Stock prices in London made little progress on Friday, though the FTSE 100 ended the week in the green.The FTSE 100 index closed down 3.01 points at 8,376.63. The FTSE 250 ended up 55.46 points, 0.3%, at 21,086.54, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.02 of a point at 772.51.In the week as a whole, the FTSE 100 was up 1.1%, the FTSE 250 fell 0.1%, while the AIM All-Share fell 0.3%.The Cboe UK 100 end

European stocks were higher on Thursday midday, as investors prepare for a US GDP print, while top US White House aide Jake Sullivan met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.The FTSE 100 index was up 24.13 points, or 0.3%, at 8,367.98. The FTSE 250 was up 42.84 points, or 0.2%, at 21,109.71, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.36 points, or 0.3%, at 772.66.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 836.44, the

Stock prices in London opened softly in the green on Thursday as investors remained cautious ahead of upcoming US GDP data.The FTSE 100 index opened up just 4.00 points at 8,347.85. The FTSE 250 was down 11.24 points, or 0.1%, at 21,055.63, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.74 points, or 0.2%, at 772.04.The Cboe UK 100 was up slightly at 834.44, the Cboe UK 250 was down a little at 18,563.12, and the

The Global Smaller Companies Trust (GSCT) 166pMarket cap: £794.4 millionDespite the recent stock market dominance of mega-cap US tech companies, high-quality smaller caps have a longer term record of outperforming. With greater inherent growth potential than their large cap brethren, small caps tend to fare well in a falling interest rate environment and with borrowing costs on the way down in t

Anyone lucky enough to have enjoyed a long summer holiday and focused on the beach rather than their portfolio might not have noticed the recent jolt in global stock markets.While the second half of July was a miserable time markets amid fears of a US recession, the scale of the subsequent rebound has been remarkable.Glance at your portfolio now and you might only see a small dent. There is certai

Significant operating margin expansionFull year outlook raised againMaterial firepower for acquisitionsBunzl (BNZL) shares bounced 9.3% to an all-time high of £35.12 after the resilient distribution and services giant delivered another full year profit guidance upgrade driven by acquisitions and an improved first half margin performance.Drawing confidence from the strength of its balance sheet, t

Stocks in London ended the week higher on Friday, while unambiguously dovish remarks from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell propelled the pound to a 29-month high against the dollar.'The time has come for policy to adjust. The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks,' Powell said in a speec

It was a week of ups and downs for the US market as investors awaited Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's address to the Jackson Hole Symposium on 23 August.<img src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/O7wOm/full.png" alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/O7wOm/full.png"><span id="mce_marker" data-mce-type="bookmark" data

Stock prices were higher in London, Paris and Frankfurt on Thursday, while the UK got a boost in a flash purchasing managers' index reading, ahead of weekly US jobless data.The FTSE 100 index was up 11.79 points, 0.1%, at 8,295.22. The FTSE 250 was down 18.70 points, 0.1%, at 21,168.49, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.54 points, 0.1%, at 776.27.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 829.44, the Cboe UK 2

The FTSE 100 finished higher in London on Wednesday, but took a back seat to mid-caps, ahead of the next set of minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee.The FTSE 100 index closed up 10.11 points, 0.1%, at 8,283.43. The FTSE 250 ended up 201.04 points, 1.0%, at 21,187.19, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.77 points, 0.4%, at 776.81.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.2% at 827.64, the Cboe UK 250 clos

Stocks in Europe were in the green at midday Wednesday, as investors await the release of the latest minutes from the US Federal Reserve's meeting.Investors will be looking to tonight's reading not only for clues on the number of rate cuts from the US this year, but also for hints as to the contents of Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech at Jackson Hole on Friday.The FTSE 100 index was up 13.23 point

Stock prices in London opened a tad higher on Wednesday morning, as investors keenly await upcoming Fed's minutes which may give a preview if Chair Jerome Powell will make any comments on monetary policy on Friday.The FTSE 100 index opened up just 0.98 of a point at 8,274.30. The FTSE 250 was up 42.13 points, 0.2%, at 21,028.28, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.05 points, 0.1%, at 775.09.The Cboe UK

Stock prices in London closed lower on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 dragged down by hits to index heavies, BP and Shell, on the back of declining oil prices, as well as BT.The FTSE 100 index closed down 83.62 points, 1.0%, at 8,273.32. The FTSE 250 ended down 171.32 points, 0.8%, at 20,986.15, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.55 points, 0.3%, at 774.04.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 1.1% at 826.27, t

As is often the case in times of stock market volatility, parts of the financial eco-system which previously hadn't received a great deal of attention are suddenly catapulted into the mainstream.This time it's the carry trade, specifically in yen, which is drawing the attention of investors. Effectively a carry trade means borrowing money in one place where interest rates are low and using it to i

There is a phrase in business ? 'shrink to greatness' ? meaning companies selling or demerging assets and focusing on what they do best.You might call it streamlining, others might say it is an admission that the previous strategy did not work and the company was too bloated.This trend is firmly in motion across the UK stock market with nine companies in the FTSE 100 either in the middle of shrink

Stock prices in London closed up on Tuesday after a hopeful US producer price inflation print left investors reassured ahead of further key readings on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 24.98 points, 0.3%, at 8,235.23. The FTSE 250 ended up 66.89 points, 0.3%, at 20,744.08, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.99 of a point, 0.1%, at 767.98.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 822.29, the Cboe UK 25

New home completions up 5%Interim dividend held at 20pShares up 37% over past yearShares in Persimmon (PSN) perked up nearly 3% to £15.86 in morning trading after the leading housebuilder guided to full year completions of 10,500, the top end of management's prior guidance.The FTSE 100 firm also said underlying operating profit and margin were in line with expectations for the six months ended 30

A market storm is emerging from a seemingly cloudless summer sky. The question now is whether this is just a tempest in a teapot, and the result of thin trading volumes as the big hitters head to the beach and leave deputies and juniors in charge, or whether it is the harbinger of a more serious ? and bearish ? shift in market sentiment.The first step to working this out is to understand what may

Investors looking to pin the blame for the sudden panic in markets might wonder whether US chip firm Intel's (INTC:NASDAQ) decision to lay off staff and cut spending, triggering a 26% fall in the share price on 2 August, was the trigger for the broad sell-off.While Intel may have played a part, the root cause of the market's current malaise is the unwinding of the 'carry trade' involving the Japan

It's fair to say earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA for short) is not universally popular as a measure of earnings.It has some notably high-profile detractors in the form of Warren Buffett and his late business partner Charlie Munger. Munger even crudely observed EBITDA earnings should be characterised as cow-pat earnings, although he didn't use the words cow or p