is no coincidence that aside from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B:NYSE), all of the trillion-dollar companies (currently s

European stocks were mixed on Wednesday, as the FTSE 100 eased slightly despite a boost for miners from higher metal prices and hints some sectors may be left out of US tariffs.The FTSE 100 index ended down 3.16 points at 8,755.84. The FTSE 250 climbed 177.23 points, 0.9%, at 20,127.73, and the AIM All-Share gained 3.61 points, 0.5%, at 690.48.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 877.63, the Cboe UK 2

Stock prices in Europe were mostly higher on Wednesday midday, with higher-risk and economically sensitive sectors benefiting from a risk-on sentiment among investors.'European and Asian markets were on the front foot on Wednesday amid hopes that Donald Trump might partially wind back tariffs if deals could be struck with Canada and Mexico,' commented AJ Bell's Russ Mould. 'Investors are looking f

Stock prices in Europe were in the red at Tuesday midday, with airline stocks hit badly in particular, as European countries intend to boost their militaries amid a US freeze on aid for Ukraine.'Investors were desperately hoping that Trump would delay tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China at the eleventh hour, yet the US president has stuck to his guns and brought them into power,' commented AJ Bell

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were in the red on Tuesday morning, amid news that UK grocery sales growth slowed in February, amid worries about US tariffs.'Today marks a turning point in Donald Trump's tariff policy,' commented Swissquote's Ipek Ozkardeskaya. 'It is the day the tariff threat will materialise ? unless there is a surprise U-turn ? and hammer hopes that the aggressive t

London's FTSE 100 edged higher on Monday, driven by a rally in BAE Systems as defence spending optimism lifted sentiment.Meanwhile, investors awaited US manufacturing data to be released later today.The FTSE 100 index was up 58.45 points, 0.7%, at 8,868.19. The FTSE 250 was up 23.20 points, 0.1%, at 20,349.58, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.20 points, 0.2%, at 705.03.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at

BAE Systems shares climb 15%European stocks sharply higherUK and France discuss Ukraine dealThe European defence sector enjoyed its biggest one-day rally since 2020 after the Trump administration refused to offer any security guarantees, leading investors to bet on European governments ramping up their defence spending.Shares in BAE Systems (BA.) jumped 210p or 15% to £16.15, pulling with them sh