Stocks in London climbed higher at the close on Friday, while the pound rebounded, amid renewed hopes of faster rate cuts in the US following a jobs report.The FTSE 100 index closed up 67.05 points, or 0.8%, at 8,177.15. The FTSE 250 ended up 90.78 points, or 0.5%, at 20,479.74, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.90 points, 0.3%, at 739.00.For the week, the FTSE 100 was down 0.9%, the FTSE 250 was

London's FTSE 100 rallied on Friday, as budget nerves calmed, with investors hoping US nonfarm payrolls will not throw a spanner in the works at the end of an eventful week.The FTSE 100 index traded up 66.55 points, 0.8%, at 8,176.65. The FTSE 250 was up 49.99 points, 0.3%, at 20,438.95, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.38 points, 0.2%, at 738.48.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 820.05, the Cboe UK 25

CEO appointed from withinDan Finley transformed DebenhamsMike Ashley may yet flex his musclesChallenged online fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO:AIM) has shunned major shareholder Frasers' (FRAS) demand to install Mike Ashley as CEO and appointed internal candidate Dan Finley as its new boss instead.Finley has been running Boohoo's fast-growing online department store Debenhams since 2022 and replaces

The FTSE 100 in London opened higher on Friday, eating into some of its post-UK budget weakness, while the pound gained some lost ground.Eyes turn state side later, with US jobs data to come, before the Federal Reserve decision next week, and a presidential election on Tuesday.Closer to home, Reckitt shares jumped on a favourable US legal ruling on infant formula. Airlines struggled as oil prices

Results exceed gloomy estimatesSignificant drop in net debtFresh $3.5 billion buybackShares in Shell (SHEL) ticked up 1% to £25.15 after the energy giant delivered better-than-expected third-quarter results as headwinds from lower oil prices and weaker refining margins were partially offset by higher gas sales.There was also relief as the oil major reported a quarter-on-quarter decrease in net de

The market gave a largely positive response to Labour's first Budget with the domestic-facing FTSE 250 index and AIM market both enjoying strong gains following the unveiling of chancellor Rachel Reeves' plans.While the inheritance tax exemption on AIM shares was halved it wasn't abolished as had been feared. Rachel Winter, partner at Killik & Co: 'AIM shares have suffered from a perfect storm in

I am a 51 years old, and have worked for the majority of my life. After my children were born in 2010 and 2012, I decided to take a break from work for a few years, returning to part-time work in 2016.I have heard people have a limited time to pay the government to make up for missing national insurance contributions so they can boost their state pension and think this could apply to me. I would l

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

Investors in fantasy and fiction publisher Bloomsbury (BMY) are living in a dream world at the moment as the group continues to book double-digit annual growth in both sales and earnings and raise its outlook, sending its shares to a record high of 758p.For the first half to the end of August, revenue grew 32% to a record £180 million and profit leapt 50% to £26.6 million, partly due to the incl

As it stands, there are only two months left of 2024 and yet, for investors, the next few weeks could be some of the most consequential of the year.We provide a snapshot of the Budget and the market response to it in our News section this week but you can expect further analysis of the fall-out on our website and in next week's issue too.Also check our site for coverage of the latest Magnificent S

Stock prices in London were mixed just before the UK budget announcement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, with the FTSE 100 lower and the FTSE 250 and AIM All-Share registering a minor gain.The FTSE 100 index traded down 42.68 points, 0.5%, at 8,176.93. The FTSE 250 was up just 3.96 points at 20,626.75, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.98 of a point, 0.1%, at 716.77.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.6% at 818.

Budget day upgradeQ3 full price sales up 7.6%Annual profit guidance hiked to £1 billionRetail star turn Next (NXT) has raised its year-to-January 2025 profit guidance for the third time in three months after this year's early arrival of cold weather boosted its third quarter sales.Shares in the FTSE 100 company ticked up 1.5% to £102 as the fashion giant upgraded its full-year pre-tax profit gui

Stock hits three-month high $181Cloud and YouTube shineAI a battlefield for AlphabetOut of the mega tech blocks first - excluding Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) ? Alphabet (GOOG:NASDAQ) calmed nerves on Wall Street after-hours Tuesday (29 Oct) with a sharp acceleration in Google Cloud's third-quarter growth rate, while election spending also boosted advertisement sales, especially on YouTube. Going from the

Revenue and profit ahead of guidancePositive contribution from CPS acquisitionImproving momentum going into 2025Shares in online research data and analytics group YouGov (YOU:AIM) jumped more than 10% to 441p after revealing better-than-expected full-year revenue and profit and predicting a pick-up in sales bookings.The stock is down 64% so far in 2024 following a profit warning in June when the c

Q3 profit plunges 30%Weak refining margins and oil trading weighBuybacks rate maintainedOil major BP (BP.) delivered a better-than-feared drop in profits for the third quarter to September and said it will keep the rate of its share buyback programme unchanged at $1.75 billion (£1.35 billion) over the next three months.Nevertheless, the energy major's shares were marked down 1% to 395p with inves

Blue chips in London made a solid start to trading on Tuesday, reflecting gains elsewhere in Europe, boosted by well received updates from HSBC and Pearson. The FTSE 100 index opened up 23.39 points, 0.3%, at 8,309.01. The FTSE 250 was down 70.22 points, 0.3%, at 20,764.88, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.96 of a point, 0.1%, at 720.14.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 832.16, the Cboe UK 250 fell 0

Stocks in London recovered to close Monday in the green, as all eyes look to the UK budget to come on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 36.78 points, or 0.5%, at 8,285.62. The FTSE 250 ended up 15.19 points, or 0.1%, at 20,835.10, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.2%, or 1.57 points, at 721.10.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 830.25, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.3% at 18,385.28, and the Cboe

Stocks in London trended lower on Monday, as oil majors retreated due to easing fears about Middle Eastern conflict, and car finance providers slumped further.The FTSE 100 index traded down 20.47 points, 0.3%, at 8,228.18. The FTSE 250 was 42.07 points lower, or 0.2%, at 20,778.66, and the AIM All-Share shed 3.15 points, 0.4%, at 719.52.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 823.83, the Cboe UK 250 fell

Ticket sales and revenue forecasts raisedOperational gearing leads to higher marginShares hit new three-month highInvestors in online travel booking platform Trainline (TRN) enjoyed an uplift in the firm's valuation after it raised its outlook for the year to next February for a second time thanks to increased economies of scale.The shares accelerated 37p or 11% to a new three-month high of 374p,

Stocks in London closed lower on Friday, as a car finance probe weighed on the shares of Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays and Close Brothers.The FTSE 100 index closed down 19.13 points, 0.3%, at 8,248.84. The FTSE 250 ended up 29.36 points, or 0.1%, at 20,819.91, and the AIM All-Share lost 3.02 points, 0.4%, at 722.67.The Cboe UK 100 closed down 0.3% at 826.07 on Friday, the Cboe UK 250 ended down 0